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By Shelly Moore
WEAC Member
The state of Wisconsin, in cooperation with WEAC, has introduced new teacher licensure laws, a mysterious entity known as PI 34. For most of us already teaching, little attention has been paid to this new law that most directly affects only those poor, unfortunate souls trying to become teachers as of July 1, 2004.
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Shelly Moore |
Even though those of us currently licensed are “grandfathered” into the new system and can continue to use credits to renew, I submit to you that we veteran teachers should give switching to a PI 34 professional development plan some serious consideration. In fact, I am making the switch myself from the traditional credit-based route to the new professional development plan route.
As a seventh-year teacher with 9-12, 300 and 325 certifications — that’s English and theater if you don’t work for DPI — I have already been through one renewal process under the old rules. Take the classes, pay the money, and you get to keep your license. Yes, I’ve even earned the master’s degree. So why switch to the new rules?
The simple answer: PI 34 makes sense. It respects us as professional educators who can set our own goals and work to achieve them. Let me provide you with a specific example from what I do.
Under PI 34, there are 10 teacher standards from which you select and establish your own goals. As a high school theater teacher, I am very concerned about safety on my stage and attend workshops each year where I get new ideas for various safety rules I should implement.
Under the traditional licensure requirements, this is all very interesting, but not relevant to my ability to remain a licensed teacher. However, under PI 34, I can set improving safety on my stage as one of my goals (Teacher Standard #10), and then spend three years making it happen.
This is a far more practical use of my time than some arbitrary college course. Imagine having what you need to spend time on actually being considered valuable. It’s revolutionary.
Yes, PI 34 can replace taking all those credits. Translation: you don’t need to spend money on coursework. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to have back the $954 I spent on my last three credits, credits I took for the sake of getting credits. We’ve all seen our colleagues in the teacher’s lounge, looking through the catalogues that the universities send out with lists of courses for teachers.
Hey, maybe you like the classes. Fine. Make some aspect of studying your teaching field one of your goals (that’s Teacher Standard #1 if you are keeping track). But, if you want to find other ways to learn about what’s new in your teaching field, you can attend workshops, read books, work on developing new curriculum, spend time learning how to use that new piece of technology, even take a trip to Spain, Spanish teachers. In other words, one of your goals could be trying that sample piece of software that takes students through details of World War II or basic computer design or whatever it may be that has been sitting next to your computer for several years.
Best of all, PI 34 has room for everything you might spend time working on. Got a student with a newly recognized disorder? Read a book on Asperger’s Syndrome as Teacher Standard #2. Spend a lot of time working for the union? Create a goal related to working with colleagues under Teacher Standard #10. Interested in developing new cooperative activities in your classroom? Then put your emphasis on Teacher Standard #5.
Yes, I’m simplifying things, but the law is written in a way that is responsible to the classroom teacher first. As professional educators, everyday we are surrounded by small pieces of life and experience that make us better teachers. Under PI 34, these slices of life are relevant, respected pieces of the whole teacher. You know what you need to spend time working on. I’m suggesting, veteran teacher, that you take a little time to look into a PI 34 professional development plan and see if it’s right for you.
Posted January 5, 2005