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Old 08-10-2008, 10:09 PM
 
Location: Virginia
5 posts, read 12,659 times
Reputation: 10

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Hello, all! I was wondering if you could offer some advice. I'm going into my final year of college in Virginia, and upon graduation in the spring, I'm planning on teaching middle school math. I'm hoping to move father south and have been looking into school systems in the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta vicinities. I'm not very familiar with the Atlanta area, however, so I'm fishing around for some recommendations on where to live and teach there from people who know it better.

I've grown up in the greater Washington, DC area and enjoy being close to the city, but not necessarily in the downtown thick of things. I'll be moving by myself next summer and am hoping to find a safe and friendly place to settle in, where I could meet other young professionals.

Do you have any recommendations for areas/school systems (even individual schools?) to look into, with this in mind? I'm very excited to start teaching--the middle-schoolers I've been working with so far have been both remarkable and challenging, and the mentor teachers I've been blessed with have been so supportive in making math come alive. I'm looking forward to figuring out where to go next.
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:35 AM
 
269 posts, read 1,068,639 times
Reputation: 94
I don't think the systems here give new teachers much choice about which exact school they will work in. Double check me on this, but I think this goes by seniority.

City of Atlanta schools are generally not so great, especially at the higher levels. I've done some work with the school board, and it's a mess (well, most school boards are a bit of a mess, but Atlanta is terrible).

Fulton County is a bit better, but there are a wide gamut of schools, the poor inner-city type schools in the south, and the more affluent (and sometimes quite good) schools in the north. I'm not positive if Fulton County B of E will let teachers opt for north or south, but I seem to remember they do not. Fulton County is huge and the commute north and south is horrendous. And I assume you don't want to live in South Fulton (although there are a couple of areas that aren't too bad -- ask again if you get a job with them), or you could live in Fayette County or something like that.

My biggest reluctance to teach in the City of Atlanta would not just be reluctance to face the challenges of an "inner city" school; rather, the school administration is so bad that it doesn't know the difference between good and bad teachers a lot of the time.

Decatur school system is not too bad. Dekalb is sort of like Fulton.

My personal #1 choice would be Cobb County. You'd be close to the city, there are a lot of good places to live, and the schools are quite good in general. Teaching middle school math, you should find pretty good demand for your services, I would think. There are also a number of excellent private schools, if you are interested -- I had a young female friend who taught math and coached girls' soccer at Lovett, and she was quite happy with her job, although I don't think it pays as well as the public schoools.

That's about all I know about schools.
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Old 08-11-2008, 11:38 AM
 
8,862 posts, read 17,444,056 times
Reputation: 2280
DeKalb County has a few positions available right now and from time to time if you search the listings you may find what you want. Lots of 'Challenges' in DeKalb County--I have taught for them and it can be good. There are some effective schools and if they do not have the highest test scores an effort is being made to improve.
There are a couple of part-time nonteaching positions open and you can always apply to sub--find out for yourself where you would like to teach and sometimes there are vacancies during the year.

Go Here>>>
Welcome to DeKalb County Schools

I have heard good things about Peachtree Charter Middle School in DeKalb--maybe around Dunwoody. Check it out.

DeKalb is really struggling. Lakeside High School is one of the few high schools that consistently scores well on SAT's--in the Emory Corridor. The middle school that feeds into Lakeside is Shamrock Middle School.



Public education in the entire state is being affected by budget cuts. Some systems cut back on staff and others cut in other areas. Gwinnett County/largest school system cut staff positions, IIRC.

I suggest Forsyth County, Hall County, Cherokee County, Barrow County/NE and Bartow county NW. Contact any and all school systems, including the city schools--ie Decatur, Marietta, Buford? and others.

Roswell, GA is north of Atlanta/Fulton County. Near the Chattahoochee River and Nature Center--lots of interest in environmental issues there. The posters from this area should be able to name some schools--several of them have done some outstanding things.

St. John's Creek--they may also be served by Fulton County Schools--recently established cityhood. North of Atlanta--many transplants live here--also near the River/Chattahoochee.

Suwanee, GA is often listed as one of the best places to live. I think it is partially in Gwinnett County and another part in Forsyth County, near Lake Lanier. Lots of young families, sports and activities that are good for kids.
Go Here>>>
http://www.suwanee.com/

Contact the State DOE-->
They have FYI on certification and a database of statewide listings.

