Why Grow Your Own?

Hamilton County Schools' Grow your Own Programs assists Hamilton County classified staff with becoming excellent classroom teachers.  Our Grow Your Own programs have several goals:

• Advance the careers of our classified staff and help them become certified teachers 
• Diversify our teaching force: In Hamilton County Schools, over 40% of our students are students of color, while only 12% of our teachers are teachers of color.  We are committed to training, hiring and supporting more teachers of color so that our diversity index is more closely aligned with our student population. 
• Close the opportunity gap and advance educational outcomes for students

Candidate Eligibility Requirements:

• Current Hamilton County Schools classified staff working with PreK-12 students
• For university coursework and GPA requirements, please visit the specific program pages below.
• Interest in teaching Exceptional Education, Secondary Math, Secondary Science, Secondary ELA, or Elementary Grades 
• Commitment to complete coursework and attend cohort meetings, as determined by the program.
• Desire to teach in a Title-I setting
• Commitment to teach in Hamilton County for three years

Cohorts Beginning Late Spring/Early Summer 2022

Teacher Spotlight: Ricky Hardaway

Mr. Hardaway is a 45+ year veteran of Hamilton County Schools, and is an example of why we must grow our own.  Mr. Hardaway worked for years as a custodian, maintenance worker, and electrician.  He is in his first year teaching vocational education classes in the area of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing at East Ridge High School's Institute of Building Construction.