I am a 55 year old chemical engineer and I am on a one-year journey to become a Chemistry teacher in a local rural high school, if they’ll have me. I obtained my substitute teaching certification earlier this year. I decided to go the ‘alternative teacher certification’ route to save time and money.
I live in Osceola, Missouri (population 947) with my husband, horses, dog and cat. The grocery store is 45 minutes away and I share that road with farmers on tractors and Amish in carriages.
Typical Commute
Chemistry Teacher Wanna-Be 
Hi Marian –
Good Luck and teaching is an awesome “encore career”! I am a 65 yr old former Chemical Engineer and left my corporate world 6 years ago – taught first in TN and the last 3 years in Kenya. I did the ABCTE route. I obtained my MO professional license with math and chemistry certifications and about to add physics. It was a very uneventful process to get my license in MO using my ABCTE background! Something to look forward to acheiving. I am sure you will do well……after all you have that engineering background that will bring all sorts of real world experience to the classroom!
Hi Paul – thanks for the encouragement. What was your biggest surprise when you entered the teaching profession?
Looks like I am not the only Chemical Engineer doing the ABCTE, I am teaching while obtaining my math certification, plan on getting Chemistry certification right after I finish the math. I am teaching Chemistry, Algebra I, 7th Math, and 8th Science in a small school in NE Missouri. I just started this year. I am also coaching football and basketball so I have a full load this year. Look forward to reading your blogs throughout your certification process, good luck!
Hi Aaron;
It’s great to hear from engineers that are on this path. Doing this certification on line and being in a very rural area can feel a bit isolated at times. My question for you is: What did you learn during that first week in the classroom? Thanks.
Well, Marian that is an easy question to answer but I would not have guessed it heading into my first day of class. I had overseen manufacturing operations with over 1000 employees and started up very large chemical complexes in several countries – so I thought how difficult could it be to manage 35 teenagers teaching something I loved …chemistry! Well – guess again. Knowing the subject and knowing how to present it to make it interesting and understandable – two different skills by a mile. But, with my engineering background, a network of past business/technical colleagues and hard work and continuing that work on learning how to be a teacher is now coming together. My best advice – take the modeling instruction courses for further professional development. You can read all about them at modelinginstruction.com (or go to the Arizona State U web site and look for the modeling program). Every summer modeling workshops are sponsored all over the place. I have completed the chemistry and physics workshops – awesome.
Paul – Our backgrounds are very similar and that makes your advice very helpful. I will look into the modeling courses, thanks.
Hello Marian.
I just found this new adventure of yours and have only one word – awesome!
I know you will do extremely well in this endeavor and I look forward to reading about each and every step along the way.
Best wishes
Hi Martyn ; I appreciate your encouragement, thanks for cheering me on!
Is the abcte chemistry exam hard? I have a chemistry degree and haven’t taken classes in over 5 years!
The exam is not difficult, especially if you follow the study tips and test-taking tips. However, there is no support from ABCTE if you have questions, so I supplemented my study with a local tutor and videos from Sal Kahn.