VIT Full Rego - some honest advice for CRT graduates.

I've had some experiences lately that made me want to write this post but at the same time this is a very contentious issue for some that made me not want to write it. It's not something that everyone will see as positive but... Over the last month or so there's been some things nagging me to do it. A comment on a Facebook page, discussions I had at the recent VIT CRT Provisionally Registered Teacher seminar and then the most recent.

I've taken on an art class in Special Development school for a couple of weeks and the Art teacher has moved into a classroom. One of the students asked me where she was and when I explained it he got a big smile on his face, genuinely happy for her, and said "She's a real teacher now!"

The straw that broke the camel's back so here I am, typing away and reflecting on the conversations I've had about this over the last how many years. conversations about full registration and what it means, when and why you should seek it out and so on. Over the years I've seen more than one CRT rush head long at full registration, only to risk their registration while doing so and with the recent changes it's gotten a little worse for some.

This worries me.  People risking their life long dream of being a Teacher when it's simply not necessary.

Generally speaking one of the issues for Graduates is holding onto the "University Mentality". By that I mean that for many many years a graduate has been required to obtain certain goals to a timetable in order to progress to the next achievement. This leads many graduates to set their sights on Full Registration as the next goal.  When it comes to full registration it's often seen as a rite of passage where they become a "real teacher" because it's the next step in the chain.  I come across that term "real teacher" fairly regularly when discussing this particular issue.

There is a trap in this.  It's not implemented in Victoria yet but there's 2 levels that come after "fully registered".  "Highly accomplished" and "leadership", both containing certification procedures similar to (but more intensive than) the full registration process.  Do you put off feeling like a "real teacher" until you are certified as highly accomplished?  Lead?

Or is it perhaps a lot more simple than which certificate you have attained?

A few simply facts about becoming fully registered;

• If you are a graduate and get your full rego you will still be considered a graduate.
• If you are a novice teacher, getting your full registration will not mean you are now considered an expereinced teacher, you are still considered a novice.
• Whatever your pay rate is today, becoming fully registered will not make it go up for tomorrow.

As a mentor there are two things I try to explain to those looking to undertake their full registration.  The first is that you shouldn't feel pressured into it.  If you aren't ready for it then feel free to take your time about it.  The second is that you should be sure that you will be able to fullfil the requirements to maintain your registration on an ongoing basis.  Again, if you don't feel confident in your ability to maintain your registration then don't undertake the full registration process.

Provisional registration is granted for 2 years in Victoria for a reason and can also be extended should the teacher feel it necessary.  There is also no current "time limit" but it will most likely be allowable to spend 6 years on provisional registration when the time frame emerges.  This is essentially VIT saying "it's perfectly acceptable to be provisionally registered for 6 years".  Which is a bit of a coincidence....

I don't do this often but I think it's perhaps time to talk a little about myself in an in-depth way that I often avoid.

I was provisionally registered for just over 6 years myself. I think I was asked twice (in an official capacity) whether I was fully registered and I got both of those contracts in spite of answering "no".  Otherwise it usually came up by people asking "when did you get your full registration Mel?" when I was in the middle of doing something kind of official dealing with registration and it kind of shocked people when the answer was "I haven't yet".  The way I conducted myself led everyone to believe that I was fully registered.  I just didn't need full registration to be considered a "real teacher" by everyone around me.

In those 6 (and a bit) years I was provisionally registered I was a sought after CRT in multiple schools and a VIT CRT Network Coordinator.  As a CRT I worked daily hire, term contracts and also a full year as a Literacy specialist in a Special development school.  As a CRT Network Coordinator I performed in a leadership role and led collegial meetings as well as liaising with VIT, the DEECD and other organizations.  I also talked with CRTs and schools about what was important learning for local CRTs, sought out relevant presenters and organised PD workshops.

The final time I put off my Full Registration was when I developed my own PD workshop:  "Literacy Games" which I presented a number of times before I became fully registered.  The feedback from which has always been unanimously positive.  The most rewarding moments are when I've got reading recovery trained teachers among the participants excited by the things I'm sharing with them.

I even mentored many CRTs and one or two full-timers through the full registration process while being "only provisionally registered" myself.  It's not that I couldn't have dome my full rego successfully, it just always seemed like there was something more important to do.

Being "only provisionally registered" has never stopped me from doing anything I ever set my sights on; the way in which I approach being a Teacher is what got me where I am. I never personally invested in full registration as being the point where I became a "real teacher", being a "real teacher" was about the decisions I made and the way I conducted myself in the profession.  It's probably one of the reasons I have managed to get as far as I have.

My honest advice is not to obsess about it and just find your footing as a Teacher. By all means work towards it but don't worry if becoming fully registered takes you a while.  It's just one more worry to get in the way of you enjoying your new profession. One more procedural set of paperwork that takes up time you could be enjoying your teaching instead.

Being fully registered is rarely going to make a tangible difference in how much work we get as CRTs and makes absolutely no difference to our pay whether we are casual, part time or full time.  And... 6 years.  Maybe you can't get a contract or block of work in the first year or 2 of your career as a CRT but you have 6 YEARS to get yourself to that point.  It's not urgent.

Your actions in the classroom and the positive effect you have on your students will be the yardstick by which you are measured, not what type of registration your VIT card says.  Many CRTs come to this understanding while thinking back on the stressful time that they undertook their full registration.  They question whether it was worth the stress considering how rarely it actually proved an advantage for them, coming to the conclusion that they probably should have put it off.

Stop, take a breath and concentrate on your professional identity for a while. 

The message I hope people take away here is that the "University Mentality" doesn't really apply anymore, you've graduated from that arena and are now a professional teacher.  Full registration is not the next goal or logical progression for your career.  It's something you will have to do sooner or later but it should be at the logical time and you shouldn't feel you are somehow a lesser teacher without it.  You can certainly do just about anything you set your mind to without it and I'm living proof that you can both enjoy your career and excel at it without becoming fully registered.

Regards,

Mel.