Spouses to Teachers Program Expands to
Europe
American Forces Press Service ^ | Sgt. Aimee Millham, USA
Posted on 09/29/2006 6:41:53 PM PDT
What a wonderful opportunity for believers to get a foothold in the
classroom and in the course of their studies nurture children in the admonition
of the Lord.
The program’s services include
information on state-specific educational requirements, teaching credentials
and scholarship options, along with a maximum reimbursement of $600 for teacher
certification examinations.
“Spouses serve too,” said Pamela
K. Smith, the Spouse Education, Careers and Relocation program manager for the
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “It’s our
goal to help them build careers.”
According to DoD research,
teaching is one of the top five career choices among military spouses. And
because keeping military spouses employed is a good retention tool, Smith said,
the overseas expansion of the Spouses to Teachers program simply makes sense.
The program, directed by the
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support, is open to spouses of
all servicemembers, including reservists and Guardsmen. There are no
higher-education requirements to enter the program, and the program is
commitment-free. “You can change your mind and opt out any time,” said Marti
Readel, advisor for DANTES in Europe.
Interested spouses can contact
the Spouses to Teachers network to be assigned a counselor designated for the
state where the spouse is interested in teaching. For convenience, the
interaction between spouses in Europe and their program counselors will occur
via the Internet and by phone.
While counselors will help
prospective teachers map out their educational careers according to state and
subject-based requirements, the program is not a job-placement service, Readel
said. Plus counselors will not advise spouses which schools to attend.
“You have to be proactive,”
Readel stressed. “In the military, we’re used to being told exactly where to go
and what to do. That’s not the way this program works.”
Spouses can find a list of
several military cooperative teacher certification programs available through
distance learning at www.dantes.doded.mil.
Though the program does not find
jobs for spouses, there is a planned partnership between the prgram and the DoD
Education Activity, through which DODEA plans to provide support to spouses
wherever it can, including possible student teaching opportunities, Smith said.
Additionally, Smith recommends
two Websites -- www.military.com/spouse and www.milspouse.org -- that
compliment the program by serving as career centers where spouses can research
career information, post resumes and make job searches.
Spouses interested in the STT
program in Europe can log onto www.spousestoteachers.com, and click on the
“OCONUS” link. They also can contact the National Spouses to Teachers Office in
Pensacola, Fla., by phone at 1-800-231-6282 or DSN 922-6282, or by e-mail at
stt@voled.doded.mil.
(Army Sgt. Aimee Millham is
assigned to U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs.)