Rutherford County Schools’ newly branded “Teach Now” program hopes to remove obstacles for those who wish to become classroom teachers — immediately — but who don’t yet hold a teaching license.

The school district is hosting two upcoming open houses — one on June 30 and another on July 11 — to attract and enroll teaching candidates into the program so they can enter the classroom in August.

The open house on June 30 will be held at Rock Springs Middle School in Smyrna and the July 11 open house will be held at the Rutherford County Schools’ Central Office in Murfreesboro. Both events will begin at 5:30 p.m. No registration is necessary and representatives with the Teach Now program will be on hand to answer questions about enrolling into the program.

Teach Now is the rebranded name of the Rutherford County Schools’ Educator Preparation Provider program. In 2019, RCS became the first K-12 school district in Tennessee approved by the Tennessee Department of Education to operate such a program.

Through the program, RCS can hire individuals who have industry expertise in certain content areas or have a bachelor’s degree, but who don’t yet have a teaching license. They can start teaching classes immediately while simultaneously taking courses offered by the school district to earn their license.

"This program is effective because we model good teaching strategies in our class sessions which our teachers can practice with their students as soon as the first day of school,” said Rebecca Murphy, a specialist who oversees the RCS Teach Now program. “We guide our teachers step-by-step to prepare them to walk in the door with a plan for success, and then provide ongoing coaching for improvement."

Here’s how it works: If a candidate without a teaching license wants to apply for an open position, has industry experience in that subject area or a bachelor’s degree but doesn’t have a teaching license, they can apply for the job anyway. If they are offered the job, they can then enter the Teach Now program to begin teaching immediately while earning their license.

The RCS Teach Now program is approved to work with candidates who need a teaching license for math and science courses covering grades 6-12 and for any Career and Technical Education course.

The school district already has several candidates enrolled in the Teach Now program for the 2022-2023 school year but is looking to add even more — up to 25 for the math/science group and 25 for the CTE group.

The purpose of the open houses is to answer questions of potential candidates and help guide them through the qualification and enrollment process. Representatives from the Human Resources department and the Teach Now program will be on-hand to meet with candidates.

Those interested can also contact Teach Now Specialist Rebecca Murphy at 615-893-5812 ext. 22163 or via email at murphyr@rcschools.net.