what states really need teachers? (career, counselor, demand, valid)

[9/9]

Originally Posted by pjscdn

Interestingly, you may find states that have the strict requirements will have shortages. In Massachusetts, they require a Masters degree & that you pass steps for certification, including an exam. My wife went through this a few years ago. These rules were adopted several years ago, and they gave people amnesty to meet the requirements. However, many don't make it and/or leave voluntarily, so there seems to be openings, expecially in math, science and special education. There was a program where the state would pay for your degree at a state university in math or science in exchange for four years of service teaching at a public school. I do not know if that program still exists.

Good luck!

Along those lines, Mass. makes it difficult for teachers to move into the state. I got my license in Ohio and was looking to move to a different state. My wife and I liked the idea of living in Boston, but the process to get my Ohio license transfered to a Mass. license would have taken over a year. When we decided on North Carolina, it just took a quick phone call.

[aiangel_writer]

Mississippi has a great need for teachers and if I am not mistaken, lowered the criteria for teachers. Our education system is in sad shape and there is a campaign to shore up the holes in the system and get more teachers in the classroom.

[9/9]

Originally Posted by aiangel_writer

Mississippi has a great need for teachers and if I am not mistaken, lowered the criteria for teachers. Our education system is in sad shape and there is a campaign to shore up the holes in the system and get more teachers in the classroom.

I would think that, if your education system is in bad shape, lowering the criteria for teachers is not the way to make a lot of improvements. I would suggest working to create a better environment (pay, benefits, etc.) that will encourage more highly qualified teachers to choose the area.

[aiangel_writer]

I totally agree. There is education reform in new bills and laws with teachers getting more pay raises than ever before. Our teachers were at the bottom of the pay scale for many many years. So, what happened was our new graduates moved to other states after gaining experience for a couple of years, then the government stepped in to shore up the gap in pay. Yet, it did leave us with a shortage of teachers, and to put a bandaid on the problem till our pay scale gets on equal footing with the nation, they did lower the criteria to get people with formal education into the school system as teachers.

Things have improved over the past five years, but there are so many more areas in the school system that need repair. The current avenue our government is addressing is the drop out rate in our state. It is horrid and incentives have been put into place to try to correct this bad statistic.

Our system needs a huge influx of money and a major overhaul of outdated laws. We now have a younger superintendent at the state level who is aggressively shoring support in the proper areas so as to put more money into education.

We have come a long way from where we were only 5 years ago, but we have a long way to go.

With Toyota moving into North Mississippi, we are lucky in the 50 million they immediately earmarked for schools in three counties. That means, we will more than likely consolidate county schools, creating a county system with elementary, middle and jr. high and high school. This is something we have not had in many counties. Also with the additional funds, our school system administrators will immediately put into effect higher emphasis on Math and Science and technology in order for our children to have the educational background needed for working in an advanced technologial plant such as Toyota.

Therefore, Math and Science teachers will be needed for new schools; and in my opinion, older teachers might be encouraged to retire, making way for younger teachers with the latest teaching tools to find good jobs in these areas.

Our area schools fare much better than many of our districts, we have more level 5 schools than much of the state. With the money from Toyota, our schools can update science labs to cutting edge and more math classes will be available.

[posymm]

Can I teach with a doctorate degree in Post secondary education?

[Eduardo983]

T e x a s

[pll]

Lots of special ed openings in Idaho.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by aiangel_writer

Mississippi has a great need for teachers and if I am not mistaken, lowered the criteria for teachers. Our education system is in sad shape and there is a campaign to shore up the holes in the system and get more teachers in the classroom.

Does Mississippi have a salary scale posted? Does pay vary from district (county) to district?

[aiangel_writer]

I'm not really sure. Here is the website nfo for our state department of education.

Mississippi Department of Education

There might be answers to your questions on there. I want to think that salary was dependent upon experience and education at one time, but am not sure if that still holds true.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Does Mississippi have a salary scale posted? Does pay vary from district (county) to district?

Teacher Salary Comfort Index | TeacherPortal.com
Mississippi Teacher Salary | Teaching Salaries in MS: $40,576
Mississippi is nineteenth on our comfort scale with a starting salary of $28,200 and average salaries of $40,576. This southern state's motto is "The South's Warmest Welcome" which makes it a great place for anyone who wants to be a teacher in a close-knit community. Keep in mind that if you get your master's degree, your starting salary will be higher than $28,200.

The above might be from 2006 but it scales average salary within a state to the average cost of living. Just because you make more doesn't mean you have a greater standard of living.