Teaching in Columbia (Charleston, Myrtle Beach, St. Andrews: insurance, homes, teaching jobs)

[Armisted]

I used to live in Columbia about 4 years ago, and loved it. I hope to return next summer as I will have just completed my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Atlanta where I currently reside. I of course know a lot about Columbia having spent a number of years there, but I am clueless as far as what counties, in particular what schools I should consider. I used to live right in Shandon very close to Dreher High School which seems to be a pretty good school?
I'm certified in secondary education (high school) in English, History, and Political Science, and I want to be in a good school. Do any of the counties hold career fairs? What counties/schools do I want to be in?

Thanks.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Lexington One, Richland Two, and Lex/Richland 5 are the most desired districts at this time, in no particular order.

[DadofTwo]

well i just moved up from fl and taught there for 12 years. i am teaching in richland one and it seems o be a very good district as they are on top of things here. there is also a great deal of administrative support for teachers. students i think are the same pretty much anywhere. when would you plan to come? typically the end of the semester or start of the school year is the best time look. good luck

[bkje18]

Originally Posted by Armisted

I used to live in Columbia about 4 years ago, and loved it. I hope to return next summer as I will have just completed my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Atlanta where I currently reside. I of course know a lot about Columbia having spent a number of years there, but I am clueless as far as what counties, in particular what schools I should consider. I used to live right in Shandon very close to Dreher High School which seems to be a pretty good school?
I'm certified in secondary education (high school) in English, History, and Political Science, and I want to be in a good school. Do any of the counties hold career fairs? What counties/schools do I want to be in?

Thanks.

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You will find NO PROBLEM getting a teaching job as yours are considered areas of shortage positions. Go to the Richland County School District #1 website to check on jobs. I believe it's Richland County School District One which always has openings.

Also go to list yourself on "teachers-teachers" for openings to come to your e-mail box as alerts as positions open from where you are interested in moving to. Great schools are Lexington #1, Lexington-Richland #5, and Richland #2. "Cerra" and "Teachers" prefer you do an online application with references that way when there's an opening, you submit to the school with the principal or human resource person tellling them you have an application on both sites. Make sure you get those reference letters sent in by your best persons who can vouch for you and your work. They like to have one from your current principal if you have one. These reference people go online to submit information about you.

I hope you have a teaching license as it is reciprocal with SC. If you don't, prepare now to get licensed in Georgia. There are listings found on www.cerra.org for the state of SC teaching jobs that don't have e-mail alerts like teachers-teachers.com does. You may or may not want Richland County School District #1, but if you can't find anything, it's a start. I hope you don't run into our situation....degrees with experience and teacher license here that demands a higher wage the schools don't want to pay in S.C. nor will hire you. Have you thought of the colleges? University of South Carolina is one in town, and they have a website. Many will work with you to get more education at 1/2 the cost.

Dreher High School still is the best in Richland #1 as well as Hand Middle School. Dreher just rebuilt theirs on the same site opening it this past fall. The school districts above (not Richland #1) that I listed are growing by leaps and bounds.

Career fairs are held in December for Richland #1 if they do it again trying to get people to come back to SC to live and work. There is a huge over-all state teacher's fairs through teachers-teachers held the first week of June. They also tell you about teacher's fairs by e-mail alert.

If I were you, I'd get a jump on things sooner than waiting for May or June. Now is the time! Some schools still have not all their people (Richland #1) or lose their teachers in the state in January each year.

Get those applications filled out that is good for all school districts you are interested in teaching.

Hope this helps you!
bkje

[Armisted]

Thanks everyone! I'm actually in the process of filling out the cerra application and I have already had a couple of my references respond. I also filled out the richland one interest form, and had the phone interview. Thanks for mentioning the most desired counties as I had no idea, and I will begin applying with them soon. I also had no idea about the teachers-teachers website, and that seems like it's going to be very helpful. I'm not sure if the GACE, which is what we take here in GA and not the Praxis II is going to transfer. Does anyone have any information about the Praxis II they could forward to me? As far as websites, etc.? BKJE, you've really found that SC doesn't want to hire teachers with advanced degrees due to the higher salary they have to pay? Wow. Also, my CERRA application can be downloaded by any county, correct? In other words, my references are not going to get emailed with every county I apply with?

