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You need to come to PA, where you have to be certified in Chemistry to teach Chemistry and Physics to teach Physics and that's all you'll be able to teach. You would be snatched up in a heartbeat, given credit for the years of experience you have and be all but worshipped. We have such a shortage of teachers in those disciplines.
You need to come to PA, where you have to be certified in Chemistry to teach Chemistry and Physics to teach Physics and that's all you'll be able to teach. You would be snatched up in a heartbeat, given credit for the years of experience you have and be all but worshipped. We have such a shortage of teachers in those disciplines.
Unfortunately, Michigan decided to avoid a shortage of fully certified chemistry and physics teachers by allowing holders of the integrated science certs to teach our disciplines and, now, that's all the schools want to hire. They see no need for someone certified in JUST chemistry and physics. It was supposed to be the way you describe it in PA but the schools screamed shortage so they changed the rules and created a glut where there had been a shortage.
I have four years until I can move. I don't want to make my oldest daughter switch high schools during high school. She does not deal with change well. Her little sister embraces change so I may take you up on that in 4 more years.
Is there no teacher union where you are? Where I come from, it is clearly stated that the number of faculty preps can not exceed 4 with no differentiation for years experience. Also, faculty are on annual contracts and they rarely fire anyone mid-year unless the person got caught sleeping with a student or something equally severe.
No teacher's union in charter schools here. We need one. I'm not sure how other schools handle lab based preps. My friends who teach science all teach two lab preps. One gets an extra prep because she has two lab preps (she's in a private school).
All it takes to get fired mid year hear is them finding someone they like better. They fired one teacher last year then when her replacement said he wanted to teach a different subject this year, they fired another teacher. If a candidate comes along they like better than me, I'm history and, right now, I'm struggling with too many preps and too little help and support so that could happen.
Is there no teacher union where you are? Where I come from, it is clearly stated that the number of faculty preps can not exceed 4 with no differentiation for years experience. Also, faculty are on annual contracts and they rarely fire anyone mid-year unless the person got caught sleeping with a student or something equally severe.
Eresh, I see you are in the deep south. I thought all of the southern states are "right to work' state....meaning no union state (w/ negotiation power).... Perhaps I'm not understanding this correctly....?
In this southern state ( and the county in particular) I used to teach, the administration has the ultimate power. Principals can 'fire' and 'hire' anyone 'whenever' they want. They don't hesitate to threaten teachers to write up for 'something (i.e. insubordination)' to build a case against the teacher.... They can change your schedule anyway they like, whenever they like... I once was given only 15 minute prep time/break per day, while teaching 3 different subjects for 4 different grade level students. There is no quide-line how long the minimum prep time should be.
I was threatened to be written up, when I asked for 'clarification' for an obvious 'non-sense' directions/ orders....with the intention of doing the given job correctly...... I was told to 'figure out'. She said she could write me up for not taking the 'initiative' .......to 'figure out' by 'asking other teachers around' first. This order came from her (AP) , not from the other teachers....??
The bottom line is .... does the administration 'like' you.... whatever this means...
If you become one of the 'preferred' employee, you are guarranteed to all kinds of 'favors'. I've seen one teacher who was allowed to leave school one hour 45 minutes earlier than the contract time everyday for the whole year....all because she had a long(?) drive home. And some teachers took one whole hour for their lunch break (more like a party) day after day. I know this because I was able to hear everything they were talking about loudly during their prolonged lunch break next door, while I tried to teach reading. Unfortunately, my students heard everything too and they started to complain they couldn't concentrate. I asked next door party people 'very politely' to quiet down some, so my students could read. They were 'very' offended and they stopped talking to me altogether....didn't even say hello in the hall. This was my first year at this school/county/state. Things did not get better later either unfortunately. Later, I was reprimanded for being 'unfriendly (?)' to these lunch group....as if I was the bad guy.... Apparently I didn't understand how things worked at that school. This was how things were before I was hired and it was how it was going to be. And of course nobody was allowed to talk about this type of matter openly...and nobody did.
There are much, so much more..... I can only laugh about this now...and I should write a book...
The only reason I was not 'fired' from this school (I think) was...that I was able to work with every student they gave me to teach. They gave me the most difficult and challenging students (academically and behaviorly) that nobody wanted. They don't know how much I actually 'enjoyed' working with these problem students... When compared to the impossible administration and drama queen teacher cliques (one of the administrators - my direct supervisor- was in the clique), it was a 'JOY' to work with these kids who actually 'learned' something and made an improvement with their lives.
"The bottom line is .... does the administration 'like' you.... whatever this means...
If you become one of the 'preferred' employee, you are guarranteed to all kinds of 'favors'"
THIS is my school. If they like you, you get things like classroom supplies, unlimited copies on the copy machine (the rest of us get 35 per student per semester) and, apparently, higher pay. Someone stated the average pay for a teacher at our school and I was stunned. I have a masters degree and teach chemistry/physics and, apparently, am one of the lower paid teachers. You'd think with higher credentials, higher education and three lab based preps, I'd be, at least, average.
"The bottom line is .... does the administration 'like' you.... whatever this means...
If you become one of the 'preferred' employee, you are guarranteed to all kinds of 'favors'"
THIS is my school. If they like you, you get things like classroom supplies, unlimited copies on the copy machine (the rest of us get 35 per student per semester) and, apparently, higher pay. Someone stated the average pay for a teacher at our school and I was stunned. I have a masters degree and teach chemistry/physics and, apparently, am one of the lower paid teachers. You'd think with higher credentials, higher education and three lab based preps, I'd be, at least, average.
I guess your charter school does not have a 'salary schedule', either...?
Eresh, I see you are in the deep south. I thought all of the southern states are "right to work' state....meaning no union state (w/ negotiation power).... Perhaps I'm not understanding this correctly....?
This was in Hillsborough County, Florida. While Florida is a "right to work" state, the school districts do have teacher unions that negotiate the contracts for all teachers (union member or not). It is conceptually similar to how Florida universities have faculty unions. Unlike other types of unions, it is illegal for them to go on strike.
I guess your charter school does not have a 'salary schedule', either...?
No. There's what you hire in at and that's pretty much it. They do give a 2% raise about every 3-4 years if the state increases their budget but that's not worth much.
Well, I checked the online job sites yesterday and things are looking up for chemical engineers and chemists around here. My resume is going out enmasse this weekend. Hopefully, I can find something by semester break. That would be a good time to bring in another teacher (which I have a feeling is their plan).
I had another incident they think I handled wrong. I dismissed a student from lab for safety violations (this student has anger management issues) and when he came back, angry, to get his books I told him I'd send them down after the lab was done and he blew up at me. IMO, my concern has to be the other 29 students doing the lab at that time not whehter he gets his books NOW (had he grabbed them on the way out the first time it wouldn't have been an issue but alarm bells go off if this student comes back to the room because of past issues). Had the office called down for his books, I woulld have told them I'd send them when the lab was done. Nothing bad will happen if this student doesn't have his books for 15 minutes while we finish but if he throws a fit in the classroom during a labs something could happen. Apparently, I was supposed to take care of his books first and the other 29 students doing the lab after that. I always get it wrong. I'm just not on the same wavelength as my administration.
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You'd think with higher credentials, higher education and three lab based preps, I'd be, at least, average.
