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Old 07-10-2009, 10:37 PM
 
Location: Suburbs of Chicago
1,070 posts, read 2,909,076 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deecheee View Post
Do any of you know anything about Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills? I will be teaching there soon.
Will someone please remove this troll?
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Old 07-11-2009, 03:31 AM
 
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
8,900 posts, read 15,854,885 times
Reputation: 1819
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIR View Post
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but virtually every public school district on Long Island excessed teachers in June due to a projected decrease in enrollment. Anyone excessed remains on a "preferred eligibility list" for seven years to be rehired. Very few teachers retired this year due to the economy, which means that there is zero turnover in some certification areas. Therefore, the chances of getting a job as an "outsider" who has not previously worked for that district is very slim.

The OP mentioned going back to get an elementary certification. I can tell you that there are literally thousands of certified ElEd teachers on Long Island who have not been able to ever find a full time teaching position. Most end up working as Teacher Aides to get their foot in the door, plus it is steady work. Others do per diem subbing, but as you saw, the pay is low. Leave replacement positions are good to get, but I can almost guarantee that every public school district on LI will require NYS certification for that. Again, there is a huge pool of certified teachers who are unemployed, so districts have their pick. For every probationary teaching opening, a district gets anywhere from 300 to 1000 applications.

Private schools also laid off teachers in June, because they anticipate lower enrollments since families can no longer afford the tuition. It is bad out there.

Most schools are going to hold off on hiring until mid-August, when the Principals return from their break, and they have a better idea of exactly how many students will be enrolled.

If you and your spouse need the income (more than what subbing or being a TA would provide), I would suggest working in another field while you complete the requirements for NYS certification. That is the reality on Long Island right now.

It's true. I've known teachers on Long Island and this is definitely right. The politics of teaching on LI are a lot worse than in the city. My friend got mysteriously fired at the end of the school year right before she was supposed to get tenure. She was suddenly told out of the blue that she had to be let go because of poor classroom management (they had never mentioned this to her the entire school year). It was very fishy. Some schools want to get fresh cheap teachers and just keep the cycle going. It's what happens behind the scenes. It's starting to happen more in the city now. I just interviewed at a school in Queens (I'm looking to transfer schools), and the principal said she had to "discontinue" 3 teachers, and that she really only likes to hire nontenured teachers. That's basically saying "I want to easily get rid of a teacher if they don't do everything my way, which is easier when they're nontenured." It's pretty bad out there...but you just have to find a school where you have supportive administration. Even in the bad areas you can find them. I teach in a real tough area of the south Bronx, but my administration is really nice and supportive.
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Old 07-13-2009, 08:12 PM
 
24 posts, read 69,034 times
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[quote=Rachael84;9708538]It's true. I've known teachers on Long Island and this is definitely right. The politics of teaching on LI are a lot worse than in the city. My friend got mysteriously fired at the end of the school year right before she was supposed to get tenure. She was suddenly told out of the blue that she had to be let go because of poor classroom management (they had never mentioned this to her the entire school year). It was very fishy. Some schools want to get fresh cheap teachers and just keep the cycle going. It's what happens behind the scenes. It's starting to happen more in the city now. I just interviewed at a school in Queens (I'm looking to transfer schools), and the principal said she had to "discontinue" 3 teachers, and that she really only likes to hire nontenured teachers. That's basically saying "I want to easily get rid of a teacher if they don't do everything my way, which is easier when they're nontenured." It's pretty bad out there...but you just have to find a school where you have supportive administration. Even in the bad areas you can find them. I teach in a real tough area of the south Bronx, but my administration is really nice and supportive.[/quo

That is really odd.
But perhaps your friend did something unacceptable which is why they let her go. I do know that most of the schools (maybe all) are not unionized which is why many of the teacher rights are not protected. In Toronto we have a very strong union, for which we also pay hefty union dues. But I guess it is worth it in the end....

But without getting written up about 3 times I can't see how they can just fire someone without a legitimate reason.

Maybe your friend didn't present the complete side of her story to you..

Last edited by Toronto Lady; 07-13-2009 at 08:48 PM..
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Old 07-13-2009, 08:26 PM
 
1,010 posts, read 3,919,208 times
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Toronto Lady, "union free school district" is misleading - it has nothing to do with labor unions.

NYC has a very strong union, the UFT, and I believe most LI districts are unionized.
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Old 07-13-2009, 08:48 PM
 
24 posts, read 69,034 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexisT View Post
Toronto Lady, "union free school district" is misleading - it has nothing to do with labor unions.

NYC has a very strong union, the UFT, and I believe most LI districts are unionized.
oh thanks for clearing up that misconception.
I was starting to think that teaching here must be really scary if there is no union to protect a teacher. I was actually quite surprised. Every school I have taught at in Toronto has a very strong union. Something every teacher is thankful to have the support of....

