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Personnel Issues
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Adult Ed
101
Strategies for Recruiting Effective Personnel
by Christia Moore
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.
About the Author
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.
 
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