[Looking for new adventure]

Hello, everyone!

I'm looking for a new place to live. I'm a single woman, about 45, and I love the outdoors--horseback riding, biking, hiking, and the list goes on--I'm an outdoor girl who enjoys both summer and winter sports. I'm interested in living in a place that has four seasons, lots of green in the spring. I don't mind humidity or cold; I have lived in places that have both.

I currently live in Las Vegas, and am getting my M.Ed. in special education. I've already taught elementary school for a few years. I like Las Vegas, but I won't ever own more than my own car here, because of the high cost of living and buying a home is out of the question for me. Many of my friends work two jobs for at least part of the year to get by. So, after I graduate next year, I'm looking for other options. So, I have a few basic questions:

Is there a need for special education teachers up there?

Is it possible to afford a home on a teacher's salary? I would have a master's degree plus about five years' experience, which might put me up on the salary schedule.

If you are middle class, what does Omaha offer you? How far will your dollar go?

What is the religous climate up there like? The social climate--conservative or liberal? I'm middle of the road. Is it easy to meet new people and make friends? How about community service?

I would imagine Omaha has a decent night life with little clubs, good restaurants, and other local places. After my Saturdays in my garden , can I go out with friends for a reasonably priced meal and live music ?

I know this is a broad question, but, if you are a teacher, what is it like to teach there?

Thanks for reading my long post, and for responding! Thank you especially if you can share links to other websites for more information.
Have a great day!

[Looking for new adventure]

Hello? Anyone?

[Raphael07]

Sorry, you posted a bit late for us here and the morning is always slow because of the high employment rate haha. Anyway, with as many schools as we have I'm sure you could easily find a job. Omaha is actually a very moderate city, half Republican half Democrat. All the teachers I know do own a home and we have many restaurants, lounges, bars, and we also attract many concerts to the Qwest Center, our Convention Center, and of course in Downtown we have the Old Market which is an amazing mix of local restaurants and shops. Here, the cost of living is pretty low and the dollar goes pretty far. I can't say for teaching but I do work with the Special Needs kids in my highschool and they are all wonderful children, always smiling it seems. And you can do plenty of Hiking, Horse back riding and biking in the area, Omaha and Lincoln have tons of trails which will soon be connected.

Good Luck with your move, Go NE

[Looking for new adventure]

Thank you!

[Gunluvver2]

I suggest you spend a week or so looking over the state LFNA. Lincoln and Omaha are the urban centers of the state. However from the hobbies you listed you might find more you like in the Western end of the state. Anywhere West of Grand Island offers good outdoor activities. Several of the western communities have rodeo events and some of the top cowboys in the world live in Western Nebraska. Obviously horses are a big part of the culture in that end of the state. Water sports in the West end of Nebraska are so good that on any given weekend in the summer you will see about as many Colorado license plates in the State Recreation Areas around lakes like McCouhgnahay, Johnson, Enders, Swanson, Harry Strunk, Red Willow etc as Nebraska plates. North and West offers world class tubing on rivers like the Dismal and Niobrara. The Snake River near Valentine has really great fishing. Great hiking and mountain biking all over the place in the West also.

I have an Aunt who taught Special Ed kids on the Indian Reservation just across the NE/SD line at Wolf Point (Wounded Knee). The crime rate figures in that area really look bad on paper but it is a nice place according to her. But I must say my Aunt is somebody you DO NOT want to mess with. She is five feet four inches of pure mean when you cross her LOL.

If you are Liberal in your politics and religion Omaha or Lincoln might be a better fit. The West end of Nebraska is horse country but MOST of the horses asses live in the East (Omaha & Lincoln). Oh I should say I will be moving West from Lincoln next summer and the Horses Ass population number will remain the same.

GL2

[Looking for new adventure]

What's the LFNA? Thanks--I'm already browsing all the Omaha forums--and it is so interesting! Thanks for your long post, GL2.