Thanks again, big help.

Dave

[waccamatt]

In addition to the overall districts mentioned earlier, Dreher High School and its feeder schools also have a good reputation in Richland District 1. AC Flora also has made great strides in recent years.

[bkje18]

Armisted: from BKJE....figure out where you want to be. Your application with reference forms from cerra.com WILL be looked at by an interested principal for the school districts you chose to want to work in. Remember, you can go back anytime to the Cerra site to make any changes to your application and to print off your application. Of course your reference letters will not be available for your viewing as everyone considered wants their anonymity. If any principal shows interest, they will call you. I had no idea that Richland #1 did phone interviews. They have a very hard time keeping teachers as we are talking about inner city kids with moms or grandmothers raising the children who have to work and haven't time to spend with their kids. Richland #1 is very hard to work for and either don't get enough teachers to work for them every year because of their reputation or new teachers will go there for 2-3 years (before they are rated for ADEPT) and move on to a better school district after they have their experience. As in any inner city, there are drugs, shootings, gangs, too many guys not stepping up to the plate to take care of their children, police afraid of driving into certain public housing or will go through at a high rate of speed for fear of being shot, and a high rate of teen pregnancy. Some of us have had a heart for these children but can't get hired back as we had a number of years teaching and our pay grade with master's degree pushed us out of the school district by their utilizing the ADEPT to get us to quit or be fired. We choose to quit, but it seems like a blackballing follows us when we try to find other teaching jobs.

Yes, that degree and years of experience when you hit the Master's Pay level (about $43,000) causes the school districts to ignore you to hire those with less teaching experience for a teacher for $30,000 with a Bachelor's degree and not much teaching experience. Go to any school district in SC on the web and you will see what the pay scale is for SC as you look at their salary schedule. Look at their calendars, also, for start date and ending date. One or 2 in Richland #1 are on an all year teaching schedule for elementary level similar to college schedules.

We've been fighting this hiring lower wage applicants for 4 years which has sent us to 200% below the federal poverty level! What a shock and depressing situation this has caused for us who were upper middle class seeming to almost have it all.

As far as the GACE and Praxis II that I am not sure of their standards. All I do know is there is state license reciprocity between teachers in Georgia and SC. If we could leave here, we'd go to Myrtle Beach area. Some people like certain areas of Charleston.

If you have the time, check out some school districts websites to see if they have a building program with needs for new teachers next fall for their new school. Another place to check on jobs for teachers is EAN. They list school districts that have openings, also.

[Armisted]

BKJE, thanks a million! I'll most likely be staying away from Richland 1, or any of the more innner city districts. I've had some experience in these schools here in Atlanta, and it is really a challenge I would not want to take on, especially being a first year teacher come fall 08'. I've actually been doing a lot of research on Lex1 and Lex/Rich5, and those schools seem to be exactly where I want to be. Do you feel there has been a lot of demand for high school teachers in these districts? in English? Social Studies? Not to mention I would like to get involved with coaching, will that give me leverage? I have already taken the Praxis I, and passed where SC standards are concerned. I'm also taking the Praxis II in March and in April for both English and Social Studies even though I have already taken the GACE and passed in both of these areas. I just want this transition to be as smooth as possible. One last thing. I may consider getting on with a private school in Cola. any ideas about where to start with any of these schools? Thanks!

[bkje18]

Originally Posted by Armisted

BKJE, thanks a million! I'll most likely be staying away from Richland 1, or any of the more innner city districts. I've had some experience in these schools here in Atlanta, and it is really a challenge I would not want to take on, especially being a first year teacher come fall 08'. I've actually been doing a lot of research on Lex1 and Lex/Rich5, and those schools seem to be exactly where I want to be. Do you feel there has been a lot of demand for high school teachers in these districts? in English? Social Studies? Not to mention I would like to get involved with coaching, will that give me leverage? I have already taken the Praxis I, and passed where SC standards are concerned. I'm also taking the Praxis II in March and in April for both English and Social Studies even though I have already taken the GACE and passed in both of these areas. I just want this transition to be as smooth as possible. One last thing. I may consider getting on with a private school in Cola. any ideas about where to start with any of these schools? Thanks!

