Any 2nd career teachers out there?

[skip323]

Good luck with your decision! I did not read all posts but do agree with many that I looked at. I am a 2nd career educator...business first then went into school counseling. I cannot, therefore, say anything about the classroom but a few general adjustment things.

Kids are very, very, very different from what they used to be as are parents. The world is different and you see it a lot at schools. Depending on where you work the vast amount of social ills is sometimes overwhelming. There are a lot of classrooms that struggle with teaching...not just because of the "scripted curriculum" that others mentioned but because of discipline problems. Depending on your district and school, chronic disrupters may be able to disrupt a class the entire year. Makes it hard to work with the kids who want to learn.

The amount of kiddos that, for one reason or another, are unable to read or do basic math upon entering high school is astounding and frustrating. And sometimes their parents simply cannot help them.

The "ills of society" are what get me the most. Problems with weapons, drugs, gangs, teenage parents, lack of parenting (be it from lack of interest, lack of understanding, working numerous jobs to make ends meet...whatever) makes it really difficult to have an impact on some kids.

As far as adjustment from going from business into education: though I get it more than I used to, I struggle with things like pay raises on a scale, seniority, union contracts etc. I was used to performance reviews and a pay raise that was based on that review and could be anything (back in the day) from nothing to maybe $2000 a year. I was used to reviewing something that wasn't working and making a change versus not being able to make a change without contract negotiations. These things were all completely foreign to me when I transitioned into education.

The other adjustment was the "lack of respect" for the position. Working in business came with some benefits that simply do not happen in education. One being just the opinions of others. I think the profession of education is pretty amazing but some people consider it the job of those who cannot do anything else....are you kidding me??? We also, at my school, have a lot of parents that think that they can tell you what you need to do in your job. Again, I think it is that lack of respect for education coming through. This is my job...what I was trained to do and I had to get my Master's degree to do it. I do not let parents bully me but see it happen a lot...even with my administrators.

I sometimes miss the perks of business like getting company cars to test out(I worked in the auto industry many years ago), having an hour or whatever for lunch (we get 30 minutes...5 to 10 which is waiting for a microwave to open up because there is no time to run out and get something), the annual company party. Goodness, at one company we used to take a 9-5 day and go yachting on the company yacht. Not happening anymore!!!

All of those things aside....for me it was the best move. I love working with kids. As you may be able to tell I work in a somewhat urban environment and it is tough but I feel a great passion for what I am doing. I jumped into education because I was working in the auto industry back when kids were starting to kill each other over tennis shoes and jewelry (Jordans and bling). I just couldn't do that anymore. I felt like I needed to be with those kids and I really am happy to have made the change!

 

[mami2camjax]

I am currently enrolled in Drexel’s Teacher Certification Program – it is all online and I find it to be a great and reputable program. It is for individuals who have their Bachelor’s degree and want to become certified as teachers.

I started out my college career at Penn State as an Elementary Education major and switched majors Junior year and regretted it ever since (earned my B.S in Human Development and Family Studies). I have worked for the state for nearly 10 years now and I have just felt that I was missing something. It’s not rewarding to sit behind a computer all day, drafting policies, reviewing budgets, etc. It’s also not rewarding to be a pawn to the Governor, who can threaten to lay you off every summer as a means to balance his budget. So, last year I realize enough was enough and it was time to go back to school and get certified. I know teaching is not going to be a walk in the park, but it’s something I desire to do and I look forward to completing the program and student teaching next fall…

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Teaching is a very thankless job at times. I love what I do but you do feel very unappreciated at times. My husband has not had a cost of living adjustment in four years now. He will be taking a pay cut (thanks forloughs!). Teaching today is not what it was even five years ago. If you're in a school that has not made AYP, then you can end up with very little academic freedom ie. pacing schedules and scripted programs.

The job market for teachers in my area of Florida is terrible and yes that includes math, science and special ed. Yet, the colleges keep on pumping out more and more teachers every semester let alone the alternative cert programs out there. Many districts are going to hire subs this year to save money.

I go on a teacher discussion board for job seekers and there are stories upon stories of people looking for jobs. Its a very saturated market and to be honest I really don't see that changing any time in the next few years.

We needed to hire a special ed teacher. We received over 100 qualified applicants for it! Our principal weened the list by first throwing out every Alternative Certification applicant. Then we were under 50 people. That was narrowed next by experience. In the end we brought in 25 people for interviews. It was a very long week.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Alternative Certifications are the last to be hired, if at all. Is there a way that you could get your Master's instead?

At our campus, the Teach for America teachers are the best. I don't know what they are teaching them, but it works. I wish they would share it with the rest of us.

 

[muscarello4]

I would suggest doing BOTH math 4-8 and science 4-8. I'd even throw in math 8-12. You will be very marketable this way. The math 8-12 exam is KILLER! If you know how to use a TI and remember your upper Algebra II and low Calculus, you should be fine.

I have math 4-8, math 8-12, gifted, and special education. I have never had a problem getting a great position. In fact, I was offered a contract over the telephone!

Make sure that you are aware of the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision). Many second career people have no idea about this. It is some government pain that says you can't get a windfall (like my teacher pension will qualify for a windfall.) If you previously paid into social security, your benefits will be reduced by a pretty substantial amount. You can't claim two government programs at once, basically. Do some research on it. My hubby has paid in over $80,000 to S.S. and we are looking forward to never seeing any of that money now that he is teaching.

Good luck!

 

[stm61]

Alternative Certifications are the last to be hired, if at all. Is there a way that you could get your Master's instead?

At our campus, the Teach for America teachers are the best. I don't know what they are teaching them, but it works. I wish they would share it with the rest of us.

The Teach for America kids we've gotten are the opposite of what you're seeing! Maybe I've gotten the wrong program name? The ones we've seen are basically white, upper middle class kids, and they don't have a clue. Our district is mostly minority, rural, very low income, with all the problems you'd associate with an inner city school. The T for A kids are in culture shock. Some of them try to work through it, applying all the theories they learned in school, and just can't understand why theories don't work. The others just give up, they just show up to do their time and let the kids run wild. Whatever the program is teaching them, it's not how to deal with our kids.

 

[mami2camjax]

Must be a local thing – because I know many change of career teachers who have gone through the Drexel Program and have been hired promptly in local school districts. It’s not taking a course and instantly be certified – it’s a lot of course work, it’s doing student teaching, it’s observing in the classroom. Maybe for me, I view it differently because I started out as an Elementary Ed Major, had many required courses under my belt when I changed majors and am now taking the courses required to obtain my certification (and those courses I’m taking at Drexel, will count towards my Master’s). For many who want to get certified and already hold a Bachelor’s Degree, using the alternative certification programs is a means of taking the required courses to get certified, without having to sacrifice their current job, etc to attend college full time to get a teaching degree. This route works well for me, as I’m a single parent, raising 2 kids, working full time and able to go to school to work towards my goal of being certified. Another plus for me is, I keep my current job until I find a job, so however long that takes, I’ve got a good job to fall back on..