Eventually wanting to become an ESL teacher in SLO county... (Santa Maria: buying, school district)

[the city]

I will be getting a English degree at Cal Poly SLO and I'm planning on minoring in Spanish. I want to teach ESL or English to middle or high schoolers at a public school. I was thinking the Santa Maria and Lucia Mar School District would be hiring the most ESL teachers when the economy picks up? BTW, are those area's student enrollment consistent?

Thanks.

[.highnlite]

What happened to planning? One piece of advice, don't teach.
Not only have teachers become the whipping boy for all of societies ills, NCLB destroyed teaching. Find something more satisfying, like picking up cans along the highway.

[Snort]

Neither of those districts pay very well and SLO isn't cheap. I don't know when CA gets its budget together, but I don't see a rosy future for some years to come for the teaching profession.

[the city]

Don't worry about a place to live for me, that is taken care of.

And yeah I know the pay isn't good I am just asking if there would be an opening when the economy is better. And HighNLite, like you said I should get into a major where my strengths are, and planning has math which is my weakness. I know teaching is what you didn't have in mind instead of planning. But that is what I want to do and I want to teach English or ESL.

I don't care if I don't get the best pay and all that. It is the joy of helping out the younger generation and hope students are more prepared after high school than I was.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by the city

Don't worry about a place to live for me, that is taken care of.

And yeah I know the pay isn't good I am just asking if there would be an opening when the economy is better. And HighNLite, like you said I should get into a major where my strengths are, and planning has math which is my weakness. I know teaching is what you didn't have in mind instead of planning. But that is what I want to do and I want to teach English or ESL.

I don't care if I don't get the best pay and all that. It is the joy of helping out the younger generation and hope students are more prepared after high school than I was.

The problem is, it isn't teaching any more. I talked with a retired high school english teacher this evening, his son was buying one of our trucks. He said, No Child Left Behind destroyed teaching, which is the same comment I hear from teachers including my wife. Bright imaginative teachers who can figure out something else to do are bailing out of teaching like paratroopers out of a C47.

I can just about promise you that you will quit before 5 years are up, and it won't be the kids that drive you out.

if you are at all physical I recommend firefighting, start with Calfire or the US Forest Service.

[the city]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

The problem is, it isn't teaching any more. I talked with a retired high school english teacher this evening, his son was buying one of our trucks. He said, No Child Left Behind destroyed teaching, which is the same comment I hear from teachers including my wife. Bright imaginative teachers who can figure out something else to do are bailing out of teaching like paratroopers out of a C47.

I can just about promise you that you will quit before 5 years are up, and it won't be the kids that drive you out.

if you are at all physical I recommend firefighting, start with Calfire or the US Forest Service.

I know all of this. And, I don't want to be a firefighter! And im in support of no child left behind.

I am into teaching to help people out. And I plan on teaching ELS like I said which are in demand.

And anything I do, even city planning has it's drawbacks. I know many ppl giving up on our school system here, but the students still need help.

[psr13]

I thought California got rid of ESL. There was something about that when I was in elementary school in the 90's. The kids at all of my schools who didn't speak English were put into normal classes.

[Snort]

Originally Posted by psr13

I thought California got rid of ESL. There was something about that when I was in elementary school in the 90's. The kids at all of my schools who didn't speak English were put into normal classes.

No, they were supposed to be done with "bilingual" education, but it's still going strong in some places, despite the bill.
ESL is a needed program in many districts.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by the city

I know all of this. And, I don't want to be a firefighter! And im in support of no child left behind.

I am into teaching to help people out. And I plan on teaching ELS like I said which are in demand.

And anything I do, even city planning has it's drawbacks. I know many ppl giving up on our school system here, but the students still need help.

You are in favor of NCLB? Here is how that works. If your school tests for math and reading and writing, that is what you will teach. No science, no social studies, no art, no music, no PE, no recess.

The learning will be rote learning, teaching the kids to pass the test, not to learn, but to pass a multiple choice test.

For instance, in reading the students will read story fragments and answer questions. They won't ever learn that reading is fun.

Each year your school will be tested, each year your school must show improvement over the prior year. Even when, in the unlikely event every student scores 100% the school will be required to show improvement beyond that, which will be impossible. Your school will then be listed as a failed school, which is purpose of the law, to fail every public school.

The law was written by politicians to support the voucher system, to fail the public schools so that private schools will get the business.

If you are a boring, unimaginative, rote teaching sort of person, you may enjoy teaching under NCLB. If you ever had a teacher that caught your attention, that made you love learning, that taught in a way that caught your curiosity; that teacher is crushed by NCLB and is either waiting to retire or they quit teaching, or they are in therapy.

I read what you say, it is common among they young and idealistic to reflect ideas such as you presented, but the reality of being in the trenches is very different.

My wife taught for over twenty years, she taught Gifted, and special ed, and regular classes and autistic classes, she was also a consultant to other teachers and district, she has numerous awards for her work. She quit, NCLB drove her out, I saw the toll it took on her, the vast difference between what she knew was right, and what she was forced to do by the constraints of the law made her physically ill.

I restate, if you are a creative imaginative person who cares about students, you will quit teaching within 5 years of getting your first job. Best have a fallback.

Firefighting gives you both excellent pay and blocks of time off (24 hour shifts will do that) .

Most jobs require you to be indoors, 8 or more hours a day 5 days a week.

As a teacher you will be indoors working 8 or more hours a day 5 to 6 to 7 days a week, but you will only be paid for 6.5 hours per day for 5 days a week.

Now, some people don't mind working indoors, it should drive a reasonable person crazy, humans were not designed to sit at a desk indoors.

Young men and women should be out in the sun, the wind, and the rain, and saving the forest while you are at it is frosting on the cake.

[golgi1]

Originally Posted by the city

I know all of this. And, I don't want to be a firefighter! And im in support of no child left behind.

I am into teaching to help people out. And I plan on teaching ELS like I said which are in demand.

And anything I do, even city planning has it's drawbacks. I know many ppl giving up on our school system here, but the students still need help.

How do we know what you know? You asked a question and people are responding with their knowledge. Maybe be a little less snappy in response.

Second, it sounds like you have it figured out. Why ask?

My opinion is that teaching is the better profession. I have a Bachelors degree in City Planning and am aware of the specifics of that field and market. Unless you rise to the highest ranks of planning, in which there aren't many positions, then teaching is the better career. Especially if you want to help people and don't care about NCLB, as you claim.