[Gunluvver2]

Originally Posted by Looking for new adventure

What's the LFNA? Thanks--I'm already browsing all the Omaha forums--and it is so interesting! Thanks for your long post, GL2.

LFNA
looking For New Adventure

GL2

[laserdisque]

Omaha Public Schools are in great need of sped teachers so finding a job should be no problem. If you are a fiscally responsible person you can certainly afford a house on a teachers pay. My better half and I make less than a teacher combined and own a house. I also know a lot of people who own/ride horses in the area, but I don't know much about that personally. You can be in the country for hiking/biking/riding/hunting in about 20 to 30 minutes no matter what part of the city you are in. The eastern part of the city(urban) is more liberal than the western half(suburban) of the city. We have had democratic mayors for the last several terms. I love live music and Omaha does not dissapoint. I like modern rock so I tend to go to the indie clubs in benson. There are bars/clubs for every taste of music in the city. The qwest brings pretty much any and all big name touring acts in if you wanna shell out the cash. Hope this helps!

[buffy888]

There is always a need for Special Ed teachers, so I think you will be fine regarding finding a teaching position. Make sure you start the process for getting your Nebraska teaching certificate as soon as you have decided you are intending to move to NE. If you go to Nebraska Dept. of Ed. (http://www.nde.state.ne.us/tcert/ - broken link), I believe there is a link you can click on that will ask you various questions to determine what parts of the certification process you might be lacking (for example, NE requires the PPST test for new teachers, but I think the requirement might be waived if you have been teaching for X number of years elsewhere).

Salary-wise, depending on where you decide to live and teach, I think you could certainly be on the path to home ownership. Although teacher salaries in Nebraska do still lag behind some other states (including those with similar cost of living, housing prices, tax rates, etc.), you will find a teacher's salary - especially in the Omaha area - to be reasonable. Your Masters plus experience will help in this regard as well. As someone who has taught in both Nebraska and Texas, I find that Nebraska schools seem to place more of a monetary value on a Masters than I have seen in Texas. For example, in my school district, a new teacher with just a Bachelors and no years of experience would start out at $45,200; with a masters, it would only increase to $46,700 (a paltry $1,500 difference!). At Ralston Public Schools (in the Omaha area) a new teacher w/just a Bachelors and no experience would start out at $29,975 but with a masters would move all the way up to $35,425. With 5 years of experience, you would be at $38,150. This is based on their pay scale from 2008-2009; there would be a slight bump up by now. (Not all Omaha area schools publish their pay scales online, but most of them have similar salaries and they all do appear to place the appropriate amount of value on a masters. Westside/District 66 salaries do tend to be a bit higher than the other districts in the area.) Salaries in smaller cities and towns will be lower, but then housing prices would be slightly lower in those areas as well.

Another difference between teaching in Nebraska and other states (this is just based on my experience in Texas as well as conversations with teacher friends in many other states) is that state testing has thankfully not yet become some pervasive to the daily life at school in Nebraska as it has in other states. I am interested to see how the gradual implementation of NeSA testing in Nebraska (including testing in new subjects to be rolled out in upcoming years) may change this, but for now, the environment in most public schools in Nebraska is quite dissimilar to some other states when it comes to those high stakes tests. To me, this is a plus in favor of Nebraska.

Others are giving you some good info on activities, politics, etc., so I just wanted to give you a few notes just about the teaching aspect.

Good luck in your search for a new home!

[MHong]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this online chat info website, but did find it very helpful through the replies I've seen regarding teachers. I'm currently in Arizona and as a certified special educator: cross categorical working in a private self-contained school. I've been to Omaha on numerous occasions as my wife grew up there and all her family residing there. We have decided to move to Omaha this summer due to parent health issues. So my question is: Is there districts or private institutions hiring for special educators? I am currently teaching high school students who can range from various disabilities; however, my experience in this school began as a behavior specialist in the elementary department and have moved to all grade levels to gain knowledge and experience in the special education field.