Georgia Department of Education

Maybe you should consider teaching 'developmental' Math at the college level? GA Perimeter College --several campuses in DeKalb County is looking for instructors in Math and Science now. State Merit benefits and that might be interesting.

I taught middle school and enjoyed the environment, would have enjoyed the experience more with good administrative support and students that had not been retained for several years prior to middle school--that was in South Georgia. Things are generally 'better' in the metro Atlanta area but you can get into some tough situations everywhere--make no mistake. Good Luck. It sounds like you are well prepared and can make a difference with kids.

hth

TakeAhike

Last edited by TakeAhike; 08-11-2008 at 11:54 AM..
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Old 08-12-2008, 07:23 AM
 
Location: Virginia
5 posts, read 12,659 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you for your advice! I appreciate the tips.
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Old 09-07-2008, 01:41 PM
 
193 posts, read 691,992 times
Reputation: 64
What did you decide to do?
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Old 09-07-2008, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Virginia
5 posts, read 12,659 times
Reputation: 10
Well, I'm still looking into some options...I'm wrapping up my undergrad degree this year and will start looking for a job for the 2009-2010 school year in the spring. Over my semester break, I'm going to visit some family friends in Marietta and scope out the area to get more of a feel for it.
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Old 09-07-2008, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Marietta, GA
7,887 posts, read 17,159,580 times
Reputation: 3706
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakeAhike View Post
Public education in the entire state is being affected by budget cuts. Some systems cut back on staff and others cut in other areas. Gwinnett County/largest school system cut staff positions, IIRC.
Actually, the Cobb County School System is countinuing to grow and add new positions, albeit at a reduced pace from previous years. If the SPLOST passes again next week, I think you will continue to see even more growth and new positions added.

There is a list of the new positions budgeted for this school year. Not sure if these are now all filled.

NEW POSITIONS IN 2008-09

> 139 special education teachers

> 19 custodians for new schools

> 71.8 teachers for new elementary and high schools


COBB COUNTY: School budget 'bare bones' | ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/metro/cobb/stories/2008/05/15/budget.html?cxntlid=inform_sr - broken link)
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Old 09-07-2008, 05:27 PM
 
Location: Santa Barbara 93108 / Atlanta 30306
321 posts, read 1,117,782 times
Reputation: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by masonbarge View Post
My biggest reluctance to teach in the City of Atlanta would not just be reluctance to face the challenges of an "inner city" school; rather, the school administration is so bad that it doesn't know the difference between good and bad teachers a lot of the time.
That was a very nice, eloquent statement of fact [and/or opinion]. It's regretful that the students are the ones who suffer the most when the administration doesn't come up to par!
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Old 11-04-2008, 12:37 AM
 
18 posts, read 52,725 times
Reputation: 13
You do not want to teach in the City of Atlanta school system. They are impossible. I know a lot of good teachers who tried, and it just wasn't worth it. They met headaches at every turn, and the administration and parents were the problem.

You can make better money in great school systems in Gwinnett, Forsyth, and Cobb. Don't traumatize yourself by dealing with City of Atlanta. They are corrupt. You worked hard for your teaching degree, don't get tortured with it.
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Old 11-04-2008, 06:38 AM
 
4 posts, read 7,051 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urbanobserver View Post
You do not want to teach in the City of Atlanta school system. They are impossible. I know a lot of good teachers who tried, and it just wasn't worth it. They met headaches at every turn, and the administration and parents were the problem.

You can make better money in great school systems in Gwinnett, Forsyth, and Cobb. Don't traumatize yourself by dealing with City of Atlanta. They are corrupt. You worked hard for your teaching degree, don't get tortured with it.
I'm going to add that you may want to strongly consider a backup plan to teaching. My wife has been teaching in the area for the past 3 years and everyday i find her not feeling happy.

Just check out the turnover rate for new teachers. (all over the country.)

Have you seen HBOs the Wire Season 4, its just like that. Its all about passing some test (CRCT i think its called) and nothing more. Its not about educating kids, its about having them pass a test. The funny part, is that if they don't pass the tests, then the school will not get additional federal funding, when usually the schools with lower scores are the schools that need funding!!!!

Don't mean to discurage you, But i've only met 1 out of 30 young teachers in this state that want to make a career out of this. But they all had hopes in the beginning.

Ask around. You may be the exception, but it never hurts to have a backup plan.
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