Prospective California Teacher to Chicago (Aurora, Joliet: low income, 2015, credit)

[baconlover21]

Hello Everyone!

I have my BA in biology and am currently taking foundational classes for the California Single Subject credential program and plan on being a middle school or high school science teacher. The program that I've been accepted into is one year long and starts Fall 2015 meaning I would be ready to apply for teaching jobs at the end of May 2016. I grew up in the Midwest and frequently visited Chicago and recently decided that I want to move and teach in Chicago. After doing a lot of research, many schools that I looked at in Chicago offer Master's programs built in with an Illinois credential - which sounds great. However, they are almost all 2 years long, meaning I wouldn't be able to apply for teaching jobs until May 2017.

I have a few questions that I would love to get answered.

1) Are there schools in Chicago that offer only a credential program or is that unheard of? It's quite common out here (and faster as well).

2) Is it worth it to go to Chicago and enroll in a dual credential/master's program and be a year behind where I would have been had I decided to get my credential in California?

3) If I stay in California and get my credential here, will that put me at a disadvantage to other first year teachers that may be graduating with a masters and experience in Chicago schools? Will I have a shot at getting a job?

4) Am I totally missing another option or another path?

Thank you everyone for your help and comments!

Allison

[chet everett]

In a technical sense pretty much any accredited college that grants teaching certificates in Illinois could offer "credential only" programs. They generally do not advertise this fact for a whole bunch of reasons that I do not want to discuss on the forum but it revolves a kind of "gentleman's agreement" that folks that are professors /adminstators at teachers colleges in Illinois have with their erstwhile colleagues that are teaching in public schools...

That said I cannot recommend going to college in Illinois to earn a teaching certificate when you already have a BA except under very unique circumstances because the added cost of the Masters would soon be made up -- ASSUMING YOU GET HIRED AS A TEACHER... Of course there are NO guarantees of that in EITHER California or Illinois, but maybe THAT should be another thread...

You would not be as likely to get hired in Illinois if you earn a teaching certificate in California PLUS you may need additional courses to get your certificate endorsed.

If your goal is to live in California you absolutely should earn your certificate there. If your goal is to move here I would think long and hard about how hard it is to get a teaching job here, especially in something that is NOT in demand like Biology...

There are other options. I know people that do not like Teach for America and other alternative certificate programs on either political or technical grounds, but from everything I have seen those are not a horrible way to become a teacher...

[baconlover21]

Thanks for your reply!

Good to know about the certificate.

Getting solely a certificate would not be worth it - what about a program that combines a certificate and master's? Especially one that works with CPS for student teaching. Would the masters and contacts made in CPS be worth it?

My goal is to live in Chicago. I can maybe see myself returning to California in 15 or 20 years, nothing earlier than that. Is science (specifically biology) not in demand in Illinois? That surprises me - science teachers are the number one biggest demand in California currently. One of my teachers joked that if we are able to breath, we will get hired. After reading various threads on here regarding trying to get hired at CPS, I know it won't be like that but I am still surprised that there isn't a need for science.

I've looked into Teach for America as well as a program called Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). Do you have an opinion on those?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by baconlover21

Thanks for your reply!

Good to know about the certificate.

Getting solely a certificate would not be worth it - what about a program that combines a certificate and master's? Especially one that works with CPS for student teaching. Would the masters and contacts made in CPS be worth it? MAYBE -- depends on the school AND the certificate AND what your goal is for teaching. not just living...

My goal is to live in Chicago. I can maybe see myself returning to California in 15 or 20 years, nothing earlier than that. Is science (specifically biology) not in demand in Illinois? THOUSANDS of kids that thought it might be nice to be a doctor or dentist end up with Biology degrees becasue they do not have math skills to teach Chemistry or Physics...

That surprises me - science teachers are the number one biggest demand in California currently. One of my teachers joked that if we are able to breath, we will get hired. I would be surprised if there are not far more demand for sciences that require more math even in California... After reading various threads on here regarding trying to get hired at CPS, I know it won't be like that but I am still surprised that there isn't a need for science. Trust me, glut. Even though more students do take Biology than Chemistry or Physics it is not an area of "high demand" in CPS

I've looked into Teach for America as well as a program called Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). Do you have an opinion on those?

Like I said, the alternative programs have folks that do not like them for political reasons as well as folks that do not like them for technical reasons. From my non-political / non-technical assessment it is seems an OK way to become a teacher.

I mean honestly I know some folks that literally went to Harvard and are pretty awful teachers and I know some folks that barely earned a degree at all that are freakin' awesome teachers. Where / how you do it is a little like the joke about med school: What do they call the guy that graduates from Harvard Med at the top of his class? Doctor. And you know what they call they call the guy that finishes 287 out of 287 at Université Quisqueya Faculté des Sciences de la Santé in Hati? Doctor...

Where you get the credentials matters little...

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by baconlover21

Hello Everyone!

I have my BA in biology and am currently taking foundational classes for the California Single Subject credential program and plan on being a middle school or high school science teacher. The program that I've been accepted into is one year long and starts Fall 2015 meaning I would be ready to apply for teaching jobs at the end of May 2016. I grew up in the Midwest and frequently visited Chicago and recently decided that I want to move and teach in Chicago. After doing a lot of research, many schools that I looked at in Chicago offer Master's programs built in with an Illinois credential - which sounds great. However, they are almost all 2 years long, meaning I wouldn't be able to apply for teaching jobs until May 2017.

I have a few questions that I would love to get answered.

1) Are there schools in Chicago that offer only a credential program or is that unheard of? It's quite common out here (and faster as well).

2) Is it worth it to go to Chicago and enroll in a dual credential/master's program and be a year behind where I would have been had I decided to get my credential in California?

3) If I stay in California and get my credential here, will that put me at a disadvantage to other first year teachers that may be graduating with a masters and experience in Chicago schools? Will I have a shot at getting a job?

4) Am I totally missing another option or another path?

Thank you everyone for your help and comments!

Allison

There have been a few very prominent threads about attempts that were made to get hired by the Chicago Public School system---check the archives. Apparently, it is EXTREMELY frustrating.

[baconlover21]

As far as what programs I've looked into, DePaul, Concordia and Loyola to name only a few.

My goal for teaching is to teach in a low income, urban area.

As far as science teachers in CA, any teacher of any science subject is extremely needed. Whether biology, chemistry, physics, earth science or middle school science.

I guess I should qualify my question better. If my goal is to teach in Chicago, in a low income, urban area with the suburbs as a back up, am I better off moving to Chicago to finish my education (whether through traditional or alternative routes) or finishing my education here and then moving?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by baconlover21

As far as what programs I've looked into, DePaul, Concordia and Loyola to name only a few.

My goal for teaching is to teach in a low income, urban area.

As far as science teachers in CA, any teacher of any science subject is extremely needed. Whether biology, chemistry, physics, earth science or middle school science.

I guess I should qualify my question better. If my goal is to teach in Chicago, in a low income, urban area with the suburbs as a back up, am I better off moving to Chicago to finish my education (whether through traditional or alternative routes) or finishing my education here and then moving?

Now this is easy - apply for Teach For America or any of the other alternatives and you get a huge leg up if your goal is truly to teach in an urban low income setting.

If you want to teach in areas that are also urban and low income that ring Chicago that might also be an option - not an easy drive to older run down cities like Joliet, Aurora, Elgin or Waukegan but there is huge need, especially for ESL teachers .

It is not logical to consider suburbs as a backup, the desirable areas literally have hundreds or thousands of applicants per opening.

It is not likely that students from the schools mentioned would be better suited to urban low income areas than those that do TFA or another well structured alternative certification program.