Perceptions on the first year of teaching from alternatively certified career and technical education teachers

Increasing teacher shortages in Career and Technical Education have resulted in changes in the routes to teacher certification. As the gap widens between available traditionally certified teachers and the openings available, administrators will continue to turn to alternative means to fill positions. Arizona has responded to this by changing teacher certification requirements for this population. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education teachers with a significant amount of experience in content but not in teaching methodology entering the profession.;The purpose of this study was to understand Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education teachers' perceptions regarding the experiences in his/her first year of teaching. A case study design was utilized to develop a set of themes that exist between the experiences the teachers share. This characterization of the first year of teaching could help to provide important insight on the process of professional development these new CTE teachers undergo. The study triangulated these findings with an administrative focus group and a teacher professional development artifact.;Five key themes emerged from the study. These themes were divided into two categories: strengths and challenges. The strengths reported in this study included the content knowledge and the desire to give back these teachers possessed. Challenges identified were: connecting with students, dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed, and understanding the culture of education. The findings of this study could help inform training programs for Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education Teachers.