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My heart really goes out to you. I know from my friends that still teach in CPS that all kinds of problems exist in the system -- TQP process is fraught with problems, staffing issues are still subject to mysterious dead-ends, randomn budget shifts, and utterly incomprehensible hoops to jump through...
It should not come as a surprise there are a glut of English teachers; folks that have additional endorsements / experience / specializations really need to emphasis those and de-emphasize the English.
It is not particularly unusal for some frenzied hiring to take place even AFTER schools open so don't assume that becuase the "fair" was a bust nothing else will come up. Sometimes even really good positions open up becuase of domino effect.
The vagaries of some schools also being headed by principals that appear overworked /incompetent / corrupt makes it hard to show up as a substitute teacher with a good attitude but if you don't apply to other systems then that is probably your best shot to at least have some income on the days you get a call.
When it comes to trying to find a commercial space for your husband's business I am a little surprised you have not had better luck but there too only the top 10% or so of commerical brokers actually take their job seriously and the other 90% are mostly loafers that are content to take their cut for just showing up. The good news is that by the time you constant ten or a dozen brokers at least one will probably be a "go-getter" that will work their tail off to line-up some really good options for space that your husband needs.
I wish I had some more positives to say but I suspect that if you've worked with low income kids before you probably already know that the differnce between the ones that make it out of their bad circumstance and those that don't is often not just concerned adults but "an inner drive" and hopefully you can tap into that to keep going...
The vagaries of some schools also being headed by principals that appear overworked /incompetent / corrupt makes it hard to show up as a substitute teacher with a good attitude but if you don't apply to other systems then that is probably your best shot to at least have some income on the days you get a call.
You don't need to get a call. It's online now. You can easily accept jobs every day.
CPS, like many other school districts, uses the third party "AESOP" system. It is probably not as bad as the worst of the "bad old days" of some schools getting drunks or worse sent via "central office" but neither is "advanced technolgy" enough to make the system perfect. (and for the schools that had their own little group of reliable retirees and others dedicated to seeing kids not get behind getting a call and bums never having their phone rung again, AESOP is probably a step backwards ...)
My friends that still work in the system tell me that that there are many days when even their relatively "nice" schools have a shortage of subs and an assistant principal is forced to spend all day shepherding kids into overcrowded makeshift "studyhalls". No suprise that after a day or two like that the kids are more than a little jittery when a sub with an actual "planned lesson" is located to try to salavage the rest of the week and ends up refusing to EVER head back into that sort of chaos even if it means foregoing the $155/day...
The real maddening part of CPS is that there are some schools that really are very nice places to work. The principal knows what they are doing, the kids show up ready to learn, the parents are involved and even the clerks know how to schedule subs that actually keep the kids moving forward. Such schools are probably about one in twenty-five and the ranks are not growing...
I dunno, chet, I think you're being overly pessimistic. I've subbed at a wide variety of schools and haven't had much issue. The subbing system has been virtually flawless for me... maybe things have changed.
As for the students, it all comes down to what you expect. If you expect to "teach" a lesson every day as a sub, sure, you will be disappointed. A lot of it is just supervision. That's not always a bad thing. I never agreed with the urgency of some teachers to cram in a bunch of stuff in a day of their absence. Even the best students often just don't know what to do and need the teacher's guidance. So what happens is, teacher absence days are rarely productive in all but the most disciplined environments (which again, is not necessarily a bad thing).
I dunno, chet, I think you're being overly pessimistic. I've subbed at a wide variety of schools and haven't had much issue. The subbing system has been virtually flawless for me... maybe things have changed.
As for the students, it all comes down to what you expect. If you expect to "teach" a lesson every day as a sub, sure, you will be disappointed. A lot of it is just supervision. That's not always a bad thing. I never agreed with the urgency of some teachers to cram in a bunch of stuff in a day of their absence. Even the best students often just don't know what to do and need the teacher's guidance. So what happens is, teacher absence days are rarely productive in all but the most disciplined environments (which again, is not necessarily a bad thing).
If you goal is to pull down $760/wk with zero benefits then I suppose there are worse ways to clock time but I sense that the OP has a little more idealism as well as realism that comes from her actual experience teaching middle schoolers.
The classmates who earned teacher certificate alongside me that I most despised were those that said they were attracted to teaching for the relative ease of hiring or the summers off. When my own kids were in school those would have been the types that I would have requested my kids not be assigned to. Anybody who sees schools as primarily "custodial" is probably better off going into "corrections" than education. I know school is rarely 300 days of non-stop wonder and enlightment but anybody that gets too caught up in mere "supervision" is not going to be effective in fostering the kind of learning that enables kids to be successful as anything other than a "cog" in a "machine" that long since has ceased to exist.
Probably less than 5% of CPS classrooms are the kind of place that I would want to see any kid spend time in, largely becuase of subs that buy into the complaceny of their presence being "rarely productive" .
I hope the OP manages find a position suited to her talents whether that is education or healthcare.
