Teachers, what's the inside scoop? (degrees, counselor, IEP, hire)
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Multiple classes for music sounds inefficient. How do you spend any amount of time on any one class? As a parent, I would not be happy with this arrangement. The only saving grace is they're elective courses but, still, I expect my kids to get 60 minutes of instruction per hour not 15.
The number of classrooms in which there are 60 minutes of instruction per hour is diminishingly small - in any given day, let alone consistently.
That's unless you count papers being handed out and being handed in, classroom management, and attendance as "instruction."
And that's without even considering the impact on students who already know something of repetition for those students for whom it is useful.
You probably also had bosses that inherited the company from daddy and didn't have to do any real work.
That doesn't mean all bosses are like that. But people like you act like ALL teachers are like the ONE teacher you had in high school that you're referring to. They're not; far from it.
People like me? I said I have no doubt that a lot of teachers work hard.
People like me? I said I have no doubt that a lot of teachers work hard.
You didn't say one SPECIFIC thing ON THIS THREAD that was positive about the work ethic of teachers, just one asinine statement about the one teacher back then that did the minimum and a vague "I know teachers work hard...". If you're different that this, show with your words and action.
Ahhhhhh...this is getting a bit ugly, and rightfully so.
I'm going to toss in my $.02 and add that the OP, if going into teaching, needs to be prepaired to relocate and travel to find a job. It's a crowded field, and those $40k+ starting salaries in desirable areas are going to be targeted by many applicants. Unless you know somebody higher up, or if you're just lucky and fall into place, be prepaired to work temp jobs while subbing for your first 1-3 years. It all depends on random variables, but more or less, don't be surprised to land your first gig, at a low paying rural school, after a year or two of relentless job hunting. Experience will eventually get you closer to where you would like to be, but teaching is not a job to take up as a way of getting to a specific place in life, like say...Austin since it's been mentioned. That city has a glut of college grads and post grads from multiple universities, it's one of the most desirable cities in the nation, pays well to start off, etc...there's going to be tons of applicants and competition vs say, San Angelo or Abilene. Go into tech or research if you want something to get you to Austin. And as for San Angelo and Abilene, those two citys will still command their fair share of competition for openings and are far from rural.
You have to apply, apply, apply, apply...and be willing to move while barely breaking above even until you either climb the step ladder or get into a higher paying district. Personally, I applied to 70 districts in PA, 5 in WV, 10 in Ohio, 40 in Texas....and had an amazing 2 interviews to show for it. Ironically enough, I got a job right in my back yard in SW PA straight out of college because I impressed the school that I student taught at. The other district that interviewed me was where I went to high school..the principal doing the interviews remembered me as a student, and I finished 2nd out of the 10 interviewed for the one job opening that they had.
When people say "go into teaching beacuse you enjoy the lifestyle, and you have the passion to teach"...they really mean it. Just not in the sense of "summer/free time" lifestyle..and more of a "can you adapt and truly be happy with this?" type of lifestyle. For some it all works out, for others it can be very bumpy and rocky as can be..these usually end up as your disgruntled teachers that don't stick around long. It's not their fault, they just weren't given the proper rundown of what it would really be like once they got out there in teh real world of education.
Last edited by TelecasterBlues; 12-21-2009 at 12:00 PM..
You didn't say one SPECIFIC thing ON THIS THREAD that was positive about the work ethic of teachers, just one asinine statement about the one teacher back then that did the minimum and a vague "I know teachers work hard...". If you're different that this, show with your words and action.
This is what I said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by city_data91
I have no doubt that a lot of teachers work hard. But it is possible for teachers to mail it in. I had a teacher like that in high school. He didn't do any actual teaching and gave everyone an A.
This is what you're making it sound like I said: All teachers mail it in. Every teacher I had in high school gave everyone an A and didn't do any actual teaching.
And when I said I have no doubt that a lot of teachers work hard, I was serious. One of the reasons I decided against going to college to become a teacher is because I know how much work the job requires if done the right way. How's that for showing with my actions that I think teachers work hard?
And don't say I had this teacher "back then" because the back then you speak of was only 2 years ago and current students say his class hasn't changed one bit.
Last edited by city_data91; 12-21-2009 at 12:16 PM..
This is what you're making it sound like I said: All teachers mail it in. Every teacher I had in high school gave everyone an A and didn't do any actual teaching.
