Patterns were discovered that indicated that each of the teachers interviewed achieved longevity through the assistance of mentors and previous work-related experiences. Mentors included family members, colleagues and administrators who provided encouragement, advice and direct instruction. The participants' prior work experiences provided them with knowledge and skills they were able to draw from to survive in the classroom. The patterns that emerged helped to provide information about what assists alternatively certified teachers achieve longevity in the classroom. As the alternative teacher certification trend continues, knowledge about what helps teachers survive and even flourish in classrooms may influence student knowledge achievement and school environments.

Research results of studies that examine alternatively certified teachers are inconsistent. Some describe the tremendous accomplishments of alternatively certified teachers. Others allude to their high attrition rates and failures (Miller, McKenna & McKenna, 1999). Research was lacking that qualitatively examined the factors that assisted the professional survival of alternatively certified teachers in one southwestern state.

A person with no pedagogical training, curricular knowledge nor classroom observation experiences may show up the first day of school and call himself or herself your child's teacher. As teacher attrition occurs and the need for teachers increases, alternatively certified teachers are entering the teaching profession at a rapid rate, thus affecting school climate and student learning. Research was needed to add to the knowledge base of alternative teacher certification. Data was collected to discover factors that assisted a group of tenured, alternatively certified teachers achieve longevity in the classroom.

Participants included 10 alternatively certified science teachers, each of whom was currently employed by a school district in a southwestern state for at least three years. The methodological approach employed was educational biography, during which the participants relayed brief general life histories, focusing upon their educational lives, and described their professional experiences.