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Most teacher pensions funds are underfunded. And teachers who teach the way you describe above ^^^ are the reason your son has the GPA he has and can't pass the Praxis.
If he's been listening to you, I'm beginning to understand why he's in the situation he's in now.
It honestly sounds like the poster is trying to muster up excitement for this career (living vicariously through her son) since people told her in another thread that a company would find out if her son lied about what kind of degree he got when applying for jobs. When that plan buckled, this became a wonderful idea.
Wait, is that the sound of a helicopter I hear hovering?
I would strongly urge him to go into special education. That's really the easiest teaching gig and usually comes with a pretty decent stipend on top of that nice paycheck. And...he'll get to do good with the neediest students. Because of the type of work it requires, there's less testing and accountability, thus, more time off.
Choke choke gag gag. I'd like to think you're being sarcastic but in your last post you said you're not. My students--the ones who are not ID--have to take the standardized tests, same as the other students. The ones with ID have to take alternate tests--ones that I have to make myself. As for accountability--the laws regarding IEPs and evals are getting weirder and more detailed by the minute. I case manage 22 students and that means 22 IEP meetings during the year, for which I must dig up info, assess present levels, make new goals, type the thing up and then gather up around 5 people to have a meeting with and each with his/her own tight schedule. Gen ed teachers have learned to avoid my eye when they see me coming b/c they don't want to go to the meetings as they don't really see the point and to tell the truth I don't either (the legal requirement to have the gen ed teacher at a mtg I mean). The evals are worse but I "only" have about 7 or 8 of those in a school year. For those I have to line up testing and talk to the parents and teachers and get input from nearly everyone concerned with the child. All while teaching a full schedule like every other teacher.
And then lesson plans. I teach high school and teach 5 subjects--the cores plus life skills. While gen ed teachers have full sets of textbooks, it's not really practical for us--what might work in one school year would be totally wrong for the next bunch of kids and then they're all on different levels, even when you have 5 to a class, so you have to figure out who can do what and adjust accordingly. Since we don't have textbooks, it's pretty much up to me to line up lesson plans and I have to build all my curriculum from scratch. Every year. I can't teach the same thing every year b/c again, what works for one year will be all wrong for the next year and b/c I have the same kids for all four years, so they'd be repeating the same thing over all 4 years. Honestly, the expectation is that I'll throw worksheets at them, which I don't want to do but even that is an effort if I'm going to get the work to "flow" properly. The internet has been my friend but even that is hard to get the flow.
The one thing that is easier is grading papers--I have fewer of them and already know how they did b/c I was working so intensively with them that chances are I forgot to take attendance but I do have the paper graded before they even finished it. Since sped is the last dept to get anything, I was the last to get a smartboard and then it was a used one from someone else's classroom and the computer goes down on me half the time, which makes lesson planning even more difficult--I feel that I have to make 2 lesson plans each day and getting even one is difficult.
Time off? Ha ha! Very funny--principal has noticed that I'm up there later at night than just about anyone else. One night, after working on evals for several weeks straight, as all mine were due the same month, I had a major meltdown--I honestly thought that I was having a nervous breakdown. Principal said he sees this all the time but not to worry--they're happy with me and have no plans to fire me. The teacher before me was fired. I felt so much better! (that was sarcasm lol)
Now, reason I'm chiming in is b/c I was certified by the alt route--the ABCTE program. I took the tests to get my English teaching certification and then was able to pick up the sped Praxis. They were not hard but I did study pretty intensively on my own, as well as work as a sub and then a TA. I had to move out to a rural area with no electricity (JK about the electric) to get a job--needed to find someone desperate enough to hire me. This had its own problems though as there was no one to train me--no one at all and I had to wing it to learn the paperwork and that was a nightmare the first year. Second year is this year and we have a new process coordinator and she has been working with me and she's great but now we have a lot to go back and fix in the files. So, I truly have had to make my own way with no experience and no real education other than what I was able to pick up on my own and I don't think I've done too badly but it has not been easy. Oh yeah, and 3 mo into the job last year--first year remember--I discovered that I had breast cancer. Try teaching well with that on your mind.
And, while there are many holes in my "education," I do some things pretty well. My TA has told me that my classroom control is immaculate and the parents have all told me that I'm doing a great job and that their kids love me and love my classes. Admin is 100% behind me and I get along great with the other teachers. I have a long way to go but I know that I will be a good teacher when I get it together.
This is not a job for the fainthearted however, esp with going the alt route, and if the tests trip up the young man now, I hate to think how he'd do on the job. I thought the tests were the easy part and I had to take 4 of them. ABCTE tests are every bit as hard as the Praxis--maybe more so.
Oh wait, and did I mention that I'm responsible for making sure my students pass all their classes--not just mine? If they choose to not work in someone else's class, I have to ride their butts to turn in assignments and/or work w/ teachers to adjust the assignments to their abilities. This means looking up grades on suspect students each and every week to make sure they don't get behind. Lots of phone calls home. It's a gravy train all right. All this for less than $30K/year.
Those of you who say we need to create lesson plan - repeat same thing year after year! You teach from textbook mostly anyway, and there are teacher's handbook where you could get sample tests/quizzes. Grading papers? So, it's fun! Don't be a picky grader!
Let's not forget the TENURE, PENSION, etc. !!!!!!!
Psst...... That fat New Jersey pension you keep harping on may not be there when he retires.
I am in one of the highest paying school districts where teachers are concerned and can tell you that teachers commanding that kind of income either have their masters degrees and have been there for years, or they are coaching sports in addition to teaching.