And when I said I have no doubt that a lot of teachers work hard, I was serious. One of the reasons I decided against going to college to become a teacher is because I know how much work the job requires if done the right way.
And don't say I had this teacher "back then" because the back then you speak of was only 2 years ago and current students say his class hasn't changed one bit.
Then teachers like this need to get fired. Plain and simple.
I am sorry if I came across rather harshly. But I've halfway through my 33rd of a very successful teaching career, and I hear and read statements like this ALL OF THE TIME.
I'm probably going to be forced to take early retirement, because I have a health issue that has made it impossible for me to do all of the extra demands of the job.....if they just trusted me as a professional rather than having to go to extra meetings, take extra certification, or whatever, I still have a lot to give to the profession. But I won't be able to do so because I've reached a point where I've had it, even though my students are saying that I should keep teaching.
All I'm saying is to think before you say things that sound like they dump on the profession because of a single teacher or a small group.
"A lot of teachers work hard" is much less supportive than "someone I had 2 years ago mails work home and gives everyone an A". Why don't you WRITE about those that DO work hard? Otherwise, a lot of people think most teachers are like that guy you wrote about.
Multiple classes for music sounds inefficient. How do you spend any amount of time on any one class? As a parent, I would not be happy with this arrangement. The only saving grace is they're elective courses but, still, I expect my kids to get 60 minutes of instruction per hour not 15.
Music is probably the only area it would work to have multiple courses in one classroom. In the chorus classes all the students sing the same music no matter what course they are taking. It is one musical ensemble and we perform together. It is only the music theory assignments that are affected. The music theory assignments are computer assignments that kids do in the lab. I can instruct the level 1s while the others work on the computer and so on. Sometimes I let the boys work on computer assignments while I rehearse with the girls and then reverse the next day.
Guitar and keyboard are similar. I can instruct one group while the others practice music independently and rotate the group instruction. It takes some organization for it to work. There is a lot of independent work in these classes so it works.
If I couldn't have multiple levels in one class music would not work. It would cost entirely to much money to have one class for each chorus course (Chorus I, II, III, IV) plus then the kids would not be rehearsing together as a group. Remember the musical performance component of the class is done together. It's only the theory that is differentiated by level.
Music is probably the only area it would work to have multiple courses in one classroom. In the chorus classes all the students sing the same music no matter what course they are taking. It is one musical ensemble and we perform together. It is only the music theory assignments that are affected. The music theory assignments are computer assignments that kids do in the lab. I can instruct the level 1s while the others work on the computer and so on. Sometimes I let the boys work on computer assignments while I rehearse with the girls and then reverse the next day.
Guitar and keyboard are similar. I can instruct one group while the others practice music independently and rotate the group instruction. It takes some organization for it to work. There is a lot of independent work in these classes so it works.
If I couldn't have multiple levels in one class music would not work. It would cost entirely to much money to have one class for each chorus course (Chorus I, II, III, IV) plus then the kids would not be rehearsing together as a group. Remember the musical performance component of the class is done together. It's only the theory that is differentiated by level.
We didn't have different levels in one classroom when I took music. You took concert choir or a couple of other versions of choir or band. For band there was jazz band, concert band or marching band. We didn't have different levels of choir or even band. For both, your position in the group was determined by experience as much as by talent.
We will typically run Spanish orFrench 3, 4 and 5 together. The 5 level is an AP class. There's aproposal next year to run Calc AB and BC together. I'm not real fond of that idea. The problem is we only have 6 or so kids taking each class (no BC this year).
We didn't have different levels in one classroom when I took music. You took concert choir or a couple of other versions of choir or band. For band there was jazz band, concert band or marching band. We didn't have different levels of choir or even band. For both, your position in the group was determined by experience as much as by talent.
When I was in school all we ever did was sing. I am 44 years old. We never did any academic work, never learned theory, sight singing, history or anything else academic. As you said, position within the group was determined by your singing skill and we sang every day.
In today's music classroom is very different. Teachers are expected to teach more than singing in chorus. We are also expected to teach theory, history, and other academic aspects of music.
The singing part is done much the same as was when I was a kid with all the kids singing the same music. However, I can't just teach kids the same music theory lessons for four years in a row. I need to have different material for the first year students and the fourth year students. It's not as hard as it sounds but it does take some planning.
Piano and guitar are easy to manage because I can teach the level 1 students while the others practice their songs. I use the same theory lessons for the different levels in all the music classes (much to the delight of my students who are taking more than one of my classes).
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