Not sure what union free school district means. I should look that up.
I haven't really met any teacher yet from the LI area which is why anything I know/perceive is based on my own research and things I have been reading up on the web.
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Old 07-13-2009, 09:58 PM
 
1,010 posts, read 3,919,208 times
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There's an explanation somewhere on this forum. Basically it means a district which was formed by uniting smaller districts. Common School Districts aren't allowed to operate high schools. So a Union Free School District = A union, free of the restrictions of common districts. It's a bizarre name and confuses a lot of people, including native New Yorkers.
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:42 AM
 
24 posts, read 69,034 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexisT View Post
There's an explanation somewhere on this forum. Basically it means a district which was formed by uniting smaller districts. Common School Districts aren't allowed to operate high schools. So a Union Free School District = A union, free of the restrictions of common districts. It's a bizarre name and confuses a lot of people, including native New Yorkers.
So I guess I can answer my own question.
I found this on wikipedia:

Common school districts

Common school districts are not authorized to operate high schools. They must, therefore, contract with neighboring school districts to provide secondary education for pupils in the district. This is the oldest type of district, and was quite common in the 20th century, but there are only 11 left as of 1999.

[edit] Union free school districts

A union free school district is a district resulting from a "union" of multiple common school districts, "free" from the restrictions that previously barred them from operating high schools. In January 2000, there were 151 school districts of this type. Thirty-one of these districts provided only elementary education, despite the original intent of "freeing" them from such restrictions. Unlike common school districts, each union free school district is governed by a board of education. Each board must have at least three but not more than nine members.[45]

[edit] Central School Districts

Not to be confused with Central High School districts, these are the most common type of school district in New York State.[45] These may have been formed from any number (including one) of common, union free, and/or central school districts. Apart from a few minor differences, they follow the same laws as union free school districts.

[edit] City School Districts

There are two types of City School Districts, those in cities with over 125,000 people and those in cities with fewer than 125,000 people. Districts for cities with over 125,000 people are coterminous with the city limits, and education is part of the municipal budget. These districts cannot incur debts or levy taxes.
Districts for cities with fewer than 125,000 people are separate from the municipal government and are authorized to levy taxes and incur debt. Each of them is governed by an elected board of education. They all operate high schools. Districts for smaller cities often extend beyond the city borders and are officially called "enlarged city school districts" (for example, Newburgh) or "central city school districts".

[edit] Central high school districts

There are only four central high school districts in New York state—three in Nassau (Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, Sewanhaka Central High School District and Valley Stream Central High School District) and one in Suffolk. These districts provide secondary education to students in two or more common or union free districts.

[edit] Supervisory school districts

Owing to the extremely large number (705) of school districts, many of which are quite small, most of them are organized into 38 supervisory districts. Each of these has a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Each BOCES provides services which are considered difficult for the member school districts to provide on its own, often including special classes for students with disabilities.
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Old 07-14-2009, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Nassau, Long Island, NY
16,408 posts, read 33,199,056 times
Reputation: 7338
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachael84 View Post
It's true. I've known teachers on Long Island and this is definitely right. The politics of teaching on LI are a lot worse than in the city. My friend got mysteriously fired at the end of the school year right before she was supposed to get tenure. She was suddenly told out of the blue that she had to be let go because of poor classroom management (they had never mentioned this to her the entire school year). It was very fishy. Some schools want to get fresh cheap teachers and just keep the cycle going. It's what happens behind the scenes. It's starting to happen more in the city now. I just interviewed at a school in Queens (I'm looking to transfer schools), and the principal said she had to "discontinue" 3 teachers, and that she really only likes to hire nontenured teachers. That's basically saying "I want to easily get rid of a teacher if they don't do everything my way, which is easier when they're nontenured." It's pretty bad out there...but you just have to find a school where you have supportive administration. Even in the bad areas you can find them. I teach in a real tough area of the south Bronx, but my administration is really nice and supportive.
First of all, congratulations! Enjoy your honeymoon!

As for your friend getting fired with no disciplinary trail ... what is the union doing for her?
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Old 01-16-2010, 11:19 PM
 
36 posts, read 32,038 times
Reputation: 25
Hi Toronto Lady, I live in East Meadow also. If you have a car and can find a school in eastern Queens (which is under the NYC Dept of Ed), the commute is manageable. I can sympathize with your feeling that teaching IS an exhausting job. I was a legal secretary for 10 years before I became a high school teacher, and I had never found anything as exhausting as that first year or so in the classroom.
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Old 01-16-2010, 11:36 PM
 
36 posts, read 32,038 times
Reputation: 25
The administration means a lot in terms of the work environment. I did a leave replacement (over 10 years ago) at an intermediate school in south eastern Queens, and it was a nightmare because the principal was a lunatic. (Most of the staff were upset by him on a daily basis, and his assistant principal, often left in tears.) Fortunately, when I got a permanent position (in South Jamaica), the principal and the A.P. (dept head) were fair, reasonable, and congenial people.
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