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READ HERE, PLEASE............
Wow! You ARE progressing so well in getting into teaching in Columbia-Lexington areas of South Carolina! I'm impressed, Armisted. You are doing all the right things. I still stand by my original statement (s) of Richland #1 except Dreher High School, Hand Middle School, and Rosewood Elementary being the best. The inner city population has too many administrators who want a certain type of person who has to be of their mold. Now, again, they just fired their superintendent!

We had lived in the inner city and loved what it offers. The schools for the most part aren't making it still. Four of them are on the states list as unsatisfactory with the state about to take them over. I'd been there 1/4 of a century! My best friends had parents, themselves, their kids who graduated from these same inner city schools, and now that they are having to raise their grandkids, have removed them for other school districts or homeschool them. One such person use to think homeschooling was so not right, but she called me crying as they labeled her grandchild just entering in school 2-3 problem areas. She thought another school district could be the answer when I informed her his record will follow him where ever he goes! The only way to clear it was to homeschool to prove Richland #1 they ARE soooo wrong about him. This just upsets me to no end. He is doing well under grandma and in speech therapy from a private doctor paid for by her insurance leaving the school out of it. He is in therapy for what happened to him back up North. In 3-4 years her grandchild won't be what they tried to turn him into, be saying his name and not his label, and as he goes on to middle and high school will grow elsewhere. That's what happens to these kids here in the city that just makes me so upset with them. They need to break up that school district! It's time for the "mold" to break!

Yes, Lexington - Richland #5 will need you. But even more so, try Lexington #1 as even the best of all. You WOULD love living there, I promise you that. It's great for children as well. It's near the lake as well (Lake Murray...you'd love it!!!)

You asked about coaching; that would be a good extracurricular activity if they need one in the area. Go for it, Armisted!

Private schools?....such as Christian or Catholic or for those more well off? Christian schools: I like Ben Lippen with campuses in the St. Andrews area zipcode 29210 on St. Andrews Road. The main campus is on Monticello Road zipcode 29204, but is a BAD neighborhood where their Christian college is... Columbia International University. It's good they have gotten a new President as they have been walking away from their legalism. Ben Lippen just opened their other school last year for elementary or middle schools in 29210. They have a very small campus on Ashland Road 29210 zipcode.

Catholic: a number of good ones, particularly downtown St. Peter's is one I know both Protestants and Catholics like. I don't know about St. Martins-in- the-Fields or Cardinal Newman off Forest Drive, but Cardinal has sports teams that compete as well as Ben Lippen High School.

A great Episcopal one is Heathwood Hall near Bluff Road/I-26 or I-77 area. They have competitive sports, also. It's been a while since I was there, but they are big and great.

Avoid: Grace Christian School off Denham Street in West Columbia as they are sooooo legalistic! It's a nice area to live close to town and the Riverwalk. For instance, no female student nor her mother or any female picking her up or entering the school cannot wear shorts or pants. No student can go to a clean movie, a Christian rock concert, can't wear a Christian t-shirt, no sweat clothes material permitted, and no jeans.

Others are more smaller schools that would not have anything for you to get a decent income or sports programs. Hammond is for the better income homes with sports teams that compete but no idea what they are like.

If I can be of assistance in any other way, let me know, Armisted.
BKJE

[bkje18]

Originally Posted by DadofTwo

well i just moved up from fl and taught there for 12 years. i am teaching in richland one and it seems o be a very good district as they are on top of things here. there is also a great deal of administrative support for teachers. students i think are the same pretty much anywhere. when would you plan to come? typically the end of the semester or start of the school year is the best time look. good luck

NOT HELPFUL NOR TRUE AT ALL ABOUT THESE SCHOOLS!