The article Out of Work in Finance, They Turn to Teaching found in the New York Times is about people who work in financing and have lost their jobs becoming math teachers. To be able to do this you don’t have to have a mathematics degree, you just have to go to school for three months. The program is called Traders to Teachers which is financed by a federal grant and is designed to turn finance professionals in math teachers in only three months. Montclair State University is offering the classes that one needs to take for free, with many who are unemployed have applied for. The program requires a lot of work and that you pass a qualifying exam.

I found the information in this article to be very interesting and don’t know that I agree with it. I understand that with the economy the way it is many people are losing their jobs but I don’t think that it is right to start a program so that finance professionals who have become unemployed can become a math teacher in 3 months. There are several reasons that I don’t agree with this. Being an education major I know all the classes that you have to take and all the hard work that goes into being a teacher. I understand that the people completing this program have experience with math but it doesn’t seem right that they can go to school for three months whereas all other teachers have to go for four years. This article talks about how many people are applying and completing this program which takes away from the people who are still in school to become a math teacher. If so many people complete this program and take all the math positions that are available then when those who are becoming a math teacher will be out of a job. I think that the program should be modified so that they will not be taking all the jobs away from those who are passionate about teaching and not just doing because they no longer have a job.



The article Obama announces education help for unemployed from CNN is about President Obama announcing a plan targeted for unemployed Americans who want to go back to school. The plan includes the Department of Education sending letters to colleges encouraging them to increase financial aid for those who are unemployed so that they can become a student and keep their unemployment benefits. Currently if you are drawing unemployment and want to go back to school you would lose unemployment benefits. The program is designed to offer educational opportunities that are not previously available to those drawing unemployment.

I really like the fact that Obama is getting involved in problems we are facing in education. I think that this plan that he has come up with is a very good idea. A lot of the people who have lost their job have had it for many years and when they started they did not have to go to school or have a degree to get it. Most of the jobs that are now available require some type of training or degree and this will get the unemployed a chance to get the schooling that they need with still being able to provide for their families.