ACT-Houston
Houston 832-200-0552
Dallas 214-267-2222Austin 1-877-286-0024
Alternative Certification for Teachers
Hospitality, Nutrition and Food Sciences (Grades 8-12)
Obtaining an alternative teaching certification in hospitality, nutrition and food sciences is an opportunity for an educator to engage students who may have previously been unable to demonstrate their interests in traditional school topics. The eighth grade through twelfth grade age range will likely provide an audience of students beginning to consider their career paths which can provide a great opportunity to capture their interest and to bring out untapped talent.
General Coursework
The specialty alternative teaching certification in hospitality, nutrition and food sciences must also be supported with general education subjects such as traditional science topics, mathematics, language arts and social studies in addition to course work on educator and teaching skills. It is important to be able to translate a specific skill such as food science with students who may have only the most basic understanding of something such as food science. Field experience in the food industry will definitely be helpful and applicable to a hospitality, nutrition and food science teacher but there will also be requirements to participate in an internship or student teaching program. The ability to work directly with students in the eighth grade through high school age range will help a new teacher prepare for the conflicts and benefits with such a dynamic and diverse age group.
Specialty Subject Coursework
For a teacher of hospitality, nutrition and food sciences, experience will be required in restaurant and hotel management as well as food preparation both directly in the industry and in the classroom. Knowing the technical way to prepare food as well as the defined safety elements are important foundations for a student to obtain.
What to Expect
The equipment, facilities and types of projects a teacher in hospitality, nutrition and food sciences is able to conduct will depend largely on the budget provided by the school district. It can be important to be creative and resourceful when teaching a class that may require expensive equipment and materials. Personal connections in the food and hospitality industry can help to provide donations as well as the opportunity to engage students in volunteer opportunities for experience in the industry.