Personnel Issues

Adult Ed 101
Strategies for Recruiting Effective Personnel

Two years ago, in July 2003, I began my first year as the Adult Education Director for Seguin ISD, the Fiscal Agent for the Comal, Guadalupe and Kendall Counties Adult Education Program. At the time I assumed my duties as program director, I had no prior knowledge or experience working in the Adult Education arena, but I figured a quick crash course in Adult Ed 101 would do the trick! The summer conference for directors was the following month, and I felt confident that over the course of three days, I would be provided with enough information to get the year jump started with no problem.

I soon learned that this notion was the understatement of the century! There was no such thing as a crash course in Adult Ed 101, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in for one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, aspects of my career as an educator thus far.

Because the days of being overwhelmed are still fresh in my mind, I sense the urgency to convey to prospective teachers who inquire about teaching Adult Education there is a vast amount to learn about the program. Not only can the instructional aspect be extremely daunting, but also the administrative aspect—so much so that one would think s/he would never get the hang of it. But, like assembling a jig saw puzzle, so it is with learning Adult Ed. It is by taking one bit of information, and fitting each piece together, that soon the bigger picture starts to reveal itself. This process definitely takes time and patience.

Therefore, realizing how complicated the Adult Education program can be to learn, I felt it was necessary to develop some method of recruiting prospective teachers—something that would give them a taste of Adult Education prior to being hired, and provide answers to their question, “What should an Adult Education teacher know and be able to do?”

Listed below are some of the approaches I have utilized to recruit and build a strong instructional team. It is my opinion that prospective staff must experience a well-rounded picture of the Adult Education program up front rather than after the fact. Here is what has worked well for our program:

• Provide each prospective teacher, aide and volunteer the opportunity to attend professional development workshops held at the GREAT Center (South Central, in our case), at any time prior to submitting an application for employment.
• Encourage prospective teachers, aides and volunteers to observe in an Adult Education classroom—observe not only the teacher but also the adult learners—talk to each of them.
• Invite interested teachers to attend local professional development workshops, such as the Back-to-School Orientation, mid-Fall, Spring and Year-End workshops, and special workshops focusing on best practices and instructional strategies. Not only will these workshops allow potential teachers to meet and dialogue with the current staff, but also provide opportunities to hear from other colleagues what challenges an Adult Education teacher, aide or volunteer may encounter.
• Extend an invitation to attend Student Registrations and Orientations. The information presented to each adult learner during these orientations provides an overview of the Adult Education program and allows the potential teachers to meet students.
• Offer opportunities to observe TABE, BEST and BEST Plus testing, and grading of same.
• Visit with data entry and clerical staff to learn about the administrative (paperwork) duties and expectations.

I believe it is through these pre-employment opportunities that prospective teachers will realize whether teaching Adult Education is their niche. Above all, prospective teachers must have a passion for working with adults, realizing that the majority of students served have already had a number of barriers to overcome in their lifetimes, and they don’t need another stumbling block. Prospective teachers must realize that the huge step the adults take to complete their GED diploma or to learn to speak, read and write the English language, is just the first step of a life-long journey that will open doors that once were closed—all because they lacked the education needed to be successful in today’s global economy.

As I begin my third year as program director, I am grateful to all my wonderful colleagues across the State of Texas, especially the Adult Education staff located in the San Antonio area (ESC-20, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD), the Adult Education staff at Harris County Department of Education, and our staff at Texas LEARNS, all of whom embraced me, nurtured me and held my hand through some very challenging moments. Last, but certainly not least, I am extremely grateful for the incredible and passionate Adult Education team I am blessed and privileged to work with as the Director of Adult Education for Seguin ISD.

Christia Moore is starting her third year as the Director of the Adult Education Program in Comal, Guadalupe and Kendall Counties. Prior to working with Adult Education, she has five years’ experience working as a Career and Technology Education Consultant at the secondary level. In 1996 she received the Texas Business Education Association’s Career and Technology Teacher of the Year Award for Region II, and was named Career & Technology Teacher of the Year for the Corpus Christi ISD in 1995. Ms. Moore holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Bartlesville Wesleyan College in Oklahoma, a Master’s degree in Occupational Training & Development and Principal/Mid-Management Certification from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Working with Adult Education has truly been the highlight in her career as an educator. The support the Adult Education program has received from the Seguin and New Braunfels WorkSource Career Centers, the communities’ local economic development boards, and the Central Texas Technology Center, has been phenomenal. She attributes any success of the program to the support of these entities as well as the co-op’s dedicated, passionate teachers, who are the key to helping students discover themselves and bringing out the best in each one.