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Career Quick Look
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"The other teachers in the department have been great,"
Joanne says, "willing to share ideas and treating me with
respect." As for other women working in a mostly male
field, she says, "Don't be shy around them . Have confidence
in your abilities. Speak up and show that you're willing
to be a team player."
Getting Started: Despite her childhood interest
in inventors, and a high school boyfriend who introduced
her to radio electronics, Joanne had always planned to
become a French teacher. She applied to colleges with
strong foreign language programs, but one morning in her
senior year of high school, she woke up with the realization
that her true interests lie elsewhere. "It hit me over
the head that that wasn't the right thing for me," she
says. To this day, Joanne credits her high school electronics
teacher and the ex-boyfriend for encouraging her. "I never
would have thought of this field," she says. "I think
that's an important lesson. Sometimes other people see
your strengths better than you can."
Education: After high school, Joanne entered Cheyney
State College (now Cheyney State University) in Pennsylvania,
where she was the only woman in the Industrial Arts and
Technology department. The first year, she says, was especially
tough, and she worked herself doubly hard to prove she
was "serious," earning a 4.0 in her first semester. "After
that," Joanne says, "I was accepted as 'one of the guys'."
And not merely 'accepted' - she was elected President
of Cheyney's Industrial Arts Society, President of the
Pennsylvania Council of College Students in Industrial
Arts, then Northeast Regional Vice President of the American
Industrial Arts College Student Association. Upon graduation
in 1980 Joanne delivered the valediction address to her
class.
While she knew that working in education was her ultimate
goal, Joanne worked for several years in industry, and
was self-employed while her children were young. "I wanted
business and industrial experience before teaching students
about it," she says. "I felt that would make me a better
teacher." She started teaching for the West Chester Area
District in 1995, and in May of 2000 earned her Master
of Arts in Education from Gratz College in Pennsylvania.
Greatest Professional Achievement: Her greatest
professional accomplishment was "to serve the Technology
Education Association of Pennsylvania as their first female
President Elect," Joanne says. It's a four-year commitment,
working to promote technology education statewide-and
one of her major goals is to increase female involvement
in the field. "Interest is certainly a major factor in
career selection," she says. "And as teachers, we are
in an excellent position to plant seeds for future choices."
Barriers: Arriving as the only female in her first
year at Cheyney was tough, she admits. "I felt pretty
lonely," Joanne says, "and I felt that all eyes were on
me, watching for me to make a mistake." Once her fellow
students got to know her, and saw that she was a serious
student, she says things were much better.
Academically, Joanne says "math has always been a problem
for me." She learned to seek help from tutors in her problem
areas-which proved a big help when she got to her master's
program and encountered statistics. "Tutoring was my saving
grace," she says.
She feels her own experience has helped her become a more
empathetic teacher. "I understand when someone doesn't
get it the first time," Joanne says.
Working with Men: While she's the only female in
the District's Technology Education Department, Joanne
says she has many female co-workers at her own school.
She had been warned in the past about the 'old boys network'
in technology, and says that some people still react with
surprise upon learning her profession, but Joanne has
been warmly received by co-workers, and she has been encouraged
in her involvement with the Technology Education Association
of Pennsylvania.
"The other teachers in the department have been great,"
she says, "willing to share ideas and treating me with
respect." As for other women working in a mostly male
field, she says, "Don't be shy around them.Have confidence
in your abilities. Speak up and show that you're willing
to be a team player."
Advice for Women: "Don't be afraid to ask for help,"
Joanne says. "Ask lots of questions, learn from others.
And don't be afraid of making mistakes-just learn from
them." She encourages anyone interested to spend a day
with a Technology Education teacher, to see what it's
like from their viewpoint. "Definitely go for it," she
says, "if you think it's what you want to do."
One of her favorite units to teach is on Inventors and
Innovation, Joanne says, because it shows students the
value of perseverance. "In every case," she says "it takes
many tries, and it takes teams of people working together,
and a number of failures before they come up with a successful
product."
Typical Workday/Environment: "Technology is the
creation and application of knowledge, tools, and skills
to solve practical problems and extend human capabilities,"
is how Joanne describes her field. "Technology Education
is the study of this field, along with its interrelation
with life, society and the environment."
Joanne says she spends most of her workday in the school's
Technology Education lab, which is divided into three
areas. "We're very fortunate to have a lot of equipment,"
she says. "We have a Computer Assisted Drafting and Desktop
Publishing lab, and we have a traditional shop area, where
the tools and machines are. The other area is where we
have the latest technology, which includes robotics, fiber
optics, lasers, satellite and communications equipment."
Joanne teaches 6th, 7th and 8th graders at her middle
school, and will see all 1000 students for one marking
period each school year. The only downside, she says,
is the paperwork. "All the record-keeping," she laughs.
"I don't like that part, but every job has its downside."
Working with students-watching them discover something
new-is what Joanne loves most about the job. "I like it
when I see the light bulb go off, and they get really
excited about something," she says.
Career Ladder: A first-year teacher might start
at $36,000/year, she says, depending on the location and
tax base of a particular district. "Most districts have
really great benefits," she says. And unlike other fields,
"the more years you have in, the more secure your job
is," she says. "In the field of teaching you don't have
to worry about turning 50, and they want you out the door."
Salary increases generally run about $1,500-2000 a year,
and can increase with further education (for which most
districts offer reimbursement-anywhere from 40-90%). A
teacher with 20 years of experience and a Ph.D. can earn
$80,000/year.
Professional Associations: Joanne is currently
President Elect of the Technology
Education Association of Pennsylvania. She's also
involved with the Pennsylvania Department of Education,
drafting assessment questions for a statewide test in
Science and Technology that will be administered for the
first time in 2002. She is a member of the International
Technology Education Association, and the "Girl's Exploring
Tomorrow's Technology" Committee, among others.
Hobbies: In her off-time, Joanne enjoys reading
non-fiction-particularly books about inventors or innovation,
and magazines like Popular Science. She has also taken
up aerobic weight training, which she calls "a great stress-buster."
She likes to socialize with family-her husband and two
teenage daughters-and friends. Joanne and her husband
have also learned to make wine on their property. "We
have a grape vineyard and an orchard with assorted fruit
trees," she says. "Blueberries, cherries, apples, pears,
all kinds of things." |
*Annual salary number is not the role model's actual salary. Salary for Technology Education Teacher based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition
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