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I will be graduating a year from now with a B.S. degree in elementary education, specializing in early childhood, from a Michigan university. My wife recently attended a teacher job fair here and picked up some information on Topeka and Wichita public schools. She was impressed with what they told her obviously about the schools (which they're suppose to) but also the cost of living and the stable employment base in Kansas.
I was intrigued enough to do more investigating and I thought I would post a thread here to ask any Kansans which area is better suited for a family of three from MI. We have a daughter who will be entering her first year of high school (what already!!!) by the time I will be done my studies and looking for a full time teaching job. I would also like to know if the schools in Kansas are as good as I have heard some people say, do residents in the above mentioned cities support their schools through millage elections (I tried to find this info, but couldn't) and are the higher learning institutions good ones since I would eventually need to earn continuing education credits or my masters down the line.
For the record my wife is a nurse and is told anywhere she goes that she wouldn't have a hard time finding something.
We have never been to Kansas so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ever so much.
What they told you, at least regarding the Wichita area, is true. Being the largest school district in the state, you get your advantages and disadvantages (and I'm not refering to diversity as a disadvantage, but rather a huge plus - I had to state that early because of the inevitable flame post). I attended private schools in Wichita as well as public schools in Valley Center, so I can't give you any personal experience about Wichita public schools. No two schools are the same, though, so keep that in mind when people begin to bash the city and its schools. This is in response to both your teaching job and your daughter's education.
Regarding your wife's nursing occupation, you will find MANY jobs in the Wichita metro area. The city is a medical hub, so you will indeed find no shortage of jobs there.
Universities in the area range from Wichita State, the third largest in Kansas, to private colleges and technical schools, to KU School of Medicine. I've never
ventured into teaching, but I do know that Emporia State University in Emporia
(about an hour or so from Wichita) has one of the best teaching programs in
the country.
I've taught in both Wichita schools and schools of surrounding communities. Honestly, I like the diversity of Wichita schools for the diversity - but the discipline is much tougher in the city than in surrounding communities. I, presently teach at a really homogenous middle school in a smaller district that has a poverty level (almost 40%) very similar to some Wichita middle schools, but we have many fewer discipline problems and much higher state assessment scores. Very often our students who live in the highest poverty have the best test scores - go figure. I don't know that the level of success the district experiences is because of the ethinicity of the students, maybe because people in town are pretty much all alike.
I've also found the school resource officer has better knowledge of the community and that makes him more aware of what happens with kids at school. He seems to know who's family is in the drug dealing business and how that effects our students, including things like knowing which kids are dealing at school. It does happen, but our SRO can interview kids with some regularity that sends them the message that they will get caught if they deal at school, so they don't so much. In the Wichita schools, before the advent of cell phones we used to have students using the public pay phone to arrange drug deals - even though those phones were in the hall across from the main office. At that time we didn't have many SROs. I don't know what it's like now.
Also, in the smaller community more students who aren't involved in inappropriate behaviors will report those who are, usually, without worrying about reprisals; they won't experience a drive by shooting as a result of their efforts to protect themselves and their friends.
A downside of the smaller, more homogenous community is just the lack of diversity. I miss seeing a variety of faces of a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to share. Also, my district has more than its share of bigotry - about all kinds of things. I've heard far too many ethnic slurs from kids who, truly, have no idea who or what they're talking about.
If I worked in Wichita I'd make more money because the Wichita district pays much better, and I'd save a lot of money by not paying for the gas to drive from Wichita to another town. But, where I teach, I deal with many fewer discipline problems in the classroom and have more opportunties to teach.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SALteacher
Hi everyone,
I will be graduating a year from now with a B.S. degree in elementary education, specializing in early childhood, from a Michigan university. My wife recently attended a teacher job fair here and picked up some information on Topeka and Wichita public schools. She was impressed with what they told her obviously about the schools (which they're suppose to) but also the cost of living and the stable employment base in Kansas.
