Teaching jobs in San Antonio (Alamo, Alamo Heights: school, college, closing)

[L210]

Reagan and Johnson are located in areas just as nice as AH if not better. The median income is certainly higher and they aren't surrounded by areas like Austin Highway and near downtown. I'm sure the rate of students in Johnson and Reagan going on to college is pretty high because even Churchill had rates above 90% at one time. (I haven't seen the latest numbers.) Doing well on the TAKS test may not be impressive, but it's even less impressive to not do well on the TAKS test for the same reason. You were the one to bring up academic achievement in the first place.

In all honesty, I wouldn't want my children (when I do have them) to go to either school. Both of them lack diversity and I would feel more comfortable with them going to a school where the amount of money your parents make isn't important. All of my interactions with Reagan students have been positive in comparison with Churchill where the people are rude and stuck up for no reason. Parental involvement and student attitudes toward education at Reagan are very serious. It's a school of overachievers. I haven't had much interaction with AH students, but I did have a friend who went there and said it's not the place for middle class students.

[snaggletooth1977]

Yes I did bring up college/academics, and I should clarify my intentional emphasis was not just entering college/university, but really excelling at that level..>3.0 GPA level for instance; academics is perhaps more related/reflective of HS GPA, SAT/ACT, and other factors and not just TAKS so yes TAKS is important but scoring high for an individual doesn't necessarily mean that much for ensuring future success, as opposed to a quality level foundation for further developing education, which again TAKS doesn't necessarily reflect. ..and yes I agree on your views on TAKS scoring, which AHISD for the most part seems to more than hold its own, despite all that misleading exemplary/recognized rubbish...

[snaggletooth1977]

Originally Posted by L210

Reagan and Johnson are located in areas just as nice as AH if not better. The median income is certainly higher and they aren't surrounded by areas like Austin Highway and near downtown. I'm sure the rate of students in Johnson and Reagan going on to college is pretty high because even Churchill had rates above 90% at one time. (I haven't seen the latest numbers.) Doing well on the TAKS test may not be impressive, but it's even less impressive to not do well on the TAKS test for the same reason. You were the one to bring up academic achievement in the first place.

In all honesty, I wouldn't want my children (when I do have them) to go to either school. Both of them lack diversity and I would feel more comfortable with them going to a school where the amount of money your parents make isn't important. All of my interactions with Reagan students have been positive in comparison with Churchill where the people are rude and stuck up for no reason. Parental involvement and student attitudes toward education at Reagan are very serious. It's a school of overachievers. I haven't had much interaction with AH students, but I did have a friend who went there and said it's not the place for middle class students.

maybe in your experience, and I'm sure this is definitely the case for many of its students, but this statement is quite generalized...in my recent teaching experience there I've observed some students whose demeanor and attitude were not exactly that of a serious/overachieving nature...again, I don't know if you've attended there or have worked there, but with my first hand accounts I can confidently say that while their location, testing achievements, Natl merit scholars, scholarship award winners, etc, is impressive, that they have unethical administration that I have personally come across causes me to believe they are overrated , that's all...whereas also having directly worked with a school district that is struggling with education but employs administrators who come across as sincerely genuine and honest in their support of its students, teachers, AND other such personnel in my eyes is promising/encouraging...and now for example, just like any guy on a sports team there for example at reagan, which I still think is overrated, who goes there currently could say it's the most awesome school because their girls are attractive physically and many of their sports teams do well, ok...those are my experiences, not just talking to students..

so, because my actual experience with overrated reagan and its crooked administrators and their shady actions I had encountered with them, then furthermore who's to say that such administrator and teachers he/she knows isn't changing grades in favor of preferred students whose parents' are friends...I'm just saying as possible, not accusing this is happening...because again I also did first mention ethics and principles also, which I think some of that schools leaders may be truly lacking, contrary to what they want everyone to believe..

[L210]

I agree that GPA is predictive of college success, but the SAT is not. Colleges only keep the SAT around as a deciding factor because they have to have some kind of cut off for applicants. Schools that do not require the SAT for entrance haven't even seen much of a difference in college GPA's between those who took the SAT and those who didn't. The College Board who makes the SAT II says it's about 16-25% accurate depending on the subject for predicting college success.

