I am going to assume that you have no academic background in teaching here. So the first thing I would suggest is to start looking into approved Master’s Degree Programs in elementary special ed. If you go full time you should be able to wrap it up in about 1 1/2 -2 years, but that depends on your schedule. I didnt do that & I wasted a lot of time taking classes here and there to meet the license requirements instead. You will need a masters for permanent certification anyway. There are a lot of schools in the NYC area that have masters programs tailored to career changers and such. The CUNY schools, while they can be a pain in the butt to deal with, will actually provide you with a pretty good education. At minimum you will need to take the L.A.S.T. and ATS-W tests before you plan on going into the classroom.

Since you would be teaching in a shortage area you might even be able to get a temporary license to start teaching now while you make up the coursework. If you choose to do this, I would HIGHLY suggest given what you want to do that you at least take some ed courses in classroom management and curriculum/methods before you set foot in the classroom.(preferably paramilitary training too…) It is pretty hardcore teaching in NYC and thats just regular ed.

For a personalized in-depth answer, you might want to go talk to someone at the office of teacher recruitment @ 65 Court Street in Brooklyn. They should be able to sit and explain all of your options to you, but I would def. enroll in a masters program. Good Luck!

These links will provide you with information on New York State certification, which is required for all teachers, administrators, teaching assistants, and pupil personnel professionals employed in the State’s public schools.