Teaching in Oregon (Portland, Beaverton, Wilsonville: credit, teaching jobs, school districts)

[ChadPettingill]

Hi,
I am about to graduate with my Bachelor's in Education at Central Washington University and I am interested in moving to Oregon, particularly the Portland Metro area. I grew up in Washington but I find that change is necessary and I want to start that change by moving to Oregon. What concerns me is that I'm being warned not to teach in Oregon. People have said that there is constant funding problems that is contributing to teachers quitting their jobs after a few years in the profession. I recently heard about Gov. Kulongosky implementing a program to mentor new teachers in the hopes of getting them to stay.

I've heard that it's hard to get a teaching job down in Oregon, yet I keep hearing that people are quitting their teaching jobs. Would it be better for me to stay in Washington and teach because they aren't having as much problems or follow my instincts and move to Oregon and try to teach down there? Will Oregonians be resentful to me for moving into the state and taking up a job?

Any input would be appreciated

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by ChadPettingill

I've heard that it's hard to get a teaching job down in Oregon, yet I keep hearing that people are quitting their teaching jobs. Would it be better for me to stay in Washington and teach because they aren't having as much problems or follow my instincts and move to Oregon and try to teach down there? Will Oregonians be resentful to me for moving into the state and taking up a job?

Any input would be appreciated

Hey Chad,

I have a ton of teachers and administrators in my family. Several have taught in Oregon and NONE of them stayed there. They're all in WA schools, now.

Schools in OR, particularly in the Portland Public SD are extremely underfunded. Every year, they end up closing a few schools to help make up for the shortfall in funding. It's ridiculously shortsighted.

I doubt anyone will resent a teacher coming into the state and "taking a job". At least, I don't think anyone would resent it. It's not like teaching is a high-paying, glamorous job that everyone is clamoring after. It can be pretty thankless, at times.

I would think that the people talking about how tough it is to get a teaching gig in Oregon might be finding two things: First, with the limited funding, districts aren't filling vacant positions when a teacher leaves, or that there are extra hoops to jump through for licensing requirements for out-of-state applicants. Not sure, but those are the first two issues that come to mind.

Even if you elect to live and work in WA, Portland is a quick car trip over the bridge to catch a show, band, dinner, whatever. During off-peak traffic hours, it's about a 5-15 minute drive, depending on which side of Vancouver you're heading from and which part of Portland you're heading into.


Good luck and congratulations on your impending graduation!

[ChadPettingill]

Thanks Dig I appreciate it.

[ChadPettingill]

anybody else have any advice?

[emilytn]

Probably depends on where you are in Oregon. We lived in Wilsonville for 7 years and I LOVED ther area. My kids had teachers who had worked there for years so I'm sure they were happy with their jobs.

[anodyne]

i'm in a similar boat. i am leaving ohio as soon as i can get a good teaching job in oregon. i've been teaching here for four years, so i know about closing schools, funding gaps and stupid licensing requirements (ohio is even more crazy than oregon, which made my application process SLIGHTLY easier).

if anyone could suggest excellent districts - i have an 11 year-old child who will go to public schools. i'd prefer to teach in some of the more challenging districts personally, but i'll go where the jobs are.

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by ChadPettingill

Hi,
I am about to graduate with my Bachelor's in Education at Central Washington University and I am interested in moving to Oregon, particularly the Portland Metro area. I grew up in Washington but I find that change is necessary and I want to start that change by moving to Oregon. What concerns me is that I'm being warned not to teach in Oregon. People have said that there is constant funding problems that is contributing to teachers quitting their jobs after a few years in the profession. I recently heard about Gov. Kulongosky implementing a program to mentor new teachers in the hopes of getting them to stay.

I've heard that it's hard to get a teaching job down in Oregon, yet I keep hearing that people are quitting their teaching jobs. Would it be better for me to stay in Washington and teach because they aren't having as much problems or follow my instincts and move to Oregon and try to teach down there? Will Oregonians be resentful to me for moving into the state and taking up a job?

Any input would be appreciated

To understand funding issues in the State of Oregon go to
http://www.standforchildren.org/or/
and
http://chalkboardproject.org/

Also, in terms of teachers quitting their jobs read the front page of The Sunday Oregonian Feb 25th.

I live in Portland (PPS district) ... can not speak for all of Oregon.... just my area. No one here will resent you for moving to the state and teaching... provided you are a dedicated teacher. Most people that live in Portland are not from Oregon and Washingtonians are like first cousin to Oregonians.

I have a 1st grader in a PPS school... it's an EXCELLENT school, dedicated teachers and parents. Most of the teachers at our school will be retiring in the next 5 years so they are long time district employees. I have 3 neighbors who teach at neighboring districts. They all say they would have rather taken a job in PPS than the district they are in... because parents ar more dedicated in the the PPS district and voters are more sympathetic. Many schools in PPS do AMAZING things with the dollars they are given. And are VERY creative on spending and finding resources. With that said I still think the state should do more.

Now as I understand it PPS is harder to get a job in because the district is shrinking in terms of total students. But the neighboring school districts are growing (Beaverton, Clackamas, Vancouver).

Good luck to you. The world needs more passionate teachers.

[bluesunshine]

Kind of along the same lines, which degree would hold more weight, a Masters from UO or OSU?

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by bluesunshine

Kind of along the same lines, which degree would hold more weight, a Masters from UO or OSU?

Both are great. If you have a masters from an accredited university, you'll be just fine. There really isn't a bias for or against either since they're both great schools.

[ChadPettingill]

Don't have my masters yet but I will be getting it very soon. But I wasn't planning on getting it from OSU or UO, rather I'm getting it from Walden University, an online school. Almost every teacher I know is getting their masters through them because it's a lot more convenient to do it online. Hope it counts for something though.