The growing need for teachers in Georgia has led the Savannah-Chatham school district to rely on an often overlooked education program.  Alternative Pathways to Teaching allows anyone with a bachelor’s degree to earn a teaching certificate while serving as an interim teacher. The program has ushered in hundreds of new teachers to the Savannah school system.

Savannah teacher Stephen Routh shares his alternative path to becoming a teacher after pursuing a number of different careers earlier in life.

We talk to Stephen Routh, a teacher who earned his certificate using the program, about his late life career shift. We also talk to Heather Bilton, a talent acquisition officer in the county, about the inner workings of the certificate program and how it’s impacting Georgia.

After we say goodbye to Heather and Stephen, Atlanta Journal-Constitution education reporter Maureen Downey joins the show to discuss the pros and cons of the program and how the initiative has fared in Georgia’s neighboring states.  

Maureen Downey breaks down some of the numbers regarding alternative teachers and discusses how teaching can once again become an attractive career.

Here are some more of your thoughts on the Alternative Pathways program:

Tags: teachers  Education  Atlanta  Georgia  Savannah