SJRCC PRESS RELEASE November 2006 SJRCC Educator Preparation Institute Prepares Professionals for a Teaching Career After moving to the United States from Puerto Rico when she was 16 years old, Orange Park resident Nora Rosa-Alberty remembers what it was like to struggle in the classroom. She knew the English language, but it was still difficult to learn complicated subjects in her second language. Rosa-Alberty said she thinks that experience made her a perfect match for teaching high school students with Various Exceptionalities (VE), and she was able to find her current position in the classroom through St. Johns River Community College's Educator Preparation Institute (EPI). "I really enjoy teaching and working with kids. I have a new respect for teachers. This is a really important role because we definitely have an influence on their lives at this stage," said Rosa-Alberty, who teaches science to ninth, tenth and eleventh graders in the VE program at Ridgeview High School in Orange Park. "They are like my kids." Rosa-Alberty teaches five classes of ecology, biology and physical science. SJRCC's new Alternative Teacher Certification Program, which is part of the EPI program, is designed to streamline the process for obtaining a Florida Professional Teaching Certificate. After completing the seven courses that make-up the EPI program, passing the three parts of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam, and submitting the required paperwork to the Florida Department of Education, participants will be awarded a Florida Professional Teaching Certificate. No other coursework is required, and the program can be completed in less than a year. Rosa-Alberty, who has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Administration and Social Work, said the EPI program provided a schedule that was a good fit for her life. "EPI provides all the required education courses as a package, so you know what you need to take to get certified," she said. SJRCC offers the EPI courses online or on-campus in the evenings at SJRCC's Palatka, Orange Park, and St. Augustine campuses. Rosa-Alberty will complete the EPI program in December and until then is teaching under a temporary teaching certificate that allowed her to begin teaching at Ridgeview two and a half years ago. After completing the coursework in December and passing the Florida Teacher Certification Exam, Rosa-Alberty will receive her Professional Teaching Certificate from the Florida Department of Education. Rosa-Alberty said she found the interaction with other students in her EPI classes to be the most helpful, especially when they reviewed lesson plans. Also, Rosa-Alberty said she appreciated EPI Instructor Susan Smith's teaching experience that she was able to share with the class. Rosa-Alberty said Ridgeview Principal Toni McCabe has been incredibly supportive along with the faculty and staff. "Everyone here has been very welcoming," she said. Rosa-Alberty had been working in educational facilities in administrative management positions prior to teaching, but she said she always managed to teach others in that role as well. So, she said the transition into the classroom was not very difficult for her. ̉Nora is a newcomer to the field of teaching, and she is an asset to her students and the community at large," said McCabe. "She is dedicated in her lesson preparation and delivery to ensure success while keeping expectations high." In order to participate in the EPI program, applicants must have earned a Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university and possess the disposition suitable for becoming a teacher. For more information on SJRCC's EPI program, please call (386) 312-4242 or email opencampus@sjrcc.edu PHOTO CAPTION: Nora Rosa-Alberty teaches a ninth grade class at Ridgeview High School in Orange Park. Return to SJRCC Home page.