Congrats and good luck...

Just remember than you can't throw the young people in the Brig or Keelhaul em!

Oh sure you can. :O:

What are the hoops you need to jump through to get a teacher's cert in Texas?

Thanks, that is exactly how I feel. :rock:




Counting on that

I am going for Generalist 4-8, so I will be able to teach subjects in Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Math. If all goes well, I plan to get some more hours in History and add that certification.


Aww.... thanks :salute:

Wait, what? :dead:

Somehow I have to find a nautical theme to my classroom management structure. We have to have the Brig in there somewhere.

Ok, pick 3-4 Districts you'd like to be a part of and go (at some point) meet all of the history teachers and offer to volunteer or sub for them.

I found my substitute teaching flyer. I'll scan it and post it for you. You'll get a good laugh. That flier was a direct hit for me. It generated a lot of work for me.

Nice one Neal....as you know I entered into a career change at about the age you are.

My advice would be to focus on the element you are most interested in and never look back.

It is often a case of ...horses for courses.

Good luck my friend but I'm sure you won't need it :sunny:

Best of luck in your new career Neal.

If you teach like you run this forum, you will do just fine.:salute:

Hi Neal. Congratulations on the choice of career. It is the most rewarding line of work that I know of. That being said, there is some straight dope that you need to know about teaching in today's educational climate.

I am not completely aware of the situation in Texas, but I am betting it is a whole lot like teaching in Pa. The system is supposed to work by having new teachers apply to substitute with individual school districts. Most of the districts in my area use a program called AESOP. You'll go for an interview and if accepted, you will be admitted as a per diem substitute. You are essentially a headhunter. Jobs will appear through a desktop app and you can either accept or reject them. You need fast fingers, as all of the other per diems will be watching too. The days of individual phone calls and asking the teachers to be a sub are long gone. Districts like this automated system because it is not labor intensive.

Once they get to know you, a substitute can be promoted to a permanent per diem (PPD). This means that you are guaranteed work every day. You are a known quantity to the district and will be used to fill the holes before the remainder goes out to the regular per diems. PPDs are then promoted to building subs, who are PPDs but only for a specific building, and often only for a particular subject. These are the people that get contacted directly by building administrators and teachers for availability. They work at the school every day, they have building ID tags and they are usually union employees with bennefits. They are also the first people taken into consideration for regular teaching positions, even before the jobs are posted to the public (called promoting from within). Ultimately, think of it as a series of concentric circles where you are looking to jump from each circle to the one closer to the center.

Well, that is how the system is supposed to work. Sadly, in today's economic climate, this is not happening. School districts are strapped for cash; canceling programs, eliminating positions and still running in the red. Because of this, many departments are running at a minus one, two or even three personnel deficit. In other words, they are not replacing the retiring teachers. Rather, the classes are covered by exsiting teachers. The end result is that the system is backlogged. Since districts are not filling these positions, no substitutes are being promoted; all while more entry-level per diems flood the system each semester. It is the worst that I have ever seen it.

My advice is to do the opposite of what has been offered in the thread. Do not spread yourself between a large number of districts. You will get more work, but you want to concentrate on a single district, or two at the most. You need to work there as much as possible. You have to be seen there, they have to get to know you and they have to see that you are good.

Do not make flyers. No one will read them because no one cares. Register with your state's online educational job service (PAREAP is the one for Pennsylvania). You will see districts post for substitute positions available there. They will probably hire you on the spot. My substitute interview was less than 10 minutes long. Subs are a dime a dozen, and they are usually not too picky about the per diems. This gets you in the door to practice your new vocation.

Lastly, never teach any subject just because you think there may be jobs available. You've worked jobs that have left you wanting something more rewarding. Being a teacher will be the hardest job that you have ever had. You need to deal with something that you love or you will burn out in a matter of a few years, if not less. If you want to teach social studies, then try to get the social studies jobs. If you are not getting those type of sub jobs, then do a great job in what you are teaching for the day, but be sure to drop the line that SS is your passion.

