Applause breaks out in Mary Judge’s fifth grade classroom. This impromptu display of children cheering each other on is something that happens naturally in Judge’s class.
A 2020 alumna of UNC Greensboro’s Political Science program, Judge teaches at Wake Forest Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Wake Forest, N.C. that doesn’t require licensure. After two years in the classroom, she knew she had found her passion.
To refine her teaching skills and earn her teaching license, Judge entered UNCG’s one-year North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NCTEACH) alternative licensure program. Designed for working teachers, the program allows her to continue in her position while earning her teaching credentials.
“The NCTEACH program is giving me more tools for my teaching toolbelt,” she says. “I want to continue teaching and do it well.”
Turning Passion into Practice
Judge grew up with four younger siblings, learning early that she loved kids and helping them grow. Though she had a childhood wish to become a teacher, she earned her undergraduate degree in political science.
“I started teaching after earning my bachelor’s degree thinking I’d eventually go into politics or law, but I really enjoyed teaching,” Judge says. “I realized this is what I want to do.”
NCTEACH offers an alternative for those who have not taken the traditional route of earning a degree in education and becoming licensed. The program recruits, trains, supports, and retains mid-career professionals to become licensed teachers.
Through mostly online education courses, Judge is learning how to improve her skills in the classroom, along with the specifics of teaching different subjects well. One thing that sets UNCG’s program apart is the faculty.
“As former teachers, the faculty love working with students who are actually teaching,” says Dr. Faith Freeman, director of alternate licensure pathways and the Spartan Education Scholars program. “It brings them back to the world of the classroom, which they love.”
NCTEACH students engage in field-based experiences in local public-school systems, but because Judge was already teaching in a charter school, she is gaining her experience there. Once she is licensed, she will be credentialed to work in non-charter schools as well.
Classroom Connection and Direction
Freeman, a former science teacher and an NCTEACH alumna herself, recently observed Judge in the classroom for an hour.
“I was blown away,” she says. “It was some of the best teaching I’ve ever seen, and she’s only been doing it for three years. Mary definitely has a passion for education and for kids.”
Freeman, who is Judge’s advisor, saw that the students were genuinely engaged, not just showing off for a visitor. The students also easily connected what they were learning to what they had studied a few weeks earlier.
“They made the connections on their own, and Mary’s transitions were seamless,” Freeman says. “She didn’t stay on one topic for more than five or ten minutes, which is important for kids. The students could easily move from one part of the lesson to another.”
For Judge, this turn into teaching has given her a fulfilling direction.
“I would like to eventually become an instructional coach and teach teachers,” she says. She’s also considering earning a master’s and a doctorate. “I definitely want to stay in education.”
Story by Mary Daily
Photography courtesy of Mary Judge
