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Agree with pp - next to impossible to go alternate route for HS English...or elementary for that matter.
When I went into teaching, I got my certification from Kean. It was less expensive than getting a masters (I already had a bachelor's) and I went on advice that you might have a better chance of getting hired by a district since you'd be on that BA (or BA +30) step of the salary guide - not the MA step.
I did get my teaching job via my student-teaching experience. I knew no one in the district prior to that. Student-teaching is a HUGELY important part of the "getting hired" process.
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Originally Posted by todd72173
Not saying all teachers are hired by relatives/friends..Im saying teaching industry is very political and it helps tremendously if you know someone. If you dont, sure, your chances of being hired in an Abott district/high crime/etc area will be available more often.
I do not agree with the tenure offered to teachers. Again, its more like a goverment job..After certain mount of years, you can do as lousy a job as you want..and still keep your job..Yeahm I got reason to have issues with the hiring of teachers..and the stats for our country today do not show teachers are doing their job..schools are worse and worse overall..
Does every thread regarding teaching have to become a political pileup on how overpaid, mafia-esque, and incapable teachers are? Apparently so...
Yeahm I got reason to have issues with the hiring of teachers..and the stats for our country today do not show teachers are doing their job..schools are worse and worse overall..
OK, I hate when these posts turn this way but I have to interject. How about it may not be the teachers that aren't doing their jobs and instead put some responsibility on the parents. Turn off the tv's and the video games and take your kids to the library. If they want to learn about adventures and life, let them find it in a book, a museum, a park. Parents of children who can't read should read to their children at least 15 minutes each day.
I'm not saying all teachers are perfect, they aren't. And some states do much better than others and attracting and retaining good teachers. And I wont argue tenure because it's not going away whether we like it or not. But the fact is that parents could do a lot more to help their children succeed. How many parent's show up for back to school night? How many parents can't find time to review homework with their child? Teaching is not a substitute for parenting.
I thought of a few more bits of advice this afternoon:
Since she has at least 60 college credits she can apply to be a daily substitute right now. Call up local districts and ask if they need subs. If they do they will provide her with the application forms. She will also need a background check and fingerprints to substitute. This is an awesome way to become known in various districts and she will be able to sub up to the semester when she student teaches.
She will be swamped with work during student teaching, but I would highly recommend trying to get involved in an extra-curricular club. I asked my cooperating teacher and I helped out once a week with the Italian Club after school. These days administrators are very leery of bringing in outsiders for clubs/sports and this will show that she wants to be an active part of the students' lives outside of the classroom. I would definitely have her mention it at interviews and say something like it really builds rapport with students when they see you outside of the classroom.
I have seen many other teachers land jobs because of their willingness to coach a sport. This is a huge time commitment during nights and weekends and it is extremely difficult for a first-year teacher to do a great job in the classroom when they are spending hours coaching. Some districts understand this while others really need coaches. It really comes down to her but saying "yes" or "no" to coaching can definitely decide one's fate in a teacher interview.
It is funny that some people think having attended high school makes them experts in the field of education and explaining what teaching is like as a job…haha.
Just because people keep saying that landing a teaching job is "political" does not make it so. In fact, I would argue that principals have a lot less freedom in hiring people than many managers do in the private sector. Principals are under huge pressure these days to fill classrooms with "highly qualified" teachers. We are talking about a certain GPA, classes above and beyond a 4 year-degree, providing transcripts to the state and local districts, passing the Praxis tests, having a squeaky clean background, and completing tons of red tape NJ paperwork. All of this leads to the initial certification in NJ. Having been hired in both teaching and the private sector I can tell you that often a principal has a lot more restrictions on whom he/she can hire than a manager in the private sector. This whole issue of unions is also a red herring. Yes, we can debate teacher unions for hours but they have nothing to do with getting a job, which was the question posed by Sweep. You can only join the union after you have landed a job.
If 50% of doctors left medicine within the first five years we would be having a national discourse on the "doctor crisis." When 50% of teachers leave education in the first five years we continue to call them overpaid and underworked.
Trust me, 50% of teachers are not leaving within 5 years to work more hours and be compensated less.
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Can I jump in here? I too an considering a career change to teaching in NJ - should have done so originally in college but alas. I did graduate with a BA (GPA well over 3.5) in 1994 - but not in education. I am open to teaching lower level math or science. I currently have a 3.5 year old and am expecting another baby in May/June. As such, is it possible to take the courses I need online instead of at a university? Much easier with my schedule. How many credits would I need since I already have a BA but not in education? Would taking those courses be the first step?
Kamane18, what is your degree? I ask this because it will determine what you can teach.
You can't take online classes to become a teacher because becoming certified involves spending time in schools and student teaching during your last semester.
I'm sorry for the delayed response - was out of town. My major was in communications and my minor in literature. Graduated from American University in 1995 with a 3.7 GPA.
So you can't do it online? Or most of it online with the last semester in schools, etc?
No worries. Don't let anybody tell you that she has no chance of getting a secondary English job.
She can definitely find a job - I just don't think Alternate Route is going to be a possibility in that area.
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I'm sorry for the delayed response - was out of town. My major was in communications and my minor in literature. Graduated from American University in 1995 with a 3.7 GPA.
So you can't do it online? Or most of it online with the last semester in schools, etc?
You actually have several classroom experiences - first starting with two or three classroom observations, then a once a week lesson, then the full student-teaching experience. I really can't see it being an online option.
As for teaching math/science exclusively, I believe that even for elementary grades these days, you need a degree in the subject matter if a certain percentage of your classes are in one particular subject. I also believe that most elementary programs are still self-contained, which means teaching all subjects. However, that is a good thing for you - since with your liberal arts degree, you would just need to get certified.
I love how teachers in "urban" areas get labeled at failing. Let me ask you guys this question. Who will perform better, the son or daughter of two working class parents or the son/daughter of a single mother who happens to work 13 hours a day at a factory? Who will normally come out ahead?
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