Teaching / Schools in Abilene (Houston, Dallas: apartments, renting, house)

[lla120]

I am currently teaching in NC and will be relocating to Abilene in July for my husband's air force assignment. I have never been to Texas so I have no idea what to expect really. I've begun the TX certification process but I wanted a little inside scoop on what schools, students, and job outlook (I know, bleak probably!) are expected to be like for the 2012-13 school year. I am certified English and History grades 6-9.

Also, any pointers on a nice apartment community would be great. It's so difficult to pick a place from NC only having info online! Thank you!

[lonestar9918]

Prepare for a culture shock. Think you know conservative? You havent seen anything yet lol.
Wylie ISD is a good district here. Abilene ISD is an absolute wreck.
I know teaching jobs are said to be scarce here rt now.
The community as a whole greatly values the men and women in the service and their families.
A funny way i heard a guy once describe Abilene was like this "abilene is a great place to raise a family, but you wouldnt wanna LIVE there." haha
I cannot stress enough that if you choose to live off base, you want to live in the Wylie area!! Period.
Good luck!

[ChristieP]

Your might look at renting a house instead of an apartment. The apartment comedies are mostly older on the side of town near the base. Apartments out towards ACU are newer but will be full of college kids...

[Willsson]

Thanks Lonestar, I'd be the one who has often said, 'abilene is a great place to raise a kid, but you wouldnt want to LIVE there.' May have been under a different alias.

I've tried to go back a couple of times but just couldn't find a reason to stay. My last attempt was to get my mother into assisted living. She eventually forgot who I was which was a bit of a relief. She's moved on now and so have I, finally putting that place behind me.

It doesn't look as though the OP has returned to follow up on her interest which might be too bad. I sometimes think everybody should have an opportunity to live in Abilene. One, to see some of the things the military families have to go through but also to see how a town survives when it shuts itself off from the rest of the country. It's almost become two different cities, one the hill and the other out towards Buffalo Gap, the old town itself withering away.

To the OP, good luck. Make of it what you can. Some of the people I grew up with have done quite well in the larger world which I'm sure would have a large attribution to the education we received. At the time I attended high school there we had a numeric score report cards. Any grade below 75 was NOT a passing grade. Too bad that's changed, much as has the rest of town.

[lla120]

Thanks, everyone for your advice. It was all very helpful! We ended up purchasing a home instead of renting something. The job search is still...going. Getting a foot in the door in the Wylie district is nearly impossible, and AISD seems to be competitive with so many of the college kids applying straight out of school there. Getting a substitute position is more promising. I went and visited and felt pretty much the same way about "raising but not living" in the area. It is a nice town from what I can gather from my visits back and forth, but I'm used to larger city life so I know this is going to be a difficult transition. We're tied to Abilene because of his service but I'm hoping not for too long. I'm still in my 20s and settling down in Abilene is not ideal for either of us.

[Willsson]

lla120, hey, glad you made it back. Good luck with the teaching endeavor. While you're 'out there', go to the Texas Travel Guide web site for the travel guide. You can send off for a FREE copy mailed to your home, or view online, or download a PDF. It has description and photos of lots of places and thing about Texas. You may find an opportunity to seek civilization.

Also, check out the | Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) handbook of Texas. It has lots an answers about what that is and where it came from.

For instance, an old fort north of Abilene, Fort Phantom Hill. You'll also find that waters flow north to the Salt Fork of the Brazos River. The Spaniards named it Las Brazas del Dio, the Arms of God. We just call it the Brazos. It flows east, almost to Fort Worth, through a lovely lake, Possum Kingdom then south thru Waco and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

You'll have heard of Buffalo Gap by now. I knew an ol' gal, Bill Tom Compere, told me she'd seen cattle herded thru what is now Fort Phantom Hill Lake on their way to Kansas, or Fort Worth. Turns out the cattle were from south Texas and reached a range of east/west hills just south of (where Abilene is now) Buffalo Gap. Those east/west range of hills are called the Callahan Divide... DO NOT SPEED through Callahan County ...and are where Buffalo Gap is located. That Callahan Divide is the separation between the Colorado and Brazos River watersheds. The Colorado River goes through Austin, the state capital. The Brazos flows very near to Houston, at the Gulf.

Most of this is just to bore you but just remember, when things get too boring, Fort Worth is only a couple of hours away. You can start with Hulen Mall on the south west part of town and work your way towards the stockyards near downtown. Don't miss it.

Good luck.

[TT Dave]

Originally Posted by lla120

Thanks, everyone for your advice. It was all very helpful! We ended up purchasing a home instead of renting something. The job search is still...going. Getting a foot in the door in the Wylie district is nearly impossible, and AISD seems to be competitive with so many of the college kids applying straight out of school there. Getting a substitute position is more promising. I went and visited and felt pretty much the same way about "raising but not living" in the area. It is a nice town from what I can gather from my visits back and forth, but I'm used to larger city life so I know this is going to be a difficult transition. We're tied to Abilene because of his service but I'm hoping not for too long. I'm still in my 20s and settling down in Abilene is not ideal for either of us.

Yeah, living in Abilene is definitely a major transition for anyone who is used to living in a larger city...lol. I'm originally from Abilene, moved away for a while, then moved back here in the 90's. I won't even try to sugar coat it, it is very boring here...lol. Like it was mentioned above, you can travel to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in about two hours by car so that would be worth checking out. Austin is about a 4 hour drive and San Antonio is about a 4.5 hour drive. I would highly recommend at least one trip to each of those two cities while you're here as well. I've made many friends who were stationed at Dyess AFB over the years and I still keep in contact with some of them even though they have moved on to other states. Good luck to you!