If you do those things, you will stand a great job of eventually cutting through the noise and clutter and getting that permanent teaching job. Your competition will be comprised of mostly 23-year-olds who are completely wet behind the ears in regard to real life, as well as older teachers permanently stuck in the per diem phase because they just couldn't hack it as a regular. It won't be easy, and it may take as long as two years, but you will eventually rise to the top.

Good luck and feel free to ask me anything at any time!

Neal,

Just curious, you said "history and sciences", and you said "social studies".

What eras and places of history is your focus of interest?

What means "sciences" in American schools? Do you get taught physics, chemistry, biology alltogether in once course of that name, or is it a course specialising on methodology and such? In Germany you cannot study a branch named "(general) sciences" and there also are no classes named like that. Also, in Germany teachers for the most specialise and later teach in just two fields, let's say English and History.

And what exactly refers "social studies" to? Social psychology? Sociology?

Just curious.


Tak,

I have no doubt you were truthful and realistic, but your description has the same effect on me like the descriptions from teachers I know here in Germany. If I would have looked to become a teacher, after these descriptions I would not feel any motivation to become a teacher anymore. :hmmm:

Here in Germany, school teachers get brought down by being overregulated by the ministries in what to teach and when, and by immense correcting work to be done at home. It seems the problem in your country is more to just get a foot into the door, and keep it there?!

What is the motivation to become school teacher in such an environment as you described?

Hi Sky.

Well, it's not about regulation per se. Districts are all about their financial bottom line. They need to pay someone to read resumes and flyers that are sent to them. As such, they no longer read unsolicited paperwork; sending them packets like people used to only results in full recycling boxes. By only making calls for substitues when needed and using paperless applications and resumes, they save themselves time and money, as the district doesn't even have to call you or mail you to let you know that you were not selected. This allows them to cut back on office staff as well, which most districts are also doing. Instead, you just don't hear from them again.

In terms of having to move through various circles to get the job, it also makes sense for the district. There is a wide descrepancy in the ability of prospective teachers. Instead of hiring someone you just met, they would rather have you work through more menial assignments in order to gauge your performance. And yes, while it is good for them, it stinks for you the new teacher. It certainly sounds grim, but it is how the game is played nowadays. That aside, good teachers will continue to rise to the top, even if it takes years instead of months now.

:haha:
Fluffy, you crack me up sometimes.

@Neal
Research the districts you'd like to be in. Not all districts are equal, but focus on the ones you'd like to be a part of.
If you go the substitute teacher route, make some flyers or business cards (promoting your skill set how much you love history) and hand deliver them to every history teacher in the district(s). Shake their hand and they will read them. This is what I did and I had several teachers I subbed for on a consistant basis.:rock: Several day assignment turned into long term assignments and the preferred substitute.:D

Nice. If you would like to offer as to why that advice is wrong, I would gladly entertain. What I said is how it works. Otherwise, please stop crapping up the thread to get at me. It is uncalled for.

@SB
The requirements to become certified in the US vary greatly state by state. Some states all you need is a 4 year degree:dead:, others there is an extensive certification process to go through.

ditto.

@ Tak and Nikki, I appreciate the advice. Even though the sets of advice you each presented is different from each other, I'm sure it is appropriate for the situations you have dealt with, it all can be applied depending on the school district and situation. With all the changes since I was in public school, it is welcome. :salute: PA sounds like a tough place to get a job as a teacher. I guess that means there is no shortage?

In Texas, there is an Alternative Certification program for people with a bachelor's degree that meets a minimum GPA. You have to be accepted into a training program and pass the content exam, which is why there are empty champagne bottles everywhere here now :rock: I will receive 10 weeks of pedegogy training and then complete a bunch of observation hours. If all goes well, I can apply for jobs in the school district and I will be the teacher of record when school starts this August. Scary, huh? . The program I am in is run by the school district, with the aim of developing new teachers for their schools.


SB, from grades 4-8 (ages 9 -14), general science is taught, which combines geology, astronomy, chemistry, and biology (depending the the state and school).

Social Studies is primarily history, government, economics. I do not have a designated area of focus in history, but to teach in middle and high school, primarily US and Texas history are emphasized. I believe there is a substantial portion of European history also. I know in college, 2 courses of US history are all that are required.