Middle School Teacher Jersey City teacher Sarah Brown says that earning her master’s degree in teaching physics from the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL) was likely the smartest move she has made in her professional career, opening new doors and endless possibilities.

NJCTL is not your typical graduate school. Far from it.

As a nonprofit, NJCTL provides online and asynchronous courses for teachers seeking certification for vital STEM courses. NJCTL serves as a solution for the chronic teacher shortage in New Jersey, where many school districts struggle to find certified teachers in such critical courses as physics and chemistry.

“Jersey City has a long history with NJCTL,” Brown said. “Many of our teachers did their PSI (Progressive Science Initiative) program to get certified in chemistry and physics. And I personally worked with a lot of teachers who had used the NJCTL program. So, when I saw they were offering master’s programs, I jumped at the opportunity.”

NJCTL embraces its reputation for directly addressing the STEM needs in urban school districts, recognizing that social injustice can come from depriving students access to a quality STEM education. 

Already familiar with NJCTL through her district, Brown jumped at the chance for a second master’s degree – this time in teaching physics. Previously, the Jersey City teacher earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2011 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Kean University in 2019. 

Teaching since 2012, Brown began life in the classroom as a high school biology teacher in Jersey City, where she also student-taught while attending Ramapo. Because of urgent staffing needs, Brown was transferred to a district middle school and in recent years has been teaching courses in earth science, physical science, and biology at Franklin L. Williams Middle School.

It was when the district focused on creating an advanced program in physics for eighth graders that Brown considered another master’s degree. Intrigued by the possibilities, Brown knew that the teacher for the advanced program must have a physics certification.

“That’s why I went through NJCT— to get that physics certification,” said Brown, who lives in Hazlet. “I knew the course was the real thing. And the price was reasonable, and the timeline was reasonable. The district also offers incentives for getting an advanced degree. In turn, the money I earn for the advanced degree was basically what I paid for the program. You really couldn’t beat this opportunity.”

Brown also liked the idea of being able to work at her own pace. The NJCTL coursework allows a student to set their workload independently. There are guidelines and suggested coursework at specific times. But the pace is left up to the student.

That fact was also very attractive, she said.

“I could go through the coursework as I need to,” Brown said. “It took me a year. I started in 2020 and finished in 2021. And that’s how NJCTL set it up. It basically puts you out a year and you can take longer or less time. But the way they have the course structured during the year, it was pretty easy to complete.”

And now with that physics degree finished, Brown can confess she never thought she would have a physics certification.

“Physics was never my thing; I didn’t really know what to expect going into it,” Brown said. “But the professor I had for the courses always gave incredibly fast feedback for questions or issues. That was a very different experience for me. I had done another master’s degree mostly online, and I didn’t quite have that same experience with immediate feedback and quick grades. This was definitely another highlight of doing NJCTL.”

Now that she has her master’s degree, she is eager to embark on her career teaching physics. She jokes she is now a triple threat – two science degrees and one education degree.

“I have that physics certification in my back pocket,” she said. “And when you have a physics certification, certain places jump at the opportunity to have you. It’s given me a lot of options for the future.”

Brown strongly advises her colleagues to go the NJCTL route. 

“In my district, teachers are always looking for how to get those increases, how to get a master’s degree,” she said. “Anytime I hear people saying that they’re interested in more certifications, either in math or science, I send them to NJCTL. I put that name out to everybody because it’s a great program and the process is so easy to do.”

Content with her two master’s degrees, Brown said she wouldn’t go for a third. But, should NJCTL ever offer a PhD program?…

She’s not ruling out the possibilities.