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OP--I can't imagine finishing a B.A./B.S. or M.A./M.S. in education and not knowing what "scope and sequence" means. You also mentioned that another teacher helped you figure out which activities to use. This makes me question the quality of the education you received.
I used my MS in Secondary Education to move into a career as an instructional designer, in other words I design and develop corporate training and university level courses. It's a fairly common career move for former teachers (see a few posts above this). Given some of what you said, it's not the right move for you. You need some knowledge that seems to be lacking, and you need to be able to make decisions about learning experiences independently. In other words, the activities, scope and sequence, etc. is up to you to create. Even in corporations where there is a large training department, much of the work you do will be on your own.
Are you good with learning software? If you can learn some of the software frequently used to create eLearning courses, you maybe able to position yourself as a developer only. This means someone else will design the courses and hand them off to you to develop in the software. That said, those types of jobs are not as in demand as jobs where one can design and develop the courses. Developing in the software doesn't require a coding or math background, but it is helpful to be able to think mathematically at times. Look up the following software: Storyline, Lectora, and Captivate. Get a free trial download. Storyline is probably the easiest. Sign up for a free month of LinkedIn learning. There are lots of Storyline courses there. Watch a few of the videos and see if it's for you.
Are you skilled at breaking tasks down to a step-by-step process? (Think of it as creating a "recipe" for how to do something.) If so, you may try to position yourself as a technical writer. Not all technical writers write about technology. There are some requirements in a technical writing position that do require social interaction, but I think you might be able to pull it off with other adults. One man I'm currently working with began his career as a technical writer and moved into an instructional design position as he built his knowledge base and began to know how people best learn.
Does your former college/university offer career counseling for alum? Some do and some don't. Check into this and take advantage of it, if available.
I still don't really feel like I know what "scope and sequence" means, or more accurately, how to apply it. Yes, I mean, I've looked up the definition and such, but that's not really the level of understanding I need to use it properly to plan a unit.
Yeah, it makes me question it, too, but even not knowing what a few words meant probably wouldn't have hurt me so much had I just understood how to ask for help. I eventually did figure out what I needed to do to plan my lessons; it was just close to December by that time, and they decided not to continue working with me at that point. I felt like it was lack of prerequisite training all along, but what can I do about that? I can't sue the college I went to for not training me correctly, can I? I wish I could sue someone; it's not fair for me to only have credentials saying I can do certain things yet not be able to do those things when people put me to work.
I have a pattern of very underwhelming performance in the workplace, though, and most of it can't be blamed on lack of formal training; I mean, I was messing up on food service jobs. How can I do so well in school and yet do so poorly in the workplace? Why don't people ever take the time to train me instead of just assuming I know because I know what certain terms mean? Different contexts can completely change the meaning of certain things! The more I look at it, the more it seems like plain old lack of communication. The teacher who took over for me at my last job wasn't even a certified teacher in my subject area, and she was able to figure out what she needed to know with ease because she knew what questions to ask.
I don't have the experience necessary to be able to look at a "scope and sequence," which sorry if I'm still looking at the wrong thing, but it just looked like a list of objectives and goals to me, a list in no particular order, and it really confused me, because I had trouble translating what it was supposed to mean. I mean, I could describe what it meant, but I had no idea how to take that and break it down into smaller parts for a lesson plan. I thought the textbook was supposed to help with things like that, but, I couldn't see how it all fit together and struggled with it for a few months after being hired.
When people mention "development," I automatically think "programming," and I have yet to successfully learn a programming language. My career counselor suggested I try something related to computers, too.
I'll agree if you want to say my training was sub-par, but the only thing I can really do now is try to catch up and understand what they didn't teach me. The problem, though, is don't even know what I need to learn.
TL;DR?
I feel like I'm terrible at training myself, so if the schools didn't do their jobs, what on Earth are my options?
Can you work at a tutoring center like Sylvan or Kumon? I worked there for a few months before my first teaching job and from what I remember it is all scripted. Some people are just responsible for the grading.
Because she downplays the severity of her autism and poor social skills, and thus gets suggestions like corporate trainer that she will not be able to do. Something like textbook editing is exactly what she needs, a job with no social skill requirements and very black and white with concrete rules and structure.
