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"When I decided to become a teacher, my peers in business thought I was crazy," says Tico Oms, a Midcareer Math and Science (MCMS) Program student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who previously worked as a quality control manager for Dell Computers in Japan, an Asia Pacific notebook product manager in Malaysia, a vice president of operations at a Thai Internet company, and an independent consultant. "Underneath it all, I sensed some envy," observes Oms. "Now when they talk to me they always say, 'You sound so happy. You found what you really wanted to do. I am so jealous!'" Oms is one of thirteen professionals who this year have cast off their roles in Internet startups, semiconductor businesses, nuclear operations, the military, high-tech companies, and investment banks to learn how to teach math and science to middle- and high-school students. As students in the Midcareer Math and Science Program, Oms and his peers will engage in the study of urban teaching, school reform, curriculum development, and teacher leadership as part of MCMS's core curriculum. After spending last summer instructing high school students at the Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy, they will continue their fieldwork throughout the rest of the year in Boston and Cambridge classrooms. "The summer component of the program at the Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy allowed me to jump feet first into an urban classroom with the support I needed," says Chris Walsh, an MCMS candidate and former naval officer. "This time last year, I was the captain of a ship charged with protecting a nuclear power plant on the Hudson River. I can honestly say that the excitement of the MCMS program has exceeded the excitement on the Hudson." A Flagship Program "More than ever, we need to think of training teachers to act as leaders for institutional change in their classrooms, schools, and society," says Merseth. "At HGSE, our programs are collaborative and sharing of roles between HGSE faculty and local school practitioners in educating prospective teachers." A Unique Opportunity: The Transition to Teaching Math and Science Program The T2MS program is funded by a $600,000 grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Boston Public Schools, and the Boston Plan for Excellence to support the training of math and science professionals who wish to teach in the Boston Public Schools. This two-year program involves recruiting and providing financial and educational support to math and science professionals who seek a balance of theory and practice in their teacher preparation. T2MS candidates begin to teach immediately, first in a summer-school setting and then in Boston Public Schools while taking courses designed to strengthen their practice. At the end of the first year of the Program, the Boston Public Schools hires qualified candidates who then continue in the T2MS Program—receiving further financial support and becoming part of an on-going professional network. For More Information
HGSE News, Harvard Graduate School of Education
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