I agree. I too am in a high-paying district (though our extremely high cost-of-of-living makes the salaries seem much lower), and the ONLY way I would make $105K/year is if I have a Ph.D. AND have taught for a minimum of 30 years AND coach at least two sports.
With TWO Masters and 30 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $98,000.
With TWO Masters and 20 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $85,000.
With TWO Masters and 10 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $64,000.
That's in an area in which the average 30-year-old, 2000-square-foot home on 1/4 acre is around $650,000-$750,000, and the average yearly salary is around $112,000-$115,000 (depending on source). So a teacher with two Masters and 30 years of teaching experience would still make $14,000-$17,000 less than the average salary here.
I love teaching, and would certainly recommend others go into their profession if they are truly passionate about it, but would NOT suggest people who want an "easy" job or who want "lots of time off" explore this profession. It is NOT a profession for those who want lots of time off. Most teachers I know work AT LEAST 60 hours/week, with many (myself included) working more like 70-80 hours/week. Many teachers also do generally work at least half of their winter break, at least half of their spring break, and at least 3-4 weeks of the 7-9 weeks they are technically "off" for the summer.
Those of you who say we need to create lesson plan - repeat same thing year after year! You teach from textbook mostly anyway, and there are teacher's handbook where you could get sample tests/quizzes. Grading papers? So, it's fun! Don't be a picky grader!
Let's not forget the TENURE, PENSION, etc. !!!!!!!
No one teaches from the textbook. In many schools, teachers don't even have textbooks. You say repeat the same thing year after year, but if you do that you will not be rehired. Not only must you create new lesson plans for each subject, but you must individualize activities for different learning styles and students for every single class.
If you grade too hard or too easy, you will also not be hired again. Don't forget that the kids have to pass the standardized tests and you will be judged on how they do. In fact, if you happen to teach English, you will still be judged on how they do in math as well.
Tenure is not automatic. You have to be rehired for some minimum number of years to receive it. Not only that but tenure is not a guaranteed job. It only guarantees due process and if the administration documents your poor work, you can still be fired (or not rehired).
Teachers pay into their pensions just like other workers do and the pensions are not any better than in other industries except in certain places where the system happens to favor good pensions. There are not that many good pensions anymore and in some places, pensions are underfunded and people will get much less than they are promised.
I agree. I too am in a high-paying district (though our extremely high cost-of-of-living makes the salaries seem much lower), and the ONLY way I would make $105K/year is if I have a Ph.D. AND have taught for a minimum of 30 years AND coach at least two sports.
With TWO Masters and 30 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $98,000.
With TWO Masters and 20 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $85,000.
With TWO Masters and 10 years of experience (no coaching), I would make $64,000.
That's in an area in which the average 30-year-old, 2000-square-foot home on 1/4 acre is around $650,000-$750,000, and the average yearly salary is around $112,000-$115,000 (depending on source). So a teacher with two Masters and 30 years of teaching experience would still make $14,000-$17,000 less than the average salary here.
I love teaching, and would certainly recommend others go into their profession if they are truly passionate about it, but would NOT suggest people who want an "easy" job or who want "lots of time off" explore this profession. It is NOT a profession for those who want lots of time off. Most teachers I know work AT LEAST 60 hours/week, with many (myself included) working more like 70-80 hours/week. Many teachers also do generally work at least half of their winter break, at least half of their spring break, and at least 3-4 weeks of the 7-9 weeks they are technically "off" for the summer.
Many people outside of education don't get this. Their ideas about the hours teachers work come from their experiences as students who do go home after school and have the summers truely off. Growing up we did not see the work our teachers did after school and at home. We assumed their lives were like ours.
Too bad because I'm ready to throw in after avoiding any Education or Teaching threads the last few weeks.
You may ask why I've done the above.
Let's talk about the "stress free" aspect of teaching.
After a bit over 30 years in the classroom, being the Internal Coordinator for a couple Middle States validation visits and a member of the Team on others and the AP Coordinator for a decade I went on sick leave at Halloween. Proximate reasons for that leave are stress related coupled with a cardiac event a couple years ago.
That sick leave has now transitioned into terminal leave with my retirement slated for January.
So FfT, PARRC and Common Core finally got to me and I'm leaving.
At age 60, having been a Naval Aviator, being "the guy" who stands on a pier while it's breaking apart during a hurricane and then going for a cup of coffee. The guy with numerous teaching awards over the years who gets to read the drafts of former students' PhD Theses. The guy who wrote the Emergency Plan for his school and which is now used by every school in the system is retiring due to stress related illnesses brought on by teaching.
At least now I can take a leak when I have to instead of waiting for another 3 hours.
Yes, indeedy. I guess I'm only allotted so much fun per thread.
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I'd like to think you're being sarcastic but in your last post you said you're not. My students--the ones who are not ID--have to take the standardized tests, same as the other students. The ones with ID have to take alternate tests--ones that I have to make myself. As for accountability--the laws regarding IEPs and evals are getting weirder and more detailed by the minute. I case manage 22 students and that means 22 IEP meetings during the year, for which I must dig up info, assess present levels, make new goals, type the thing up and then gather up around 5 people to have a meeting with and each with his/her own tight schedule. Gen ed teachers have learned to avoid my eye when they see me coming b/c they don't want to go to the meetings as they don't really see the point and to tell the truth I don't either (the legal requirement to have the gen ed teacher at a mtg I mean). The evals are worse but I "only" have about 7 or 8 of those in a school year. For those I have to line up testing and talk to the parents and teachers and get input from nearly everyone concerned with the child. All while teaching a full schedule like every other teacher. 
(that was sarcasm lol)
All this for less than $30K/year.
