Teaching in Boston need help (rental, job openings, neighborhoods)

[sherrydee21221]

I am a bilingual teacher with a certification in special education and reading? I would like to know which schools to avoid as a Boston Public School teacher? How difficult is it to get a job there? I live in Maryland now and I am a bilingual teacher. I originally from Ohio. What places to live and which to avoid? What are the pros and cons please? Are Boston public schools really bad? Are they run down and poor?

[sharencare]

First, the IEP in Boston is considered very good by a lot of parents.

Second, it sounds like your asking about school atmosphere and demographics. Honestly, some schools are better than others but it hard for me to warn you off any particular school because things change. BPS on the whole has a big population of free lunch recipients and minorities. This happened because of controversial bussing in 1970s and middle class flight to the suburbs. I still see a lot of middle class/affluent parents try their hand at the "lottery" to get their kids into the tier 1 to tier 2 elementary schools. Some families who don't get into the tier 1 or tier 2 schools might move to the suburbs, sign up METCO, or pay for private schools. However, an interesting phenomenon is now happening where these parents are becoming more open to the idea of turnaround schools or engaging the local schools to change it. (There have been studies about this trend that you can read online.) The tier 4 schools might be designated for turnaround status. If they get turnaround status, they get an opportunity to hire new staff and they get a lot of new funding. They also get new interest and energy from parents, and then in 2-4 years, the school becomes the "it" school everyone wants to go to. For example, Orchard Gardens and Trotter are now the "it" schools. So if I were you, I would look for a school just designated as turnaround if you're looking for teaching positions.

As for neighborhoods, the schools have all been rezoned so each family gets 10+ schools on their school list. So you will get affluent, all white West Roxbury and less affluent, more diverse Hyde Park kids going to the same school. You can live in all white South Boston but the parents prefer parochial schools and don't send their kids to the local public elementary, so the school children are all minorities from Dorchester. You'll have a school in Chinatown with mostly Asian immigrants, but wealthy white parents from Beacon Hill and the South End are perfectly happy to send their kids there. You'll also get a city-wide school like Hernandez that anyone can apply to, that's focuses exclusively teaching Spanish with English, and lots of parents regardless of ethnic background consider it a desirable school. Jamaica Plain and Roslindale are rapidly gentrifying, with many young professional families moving in and staying put. So there's a lot of energy, eagerness, and hope in those neighborhoods in turning around schools. I would also point out there is well very well regarded public elementary school in Dorchester along with a popular charter school. Brighton and East Boston also each have popular elementary schools, though East Boston has a larger Hispanic population.

Basically, I'm just saying don't let the demographic makeup or test scores scare you away. Schools like Trotter and Orchard Gardens are diverse and might have lower test scores, but the atmosphere in each school is considered happy and exciting--teachers and parents are thrilled to be making a difference. The scores every year have been showing great improvement. They also happen to be in neighborhoods (Dorchester and Roxbury) people feel wary about, but I know a lot of engaged parents that are happy to send their kids to those safe schools.

As for facilities, they are listed online with pictures and descriptions for each school. Recently, there's been a movement to give concrete playgrounds a makeover, by adding more color and art, and the 2-3 I've seen look fairly nice. I know in Roslindale, the playgrounds are nice enough that families will use them after school hours even if their kids don't attend the schools.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by sherrydee21221

I am a bilingual teacher with a certification in special education and reading? I would like to know which schools to avoid as a Boston Public School teacher? How difficult is it to get a job there? I live in Maryland now and I am a bilingual teacher. I originally from Ohio. What places to live and which to avoid? What are the pros and cons please? Are Boston public schools really bad? Are they run down and poor?

Don't avoid any school in Boston with those special ed. certifications. Special ed. is highly desirable everywhere around here and you will be highly regarded as an educator. You''ll probably have a much better chance at landing a position than regular ed. teachers, especially those in the humanities. Some BPS are rough but nothing out of the ordinary as all big city districts go. If you can teach in Baltimore, DC, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, or Dayton, I'm sure you'll be great in Boston. Funny, I though teachers who hold special ed. certification are the ones who aren't afraid of any school regardless of social or economic status .

If you want to remain a foreign language teacher, then it may be a bit harder to find a position depending on the language. You can opt to try our suburbs but wages are lower and depending on the district, may not necessarily be better than Boston.

[dapeaz]

I periodically check in on teaching job openings in the Boston area, and there seems to be a regular demand for special education certified candidates.

[irish_undaground]

I'm a long-time resident of Dorchester, which constitutes one-third of the land mass of Boston. It's a patchwork of neighborhoods, many wonderful, some rather depressed. Dorchester rental rates and housing prices are significantly lower than those in comparable neighborhoods. I love it here and wouldn't live in any other neighborhood.