I am sorry that you have not found a position yet. But, do not give up. I, too, am a transplant to Chicago. It took me approximately 18 months of active looking and interviewing to find a job in the field of education. At the time I lived in the suburbs so I applied to every possible school in the suburbs and city. I finally landed a position in the middle of the school year. So yes, as someone stated it is possible for a position to open up after school starts. That positon was at a charter school. I stayed there for 6 months. I continued to look for positions and eventually I was able to get hired at CPS.
I think subbing is a good option. I think you will stay busy. Yes we do use a computerized system which allows subs to pick and choose where they want to sub. I have spoke to subs in my building and they say they work 5 days a week.
Someone also mentioned being an adjunct if you have your masters. I did that too and I loved it.
If you goal is to pull down $760/wk with zero benefits then I suppose there are worse ways to clock time but I sense that the OP has a little more idealism as well as realism that comes from her actual experience teaching middle schoolers.
The classmates who earned teacher certificate alongside me that I most despised were those that said they were attracted to teaching for the relative ease of hiring or the summers off. When my own kids were in school those would have been the types that I would have requested my kids not be assigned to. Anybody who sees schools as primarily "custodial" is probably better off going into "corrections" than education. I know school is rarely 300 days of non-stop wonder and enlightment but anybody that gets too caught up in mere "supervision" is not going to be effective in fostering the kind of learning that enables kids to be successful as anything other than a "cog" in a "machine" that long since has ceased to exist.
Probably less than 5% of CPS classrooms are the kind of place that I would want to see any kid spend time in, largely becuase of subs that buy into the complaceny of their presence being "rarely productive" .
I hope the OP manages find a position suited to her talents whether that is education or healthcare.
760/week to essentially do supervisory work? I know that this is before taxes, but that's still a pretty impressive figure. I remember subbing decades ago, and, needless to say, you really couldn't make that much of a living from it. I'm also aware, though, that there isn't always "work" available, either.
I feel the same way about the "summers off" attitude, though..
If you goal is to pull down $760/wk with zero benefits then I suppose there are worse ways to clock time but I sense that the OP has a little more idealism as well as realism that comes from her actual experience teaching middle schoolers.
The classmates who earned teacher certificate alongside me that I most despised were those that said they were attracted to teaching for the relative ease of hiring or the summers off. When my own kids were in school those would have been the types that I would have requested my kids not be assigned to. Anybody who sees schools as primarily "custodial" is probably better off going into "corrections" than education. I know school is rarely 300 days of non-stop wonder and enlightment but anybody that gets too caught up in mere "supervision" is not going to be effective in fostering the kind of learning that enables kids to be successful as anything other than a "cog" in a "machine" that long since has ceased to exist.
Probably less than 5% of CPS classrooms are the kind of place that I would want to see any kid spend time in, largely becuase of subs that buy into the complaceny of their presence being "rarely productive" .
I hope the OP manages find a position suited to her talents whether that is education or healthcare.
You are being extreme.
For someone who is looking to be a full teacher, subbing is a temporary solution, not a forever solution. And it is a good temporary solution if your goal is to stay afloat by generating some income, and to make connections because you just moved to the area -- especially if you don't have another good option for working at the time.
Students are not going to miss out on much by having a sub 5 days out of the year. And pedogically speaking, more is not always better. Pounding kids with work day after day is not necessarily the most effective strategy for learning and engagement. A break here or there is perfectly OK. I know that is a somewhat controversial opinion, but in reality it makes far more sense from a true pedagogical standpoint. Your argument against CPS because the kids' teacher will be missing once every couple months (and education won't be high quality on that day) is absurd. If that is "largely" a reason for you to dislike CPS, then I guess a "large" amount of your reason for disliking CPS is highly questionable.
As for your "summers off" argument, I don't know where that came from. I think any real teacher would agree that going into teaching for the "summers off" or (supposed) availability of jobs, is a horrible motive. Those "teachers" rarely last very long in any school.
There is big differnce between kids in troubled schools having continuity of instruction and someone that decides unilaterally to "give 'em a break". Because of the prevalence of that sort of attitude from typical day-to-day subs the better run schools (in CPS as well as other districts) like to be able to rely on well informed substitutes that understand the value of following the regular teacher's "subsititute lessons folder" and moreover the most dedicated teachers often drag themselves to school when ill so they don't have to undo the damage of careless / inexperienced subs that falsely assume "they know better".
The little bit of research there is on effective use of substitute teachers pretty clearly shows that GETTING KIDS INVOVLED IN SOME KIND OF LEARNING ACTIVITY is far superior to merely ensuring that they are "orderly". Such a regiment steeped in ineffective kinds of "folk wisdom" that one probably has reinforced by burned out / poorly educated teachers one "networks" with in lunchrooms / teacher's lounge goes a long way to explaining why the US has such crummy classroom performance DESPITE outstanding research into what truly is effective to increase student acheivement.
Mod cut.
One of the best things about the much more selective hiring process in desirable suburban districts is the staff has chance to "preview" how closely a prospective new hire embodies the traits of effective teachers as revealed through research vs just going through the motions of whatever ineffective techniques they rely upon to maintian some semblance of "order" like a jailer...
Mod cut.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 08-05-2014 at 06:10 PM..
Reason: Off topic. Let's not get into judgments of other members.
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I suppose the pay is enough for some people...