I was intrigued enough to do more investigating and I thought I would post a thread here to ask any Kansans which area is better suited for a family of three from MI. We have a daughter who will be entering her first year of high school (what already!!!) by the time I will be done my studies and looking for a full time teaching job. I would also like to know if the schools in Kansas are as good as I have heard some people say, do residents in the above mentioned cities support their schools through millage elections (I tried to find this info, but couldn't) and are the higher learning institutions good ones since I would eventually need to earn continuing education credits or my masters down the line.
For the record my wife is a nurse and is told anywhere she goes that she wouldn't have a hard time finding something.
We have never been to Kansas so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ever so much.
I teach middle school in USD259 Wichita Public Schools and I have a GREAT job. I would recommend our district to anyone who is interested in working in an urban environment -- the support our teachers get is unparalleled.
I've also worked outside of USD259 including two years at a Catholic school and three years at Wichita Collegiate (a very prestigious and high scoring independent school on the east side of town). I left Collegiate to go back to working in USD259 because there is no better feeling than helping kids overcome adversity to reach their goals -- it is the most rewarding job there is.
In my current job, I have kids every day from all walks of life -- from kids who live in affluent (over $500K houses) to kids who have parents in prison or whose mom gave birth to them at age 13. My students are white, African American, Asian, and Hispanic. They represented dozens of churches and no religion at all. The common denominator is that they're all just kids. And they're really great kids.
One other advantage of teaching in Wichita, besides knowing you're making a difference and the fact that we have amazingly cheap housing, is that Wichita has the best salary & benefits package in the state. Health insurance premium for the entire family FULLY paid. We have a great camaraderie among teachers, and with nearly 100 different buildings, if you decide you don't like your current school, you can always move to a different one that will more fit your style. We have outstanding professional development opportunities and teachers who work hard in our district advance to other leadershipo positions if they so chose.
It really irritates me when people put down Wichita schools. If you actually look at the state test data and equalize for demographic differences (parent income, home language, etc.), Wichita schools are doing a terrific job. It is not a place for people who are scared of diversity, however.
Teaching in rural areas and suburbs is not the only route to take if you're looking for job satisfaction. Give Topeka or Wichita a chance.
As a graduate from Washburn Rural High School (USD 437), I can vouch for that district. The two districts in Topeka are USD501 (Topeka Public Schools) and USD437 (Auburn-Washburn). 501 has a few high schools and is diverse. 437 has only the one high school, and one middle school, and is not as diverse. It is a smaller district than 501, but the high school is a fair size (1600students).
As a student, I loved 437. While it is not as diverse as 501, I do not feel that there was a whole lot of racism. We all got along pretty well when I attended WRHS. The opportunities were endless. WRHS is well ranked in the state in both academics and extra-curriculars. Not sure what your daughter is interested in, but the softball team just won state. Music and debate always do very well. I am now a teacher, and if given the choice I would choose to teach in 437 over 501. Simply put, there are more funds, more opportunities, and a better atmosphere. I realize, however, that my opinion could be a bit biased.
Overall, Topeka is a great place for families. I would recommend USD 437, and look for places to live in SW Topeka. Also, if you decide to pursue a Masters degree, you have three main options. Washburn University is in Topeka, Kansas State is 45 minutes to the west in Manhattan, and the University of Kansas is 25 minutes to the east in Lawrence.
I will be graduating a year from now with a B.S. degree in elementary education, specializing in early childhood, from a Michigan university. My wife recently attended a teacher job fair here and picked up some information on Topeka and Wichita public schools. She was impressed with what they told her obviously about the schools (which they're suppose to) but also the cost of living and the stable employment base in Kansas.
I was intrigued enough to do more investigating and I thought I would post a thread here to ask any Kansans which area is better suited for a family of three from MI. We have a daughter who will be entering her first year of high school (what already!!!) by the time I will be done my studies and looking for a full time teaching job. I would also like to know if the schools in Kansas are as good as I have heard some people say, do residents in the above mentioned cities support their schools through millage elections (I tried to find this info, but couldn't) and are the higher learning institutions good ones since I would eventually need to earn continuing education credits or my masters down the line.