I don't know where to find data comparing GPA's, but some schools are easier than others. Regardless of test scores, I see no reason to believe that teaching at AH would be more pleasant than teaching at Reagan or Johnson. If a teacher really wants to make a difference, he or she would concentrate on the students who not only want, but need the help.

Different Tests, Same Flaws: A Comparison of the SAT, SAT II and ACT | FairTest

What are your experiences with Alamo Heights? I am sure there are students in every high school that are not serious about education.

[snaggletooth1977]

well, SAT as a timed-test and it's ability to test reading skill under somewhat pressured conditions can perhaps show that the student is capable of interpreting literary material quickly compared to than an average/below average student, as college workload is quite different probably than what they might be used to in HS. or then again, could show student is a good guesser too...but, I'll stand that a test such as SAT doesn't mean everything , but does certainly have a purpose and should be dealt with seriously for those serious attitude students..

[snaggletooth1977]

Originally Posted by L210

I agree that GPA is predictive of college success, but the SAT is not. Colleges only keep the SAT around as a deciding factor because they have to have some kind of cut off for applicants. Schools that do not require the SAT for entrance haven't even seen much of a difference in college GPA's between those who took the SAT and those who didn't. The College Board who makes the SAT II says it's about 16-25% accurate depending on the subject for predicting college success.

I don't know where to find data comparing GPA's, but some schools are easier than others. Regardless of test scores, I see no reason to believe that teaching at AH would be more pleasant than teaching at Reagan or Johnson. If a teacher really wants to make a difference, he or she would concentrate on the students who not only want, but need the help.

Different Tests, Same Flaws: A Comparison of the SAT, SAT II and ACT | FairTest

What are your experiences with Alamo Heights? I am sure there are students in every high school that are not serious about education.

i'm not one to judge this; I wouldn't throw around words like EVERY, but you did first, not me , mention the Health Careers HS at NISD, and I'm not at all going to assume a school such as that would have slackers or lazy...whereas a Highland Park or Southlake Carroll for example(highly ranked schools) certainly probably do...unless there are some ther that think would be able to skate by and half-arse things because of factors like connections (as we all know it's not always what you know, but who you know...) unless there are students at a school like that that truly don't want to be there but were pressured in some form or another, causing them to not have a serious attitude/motivation..

[L210]

I took AP English in high school and I was an A student. In the 6th grade, I tested as having reading comprehension at the 12th grade level. I had a grade point average in the 90s and a fellow student who I was always helping had a grade point average in the 80s. She scored about 150 points higher than I did on SAT I. I have a 4.0 GPA right now and I'm planning on going to business school next year. I don't know about SAT II, but SAT I doesn't measure anything accurately. I was always ahead in reading; I started reading books on the 9th grade level in the 4th grade and I scored well on the quizzes given over them. Even with all of that, my SAT score was only slightly above average. I should've taken the ACT, but the accuracy of that is also questioned.

[L210]

Originally Posted by snaggletooth1977

i'm not one to judge this; I wouldn't throw around words like EVERY, but you did first, not me , mention the Health Careers HS at NISD, and I'm not at all going to assume a school such as that would have slackers or lazy...whereas a Highland Park or Southlake Carroll for example(highly ranked schools) certainly probably do...unless there are some ther that think would be able to skate by and half-arse things because of factors like connections (as we all know it's not always what you know, but who you know...) unless there are students at a school like that that truly don't want to be there but were pressured in some form or another, causing them to not have a serious attitude/motivation..

Students get kicked out of magnet schools when they don't meet certain standards. ISA required that students make at least an 80 in each class or they would be kicked out. Students did get kicked out.

[snaggletooth1977]

Originally Posted by L210

Students get kicked out of magnet schools when they don't meet certain standards. ISA required that students make at least an 80 in each class or they would be kicked out. Students did get kicked out.

so, just because they didn't meet the standards does that automatically mean one can assume the students were not serious and not trying(if it's only a handful of students, then this could be difficult to argue, but if it was a large number kicked out then yes there could have been one or two slackers/not-serious), or just that they didn't make good grades for whatever reason like you do which you seem to like to brag about?

[L210]

I'm not bragging; I'm just showing an example of how the SAT is inaccurate. I've never been one to have test anxiety.

We don't know, do we? I had peers in advance placement classes (which are optional) who didn't try, so it's possible that some students who choose to go to magnet schools do not try.