Baltimore Teacher Discovers His Love Of Teaching, Helps Write New Curriculum
For 2013, Greater Baltimore's public schools were once again ranked among the best in the country by Education Week. Joseph M. Davis, a high school teacher in Bel Air, Maryland, did not start out in the education field. His career took a more circuitous route, but he is now among some of the best teachers in the nation.
Davis started out in sales and, after several years, left his position to pursue an advanced degree in communications management, hoping to land a better position in the business world. He worked at his parents' store, which gave him the flexibility to become a full-time student.
A pivotal moment came when he was asked if he wanted to teach introductory classes in communications as a graduate teaching assistant. What he found was that he loved teaching. He had stumbled, quite by accident, upon his passion.
Davis is now a Nationally Board Certified Business Teacher at C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air, Md. with an undergraduate degree from Salisbury University in Business Communications and a master's degree in Communications Management from Towson University. He has also been selected to write business curriculum for Harford County Public Schools and the Maryland State Department of Education.
Davis feels that the combination of his work experiences and his advanced education in public relations and marketing have made all of these opportunities possible. They also assist him in teaching important concepts to his students.
He currently teaches classes in Advanced Computer Technology, Career Research and Development, Business Management and Marketing I and II.
Regarding advice to those considering a job in teaching, Davis suggests first asking oneself the all-important question: "Do I like working with kids?" Further, he suggests that substitute teaching can help when one is unsure; this is the path Davis followed to confirm teaching was for him.
Finally, Davis suggests researching the requirements to receive teaching certification in the State of Maryland. He actually began teaching on a 'provisional' certificate, which meant he was required to take the required education courses within three years to become certified by the state.
Susan Brown originally spent many years in banking/finance before confronting her addictions. She has now been in recovery for 20 years. Her current interests, in which she has several certifications, are metaphysics and the healing arts. She has written for Examiner.com since 2009 and also writes for Om Times.