There are some good thoughts here…don’t let the many options confuseyou. Take what seems best for you & leave the rest. As for me I like to keep it simple. Go to the community college or a university near you & ask them about financial aid & scholarships…they will lead you & guide you to the resources right for you. (I find that talking in person to someone produces better results.)

I did that…got federal aid for everything…the whole ‘kit & kaboodle’…I paid back over a 10 year period of time only a fraction of the cost.

You CAN do this…take fewer classes or a lighter load if necessary…you WILL get to your goal. No matter how quickly or how long it may take you…Do It. It is more than worth it.

Go for it!!!

What you need to do is file a FAFSA (financial aid form). You can even do this online. Just type in FAFSA and search and it should get you to the right place. Don’t know if you’ll be able to get aid for the fall (much less get all your stuff – application, test scores, transcripts – to a college), but definitely by the spring. It could be that you could get enough aid to cover tuition and living. You’ll need last year’s tax info to complete it.

You could also find a part-time job or reduce your hours at current job to balance out. Could also check into online courses that you could do on your own time and still be able to keep your job. You might also be able to get grants and scholarships. Look into (through the web and through colleges that you are considering) what’s called a teacher grant/loan program. I spent some time in school in Mississippi and we had what was called the William Winter program. Basically, they gave me money to go to school, and if I taught for so many years after receiving my degree, the money I received would be considered a grant and I did not have to pay it back. But if I did not teach or did not finish the degree, I had to pay it back like a loan. Louisiana may have something similar or there may be a federal program. There are also all kinds of programs that help teachers pay back loans after graduating and getting a job. Be sure to look into the programs that help pay off student loans on teachers before you consolidate any loans (we made that mistake!!!).

One last thing, you may even want to look into getting a job at a school as a teaching assistant. They may not pay a lot, but you can get good benefits, you will get lots of experience with kids, the district may contribute to the cost of you getting your degree (my district contributes $1000 a year), and some colleges may count your school experience as credit hours (like your job experience being considered your student teaching intership, just a couple of extra assignments), which may cut your college down to even less time, plus you have a job, plus you’re getting exposure to the job.

Seriously, go for it. You can do anything you want to if you just “do your homework.”

Yes. I know the answer seems relieving, but the truth is as possible as it would be- it will also be alot of work. Your best bet would be to go online and look for scholarships and programs that would help you. Also look for any loan repayment plans the state might offer for teachers. Texas for example has a loan repayment plan. You will have to work, which would definitely cut into MOM time and you would have to be willing to commit to that. The biggest problem you’ll face is child care. Some universities offer online courses, but usually the classes are limited. You could take it on full time and rough out the 2 or 3 years, but it may be easier to tackle your education part time and take 4 or 5 years. Like I said, it is possible, but very hard.

Well I found a program that you might be interested in, it does however require a BA.

Most states have some program for working adults to enter the teaching profession. In this case, you would have your own classroom, but instead of going to the university on your own dime, they hold classes for you after work. There is usually no cost associated with it, just time.. and you will be on the salary schedule for your classroom work.

I can’t give you specifics because I’m a california teacher and just went to the Louisiana web site to see if they have something similar to what we have here..So see the link and look at the “practitioner teacher program”

So you might have to do some creative juggling to get your BA done, but you CAN do this!

good luck!

Go to the search bar on your computer and type in a question about financial aid. I don’t know if it is possible to get that much financial aide. But, you can continue to work and go to school. I began school at 32 years old and worked full time as a paraprofessional at the same time. I worked during the day while my kids were in school and went to college at night. It wasn’t easy, but I did it and I have been teaching 10 years now. I now also have a Masters and Educational Specialist degree. Go for it! You can do it.

I was looking at a program called Teach for America. I think you have to have a bachelor’s degree already, but they let you teach while you are earning your teaching license. Also, check out www.fastweb.com for scholarships you can apply for. You fill out the information and they find scholarships for you. Some have nothing to do with your field of intrest. You need to plan ahead for student teaching because you won’t get paid for it. Another program to check out is Americorps i have some friends who did internships while they were going to college and it paid for their tuition. Good luck and take care.

go to the college and talk to an advisor in the education dept.

also there are financial resources available at some universities for “nontraditional students”…those who have been out in the working world and may have children and be older than the traditional college student

good luck

anything is possible if you put your mind to it.