I blame the agencies she tries to get help from too though.
Even with a suggestion like book editing, will the OP take that advice. I've actually come to believe the OP is really a troll. There are a couple here on CD that start thread after thread and never seem to make progress.
Even with a suggestion like book editing, will the OP take that advice. I've actually come to believe the OP is really a troll. There are a couple here on CD that start thread after thread and never seem to make progress.
I don't think she's a troll. I think that is the autism, same with the other posters, at least a couple of them too. She is trying, she has gone to career counseling but they are not knowledgable enough about autism to really help. If OP had a family member that could help her find appropriate resources I think she'd be on a much better track (just so she would be on a much better track if she had had any adult tell her that teaching was not a good career choice given her issues, before she accrued a lifetime of debt. But she's in a position where she has no choice but to do it alone, and I think it's much more difficult then people might realize.
Even with a suggestion like book editing, will the OP take that advice. I've actually come to believe the OP is really a troll. There are a couple here on CD that start thread after thread and never seem to make progress.
What were the suggestions that I'm supposedly ignoring? Most of the suggestions on here haven't really been that clear.
Why don't you become an editor? What kind of editor, where and how?
Why don't you become an online teacher? Because I don't have the personality for it, and when my anxiety flares up I'll probably be too distracted to deal with entertaining young kids.
Why don't you look into working for a tutoring center? Because the nearest one is in San Antonio, over 100 miles away.
Why don't you become an online tutor? I've tried it. I've signed up with a few online companies, and have yet to get good clients.
Have you considered working online? Yes, I have. I got a job freelance writing, but the work is so sporadic that I don't even make the equivalent of minimum wage. I've thought about submitting my articles to magazines, but I'm thinking my competition would be higher, and I might not get any return on my time. That's not to say I won't at least try, but I don't think I have a reason to be optimistic.
I've also tried websites like Upwork and Freelancer. It's the same story. Unknown professionals like me don't get very many clients.
Could I improve all of this? Yes, I plan to, but I would also like a job that pays the bills and helps me keep my mind occupied.
Anxiety also plays a huge role in this. I feel like I have to accommodate for it, and that cuts down on the meager opportunities I would have. It pretty much eliminates any job working with the public, for example. That not only cuts out school teacher, but it also cuts out jobs like cashier or food service worker.
Most jobs don't work with the public. With your background, have you identified all the education related companies in your local area? School districts, colleges, training companies, book publishers, libraries, etc. Go to their HR site and see what non-teaching jobs they offer that could possibly match any of your skills.
From your many posts I know you crave a job in education. But those seem to be your weakest skills. It may be time to move away from education and start playing to your strengths. You should look into manufacturing on an assembly line. It's not public and is more of a workgroup focused where coworkers can help you learn. Its focused and repetitive which playa well to your strengths.
From your many posts I know you crave a job in education. But those seem to be your weakest skills. It may be time to move away from education and start playing to your strengths. You should look into manufacturing on an assembly line. It's not public and is more of a workgroup focused where coworkers can help you learn. Its focused and repetitive which playa well to your strengths.
At this point, I'm willing to try something else, but my career counselor seems focused on helping me land that "dream job." I appreciate that she thinks I'm capable of so much, but I've been waiting around for months now. At this point, I would gladly settle for something to pay the bills.
With all of the help they offer, though, I think it would be silly of me to just ask for any old job when I might have access to opportunities I wouldn't get otherwise.
From your many posts I know you crave a job in education. But those seem to be your weakest skills. It may be time to move away from education and start playing to your strengths. You should look into manufacturing on an assembly line. It's not public and is more of a workgroup focused where coworkers can help you learn. Its focused and repetitive which playa well to your strengths.
This might be more suitable. How far is an Amazon or Walmart fulfillment Center from you? I bet you'd be a good packer.
This might be more suitable. How far is an Amazon or Walmart fulfillment Center from you? I bet you'd be a good packer.
I don't know how to apply or where to look. You aren't the first to mention this, though.
Maybe not knowing how to apply is one of my problems. My current strategy is to fill out the online application and wait.
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