For the record my wife is a nurse and is told anywhere she goes that she wouldn't have a hard time finding something.
We have never been to Kansas so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ever so much.
Its tough to answer your questions without generalizing. Some districts are of course better than others across the state, but state funding for public schools in Kansas is relatively high compared to surrounding states. I know that the suburban Kansas City districts have considerable success in getting consistent voter approval of bond issue ballots throughout history and those districts tend to pay very well. There are many communities in Kansas (including small ones) where you and your wife could find work and your family would settle in nicely. Because of you and your wife's career fields its very possible to find jobs in any town large enough to have a hospital and school, and most towns in Kansas with more than 2,500 people have them.
Its tough to answer your questions without generalizing. Some districts are of course better than others across the state, but state funding for public schools in Kansas is relatively high compared to surrounding states. I know that the suburban Kansas City districts have considerable success in getting consistent voter approval of bond issue ballots throughout history and those districts tend to pay very well. There are many communities in Kansas (including small ones) where you and your wife could find work and your family would settle in nicely. Because of you and your wife's career fields its very possible to find jobs in any town large enough to have a hospital and school, and most towns in Kansas with more than 2,500 people have them.
Thanks 2005hawk. This info is appreciated. We'll give Kansas some serious consideration when the time comes.
I am moving from Iowa to Kansas in July to be a elementary teacher. I never thought I would like Kansas but I found out that I love it. In Iowa and states in the North it is very hard to find a teacher job. There are lots of teachers and only a hand full of jobs so you either need to know someone or have experience. Since I didn't have experience I couldn't find one here. Which is really sad, because there are lots of good beginning teachers wanting to stay but can't because they can't find jobs. But when I looked into Kansas I just feel in love with the town and everything about it. Kansas is in need of teachers and some will pay a signing bonus plus they pay teachers better than some other states. As a first year teacher I will be making more than a teacher who has worked in a school district in Iowa for 4 or 5 years. Plus the schools and colleges are really good. They care about the students and teachers in the state. Good luck finding a teaching job and really look into all part of Kansas. There is a website called Kansas Teaching Jobs or something like that if you put that in google you will find it to help with your search.
Hope this helps.
I am moving from Iowa to Kansas in July to be a elementary teacher. I never thought I would like Kansas but I found out that I love it. In Iowa and states in the North it is very hard to find a teacher job. There are lots of teachers and only a hand full of jobs so you either need to know someone or have experience. Since I didn't have experience I couldn't find one here. Which is really sad, because there are lots of good beginning teachers wanting to stay but can't because they can't find jobs. But when I looked into Kansas I just feel in love with the town and everything about it. Kansas is in need of teachers and some will pay a signing bonus plus they pay teachers better than some other states. As a first year teacher I will be making more than a teacher who has worked in a school district in Iowa for 4 or 5 years. Plus the schools and colleges are really good. They care about the students and teachers in the state. Good luck finding a teaching job and really look into all part of Kansas. There is a website called Kansas Teaching Jobs or something like that if you put that in google you will find it to help with your search.
Hope this helps.
Thanks so much. What part of Kansas are you going to be working in? Good luck with everything.
Topeka is building a brandy sandy new hospital on wanamaker. St. Francis will be state of the art and will leave lots of room for Stormont to take over the 10th to 6th street hospital coridor. And we have a V.A. too!
And we are really needing good teachers. They are importing them from the Phillipines.
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My wife recently attended a teacher job fair here and picked up some information on Topeka and Wichita public schools. She was impressed with what they told her obviously about the schools (which they're suppose to) but also the cost of living and the stable employment base in Kansas. 
) by the time I will be done my studies and looking for a full time teaching job. I would also like to know if the schools in Kansas are as good as I have heard some people say, do residents in the above mentioned cities support their schools through millage elections (I tried to find this info, but couldn't) and are the higher learning institutions good ones since I would eventually need to earn continuing education credits or my masters down the line. 
