NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Metro Nashville Public Schools will be working to recruit new teachers from within their current staff through a scholarship program called “Grow Your Own.”
The program supports staff looking to get a master’s degree to become an MNPS teacher.
11 former support staff employees have become school teachers in 2022 due to the no-cost program.
The para-professionals have taken grad school classes throughout 2021 while working full-time within the school system.
“I really like the field,” said Jared Freihoefer, a teacher with MNPS. “I loved being a para-pro, I felt, financially, the para-pro wasn’t sustainable over the long term for me.”
Freihoefer knew he was on the right career path but wanted more. He wanted to be a teacher so he started looking into grad school.
“I actually started the process before the scholarship opportunity came along,” said Freihoefer. “I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants and I wasn’t really sure how I was going to pay for it. I felt really good about the entire process except for the financial aspect.”
Metro’s Grow Your Own program gave support staff the opportunity to earn a master’s degree and dual certification to become a Metro Nashville Public School teacher.
Support staff was taking classes at either Lipscomb University, Nashville Teacher Residency, Relay Graduate School of Education or Tennessee State University.
“They understand the job and do it every day,” said Freihoefer. “So I think looking inward and trying to grow from the inside is really a more strategic advantageous move because you’re picking from a crop of people that have already decided that is their career right?”
While many people have been leaving the teaching profession, Freihoefer said he sees making this career move as job security.
“You can look at the other end of things, like why are they leaving?” said Freihoefer. “But I think there’s probably a combination of reasons that lead to that. But to me, it tells me I have job security.”
Freihoefer will still be in grad school classes for the next year while being a full-time teacher. MNPS has already started a second cohort of teachers who would start as teachers for the next school year.
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