Teaching in Charlotte? (houses, to buy, elementary school)

[andyjames]

What's the teaching market like in Charlotte? I teach elementary in California, and am thinking about a change...

[Bavarian2Ho0sIeR]

Originally Posted by andyjames

What's the teaching market like in Charlotte? I teach elementary in California, and am thinking about a change...

The teaching market is good but North Carolina is a high-stakes testing state. This means that the kids are tested or preparing to be tested half of the year. So rather than learning new material they learn how to take standardized tests. When they score well on the standardized tests, the school ranks better. Hence, the schools push the teachers to prepare the children for the material that is going to be on the test. This leaves huge gaps in other part of the curriculum b/c too much time is used for the preparation.

I'd try South Carolina if you want to move here but I'm not sure if they also use high-stakes testing. My wife who is an elementary school teacher said that she would never send our kids to a public school in North Carolina (luckily we don't have children yet).

[TomnNC]

According to a lady I work with, CMS cant hire enough people. She taught Special Education in Charlotte for 4 years before she got 'burned out.' I know there are some exams to take. Praxis? She also talked about getting her M.A. so she can move up the ladder. CMS has kind of a bad rep, but not all schools have poor performance. Just put your name in the hat and see what happens! Best...

Originally Posted by andyjames

What's the teaching market like in Charlotte? I teach elementary in California, and am thinking about a change...

[BarbJ]

I just returned from California where I visited a young teacher in her classroom. Later in a conversation about teaching in California vs teaching in NC I learned that with an MS she earns $70,000 a year for 9 months. I know that the cost of living is terribly high out there, however, I don't think that any school system in NC can match that salary. Of course, she and her husband could not hope to buy a house near her school (houses probably start at around $600,000) if it were not for the fact that in her area of California, the Monterey Peninsula, the government does help teachers buy houses at reduced prices. I don't know how widespread her situation is, but I think you should be warned that teachers' salaries are much lower in NC than in California even if houses are much less.

We certainly do need teachers here and I do urge you to look into the whole story.