Earning a professional teaching certificate takes commitment and time. However, online courses provide flexibility, making it easier to schedule around busy professional and personal lives. But why make the effort? The obvious answer is that it makes you a better teacher. And better teachers lead to higher-achieving students. Both of those are central ideas to why people become teachers in the first place.
However, the following looks more at the career-enhancing aspects of earning a professional certification.
Credits for a Degree
Earning a professional teaching certificate can get you closer to earning a master’s degree. In many professional certificate programs, schools apply the credits earned toward completion of a master’s degree. Once such example is the Digital Innovator Certificate from Fresno Pacific University. Credits from completion of this program can apply to either an online Master of Arts in Educational Technology or a Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum.
A New Network
Just like in college, the people you meet while earning a professional teaching certificate are likely to become part of your network as you move forward in your career. Graduating with a professional certificate puts you into a network of fellow students. They can become professional partners, offer support for your efforts and perhaps open the door to better jobs.
Beyond Experience
Experience is a great asset in any profession. However, acquiring new knowledge moves you beyond what you have experienced. This is a valuable tool in developing leadership skills, which require you to see beyond what you may already have experienced in your career. There’s also the fact that knowledge is power, especially in education.
Examples of Professional Teaching Certificates
To show the variety of professional teaching certificates available, here is an overview of five offered by Fresno Pacific University.
Digital Innovator. This offers students a chance to learn about the latest technology innovations in classrooms, as well as the chance to earn a Google Educator Level 1 Certificate.
Coaching for Excellence. Provides coaches with new strategies, tools and techniques to apply to coaching students.
STEM Teaching Certificate. Helps teachers develop skills and strategies to better engage students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
Classroom Technology Integration. Offers an advanced education on the latest technologies available to educators and how to integrate them into the classroom.
Technology Skills for Educators. Focuses on equipping teachers to master skills for using the various technologies available for educators.
These are examples of what teachers can learn through professional certificate programs. For teachers who want to become better at their job and bolster their career, taking such courses is a move worth considering.