More advice about teachNOLA, please!! (New Orleans, Lucky: public schools, college, live)

[umwow]

Hi everyone! I am a teacher in Atlanta with an upcoming interview with teachNOLA. (considering move to continue a relationship). I lived in New Orleans, briefly, for my college internship, about a hundred years ago. I would be taking a 7k pay cut to teach there, and unfortunately, that is an issue.
I love the city, and feel drawn to help the children there. My biggest concern is this...I have been teaching a long time, in a large, diverse school, where poverty is rampant. Discipline issues are becoming harder to deal with. Please, can someone give me some advice about what differences I might find teaching with teachNOLA? I know there have already been some discussions about this, but, maybe someone has heard other things about the program since those posts. I am aching over this decision, and I appreciate any responses, from the bottom of my heart. Oh, I visited 2 weeks ago, and while I shed so many tears while I was there, over the losses you all have endured, I was amazed at the humor and dedication you have shown in the rebuilding of this very special city.
Again, sincere thanks to anyone who responds.

[IloveNOLA]

Originally Posted by umwow

Hi everyone! I am a teacher in Atlanta with an upcoming interview with teachNOLA. (considering move to continue a relationship). I lived in New Orleans, briefly, for my college internship, about a hundred years ago. I would be taking a 7k pay cut to teach there, and unfortunately, that is an issue.
I love the city, and feel drawn to help the children there. My biggest concern is this...I have been teaching a long time, in a large, diverse school, where poverty is rampant. Discipline issues are becoming harder to deal with. Please, can someone give me some advice about what differences I might find teaching with teachNOLA? I know there have already been some discussions about this, but, maybe someone has heard other things about the program since those posts. I am aching over this decision, and I appreciate any responses, from the bottom of my heart. Oh, I visited 2 weeks ago, and while I shed so many tears while I was there, over the losses you all have endured, I was amazed at the humor and dedication you have shown in the rebuilding of this very special city.
Again, sincere thanks to anyone who responds.

The Orleans public schools would certainly be well-served by someone as dedicated as you, so I hope you decide to come here.

People in New Orleans are a resilient bunch. I am completely amazed by it, and if you think about it, it is thread running through the fabric of its history. The city has survived foreign invasion, Union occupation, fires, yellow fever epidemics, and prior hurricanes.

Good luck.

[Arnobi]

I'm considering the TEACHNOLA program. Did you join it? How did it go?

[Drouzin]

"I love the city, and feel drawn to help the children there. My biggest concern is this...I have been teaching a long time, in a large, diverse school, where poverty is rampant. Discipline issues are becoming harder to deal with."

Basically you'll experience the same thing here, but without as much diversity. I don't know if I mentioned this to you, (sorry if I'm being redundant), but if you go to the nola dot com forums and select education, you will find lots of teachers there who would be willing to help you with your questions. I haven't been in the system since the storm, but can tell you that Pre-K the system was a mess and a friend left here to go to Atlanta because of it. Lucky for her because Katrina hit 4 weeks after she had moved.

[Timmo]

Hi,

I know something about TeachNola and its predecessor, the Teaching Fellows. I think there was a similar thread on this a year or so earlier.

I would really reconsider making the move and commitment to New Orleans. If you are wary of discipline problems and administrative mishaps, New Orleans would not be for you. Although the people at TeachNola are nice, the administrators and parents are not. You would most likely be sent to a "hard-to-staff" school with ZERO administrative support in an environment where education is not valued. I taught in New Orleans schools for two years.

Depending on the school, they range from decent (not academically, but safer) to really, really rough. These schools are not a joke, and I would recommend talking to some teachers first before you make any commitments. Be prepared to break up many fights (or defend yourself physically if secondary grades), have really tough skin (lots of racial slurs/threats either to you or other students), fight to get paid (on several occasions), take issues in your own hands (the administration would not back you up if something happens). Remember, kids lie, and parents back their kids over you. In some schools kids just drown you out and not let you talk or teach. The parents themselves have about a forth-grade education - no joke. Some parents cannot read a daily newspaper (Times-Picayune). Another note: bring all your own materials to class, many schools don't supply anything, I mean, ALL materials to class.

I know your heart is in the right place (mine was, too), but this is a reality, and I don't want you to come into this situation with naive notions. Teaching, esp. in an inner-city school, is very stressful. Remember, TeachNola is a recruiting service, which gets a fee for every teacher it sends. Do your research, and verify all information! Hope this helps, good luck!

[Cookie0907]

The diversity in public schools barely exists here. My school was Black and Vietnamese, with very few students of other cultures.Sadly the worst of the worst schools are black, well, most of the public schools are black. You may see a lot more hispanic population now after the hurricane. Some of the students can be very rude and cruel. The older it gets, usually the worst it gets. I promise you I am not guessing, I just graduated from highschool in 2005. I was lucky enough that some of my teachers actually cared about the students and my school was one of the better ones, now it is failing. The kids were very cruel to other kids.

[Drouzin]

Originally Posted by Timmo

Hi,

I know something about TeachNola and its predecessor, the Teaching Fellows. I think there was a similar thread on this a year or so earlier.

I would really reconsider making the move and commitment to New Orleans. If you are wary of discipline problems and administrative mishaps, New Orleans would not be for you. Although the people at TeachNola are nice, the administrators and parents are not. You would most likely be sent to a "hard-to-staff" school with ZERO administrative support in an environment where education is not valued. I taught in New Orleans schools for two years.

Depending on the school, they range from decent (not academically, but safer) to really, really rough. These schools are not a joke, and I would recommend talking to some teachers first before you make any commitments. Be prepared to break up many fights (or defend yourself physically if secondary grades), have really tough skin (lots of racial slurs/threats either to you or other students), fight to get paid (on several occasions), take issues in your own hands (the administration would not back you up if something happens). Remember, kids lie, and parents back their kids over you. In some schools kids just drown you out and not let you talk or teach. The parents themselves have about a forth-grade education - no joke. Some parents cannot read a daily newspaper (Times-Picayune). Another note: bring all your own materials to class, many schools don't supply anything, I mean, ALL materials to class.

I know your heart is in the right place (mine was, too), but this is a reality, and I don't want you to come into this situation with naive notions. Teaching, esp. in an inner-city school, is very stressful. Remember, TeachNola is a recruiting service, which gets a fee for every teacher it sends. Do your research, and verify all information! Hope this helps, good luck!

It's sad to hear that things haven't changed since the storm.

[bmcduffee]

I am an experienced teacher (9 years) who has taught in both downtown Detroit and downtown Miami. I had success both places. I consider myself an "inner-city teacher" through and through. Are there any differences that I will face going to a NOLA public school that I would not have seen in say... Miami's Overtown (Inner-city of them all)?
Any tips on reaching them as I have an interview up and comming...