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I recently earned my Master's degree in Elementary
Education and am seriously considered the move from
Chicago to New York for the 2009-2010 school year.
With that being said, what is the process really like in
order to obtain a teaching job? I am aware of the steps
involved (i.e. application, making sure my cert
requirements are met, demo lessons, etc.). But, do you
think that I will have a chance of becoming an elementary
teacher in a relatively good area of NYC?
How has everyone's experience been their first year of
teaching? Where do you teachers live?
Any and all advice would be most helpful. Thanks!!
Honestly, it's going to be very to find an elementary job. That is not a high need area, and teachers have been excessed (laid off) lately due to budget cuts. I think it may be difficult to find a job at this point in time in that field. The high need subjects are math, science, and special education.
Your first year will be difficult, but this is true wherever you teach. It's a lot of work and you're just thrown into it. There is a lot BS with the NYCBOE. I love teaching middle school and have been doing it for 3 years. I highly recommend it, but I know it wasn't easy for elementary school teachers to find jobs 3 years ago, and now it's going to be even harder.
I live and work in Queens. Any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Honestly, it's going to be very to find an elementary job. That is not a high need area, and teachers have been excessed (laid off) lately due to budget cuts. I think it may be difficult to find a job at this point in time in that field. The high need subjects are math, science, and special education.
Your first year will be difficult, but this is true wherever you teach. It's a lot of work and you're just thrown into it. There is a lot BS with the NYCBOE. I love teaching middle school and have been doing it for 3 years. I highly recommend it, but I know it wasn't easy for elementary school teachers to find jobs 3 years ago, and now it's going to be even harder.
I live and work in Queens. Any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Are middle school and all other levels taking a hit too? Is it across the board?
Are middle school and all other levels taking a hit too? Is it across the board?
Yes. There was a surplus of NYC Teaching Fellows hired this year that could not get jobs. A lot of math fellows too, which is a high needs subject. But they have had to excess a lot of teachers and schools were not hiring as much this year. Let's just say I am VERY happy I got into the job market 3 years ago, and not right now. This is not a good time to be looking for a job and I feel for everyone who is.
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Now isn't a good time for many teachers to be looking for jobs, specifically elementary teachers. I hear it's hardest for them (I teach 1st grade, by the way). I would look into getting some sort of extension onto your license to teach elementary special ed.
I'm a little worried about this excessing. My Principal said early on that she'll cut our funds for supplies instead of cutting teachers. Who knows what will happen though. I was hired just last year, but luckily I'm about 12th from the bottom in terms of seniority. I doubt the school would cut that many teachers...at least I hope not.
Are middle school and all other levels taking a hit too? Is it across the board?
Middle school and high school positions are, in general, easier to find than elementary ones, as teachers often prefer to teach the little ones. However, I much prefer older kids (as my step-mother used to say, "They're almost human") and, frankly, you couldn't pay me enough to be an elementary school teacher!
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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lol it's not so bad. The good thing about the younger ones is that they get more intimidated easier, they show their appreciation towards you all the time (My kids are always telling me they love me and hugging me), and they do the cutest things sometimes. But the older kids are probably nice too. You can have interesting conversations with them, the material you teach is more interesting, etc. There's pros and cons to each age group in my opinion.
My wife has 4 year olds to teach in preschool. thats probley the best age...the stories she comes home with can fill a fabulous book.
It would be nice to interview your wife and Rachael someday as Im interested in writing a few story books for kids 4-6. I do enjoy seeing them at that age - even though, as Squeezebox probably recognizes, it's a pretty challenging age group also.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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I taught Kindergarten last year and 1st grade this year. With pre-k and K, the kids are so limited as to what they can do. Most can't quite read books yet, and they mostly draw since they're still learning their letters. I like 1st grade better. It's a night and day difference between K and 1st grade. My 1st graders can do way more than my K kids ever could. These kids can write a paragraph when last year my K kids were writing jumbled letters together. They work a lot better independently too.
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