Hands up, who wants to teach? SWFL classrooms fill up with first-time teachers

Ever wonder who’s standing in front of your child's classroom?

It used to be that teachers stayed in the career for decades but that’s not necessarily the case anymore. Last year, 18,000 teachers left the profession in Florida alone, and experts believe this trend might continue. Despite these numbers, new faces are stepping up to fill the gaps and for some, it’s a career then never thought they’d have.

Fox 4's Amy Wegmann met one. See her full story here:

I recently visited a new teacher training session in Lee County, where I met people going into the classroom for the first time.

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One of those people was a man named Bill Dietrich. Bill started as a math teacher at Gulf Middle School in Cape Coral this week but this is new territory for him.

"I’m reading as fast as I can and asking a lot of questions during the training," Bill shared.

For most of Bill’s life he worked in high-temperature ceramics. "The high-temperature ceramics was in steel plants where they make steel. So it was pretty exciting stuff. Metal flying everywhere," he laughed.

Bill Dietrich

Bill says teaching never crossed his mind back then. "Never. Never. I didn’t think so. But when I moved down here, there weren’t a lot of jobs that fit my profile. I tried. My wife’s a teacher and she loves it. So I thought I’d give it a go,” he explained.

Bill’s not alone. Across the state people are changing careers and starting to teach. It’s a way for districts to fill positions left vacant by a teacher shortage right now. Lee County, at the start of the school year, said it had 186 openings for teachers. Suzette Rivera, with Lee County Schools says they hire year round.

So, who is eligible? If you have a bachelor’s degree you’re in. You can choose a subject you’re comfortable with, take a test based on the grade level you want to teach, and if you pass, you’re eligible for a temporary certificate. This certificate is valid for five years, giving you time to complete the necessary coursework for permanent certification. "We will teach you all of the things that might seem foreign, like how to put in attendance," Rivera said.

For all of the new teachers that are making a big change there are still plenty of recent graduates who have dreamed of teaching their whole life. People like Natalie who recently graduated from FGCU.

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”When people asked me what I wanted to be, I’d say teacher, teacher, teacher. I would take home extra copies and teach my brother what I learned at school," Natalie shared. She’s thrilled to start teaching fifth grade this year and says if you’re wondering if it’s a career you would enjoy you can start slow and test the waters by substituting.

Bill says she’s ready to get to work teaching math and having a little fun. "I think the kids are gonna have fun. What I learned in this training, I know they’re going to have fun."

Curious how you can become a teacher in SWFL? Here’s some information from the Lee County School District.