This month's Spotlight features Dhurata Korbi, a student in NJCTL's Shortage Area Alternate Route program who teaches physics at American History High School in Newark, NJ. Since joining the school in 2022, she has become known for her passion for physics and dedication to her students. In just her second year at the school she was named Teacher of the Year.

For Dhurata, NJCTL provided a pathway to continue a teaching career that had already spanned two decades and two countries.

Originally from Albania, she taught high school physics there for 20 years before immigrating to the United States in 2014. When she later sought certification in New Jersey, she was faced with an unexpected obstacle. Despite her extensive experience, most teacher preparation programs required a minimum undergraduate GPA.

Dhurata had attended university in Tirana, Albania's capital city. For a young student from a small rural village, the big city was exciting and distracting, resulting in a GPA that didn't reflect her academic ability or the successful teaching career that followed. "I was a very capable student," she says, "I just didn't pay attention to grades the way students do today."

NJCTL's Shortage Area Alternate Route program offered a different path, allowing her to demonstrate her ability through rigorous coursework and certification requirements rather than being excluded based on a GPA earned decades earlier.

After arriving in the United States, she worked at Apple Montessori Schools, while simultaneously learning English. "When I came to America, I knew zero English," she recalls. "Everybody in my family would be sleeping and I'd be reading kids' books at 2 a.m. to learn the language!" Over the next several years she advanced into school leadership roles, but never lost her love for physics and the desire to return to the high school classroom.

When the department chair at American History High School offered her a position teaching physics, she couldn't pass it up. After passing multiple Praxis exams and navigating changing requirements, she was able to continue teaching while working toward certification through NJCTL's program, which is open to anyone with a bachelors degree in any subject, regardless of GPA .

Her passion for physics extends beyond the classroom as well. "Anytime I have a tough day and just want to relax, I take out my physics books and solve problems to challenge myself," she says with a laugh.

What motivates her most, though, is watching students gain confidence and grow academically. For Dhurata, teaching is much more than delivering lessons. It is a calling. "Not everybody has the personality to be a teacher," she explains. "You can become an Einstein. You can become a Newton. But not everyone can be a teacher."

Because of her positive experience, Dhurata enthusiastically recommends NJCTL's programs to anyone interested in teaching. She even convinced her husband to enroll. "I'm going to bring all my people to NJCTL," she says.

We are proud to spotlight such a talented and dedicated teacher and we're excited to see all she continues to accomplish through NJCTL and beyond!