Is now a good or bad time to become a teacher?

[dd74]

NY wants to lay off 4,700 teachers.
In WI, the teachers are on strike as they are threatened with layoffs.
In LA, teachers are continually threatened with being laid off. 7,000 last I heard.

Also, upcoming, will be the first of a mass exodus of teachers as quite a few are on the leading edge of the baby-boom era.

As teachers are laid off or retire, this does not mean the kids, particularly in this economy, will simply enroll in private school, many of which are already filled to capacity. The kids will have to come back to public school, and new teachers will be needed. At least that's my theory.

So, with that, is now a good or bad time to become a teacher?

[Rikao4]

that gravy train is hopefully over..
folks used to want to teach..
they even cared about the kids..
some still do..
then it became a racket..
friggin awesome what Wis. is doing..

Rika

[look 171]

Dave,

what grade level? Is it college you are thinking about? It isn't good news in middle or high school. my neck is on the chopping block. I teach Woodshop 3 hours a day then off to la-la- land to run my business. They are talking about cutting out many of the electives and letting go a bunch of English and math teachers. PE is now sweating it out because they don't know how many are actually staying put. Yet, kids need graduation requirements like elective classes. They are so full and are busting at the seams. I think if you get a teaching job in a smaller district, you should be OK. They are usually more stable then LA. LA built a whole bunch of school during the boom(money, not student) years. so now they are forced to put kids in there and have to draw from their existing schools. Plus, people are leaving LA so there's more thinning of the heard, so less teachers are needed. Classrooms are over crowding still, but no body seem to care. It use to ba a very stable job where one can't be let go for not doing their jobs. Now its a mess. If you can get in and hang on, then you should be OK.

Have you ee riding your bike? I started 2 weeks ago and I am hurting like hell.

[Rick Lee]

If I had the teacher gene in me, I'd want to teach at an elite private school. Can't even imagine dealing with what passes for public schools anymore.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by look 171

Dave,

what grade level? Is it college you are thinking about? It isn't good news in middle or high school. my neck is on the chopping block. I teach Woodshop 3 hours a day then off to la-la- land to run my business. They are talking about cutting out many of the electives and letting go a bunch of English and math teachers. PE is now sweating it out because they don't know how many are actually staying put. Yet, kids need graduation requirements like elective classes. They are so full and are busting at the seams. I think if you get a teaching job in a smaller district, you should be OK. They are usually more stable then LA. LA built a whole bunch of school during the boom(money, not student) years. so now they are forced to put kids in there and have to draw from their existing schools. Plus, people are leaving LA so there's more thinning of the heard, so less teachers are needed. Classrooms are over crowding still, but no body seem to care. It use to ba a very stable job where one can't be let go for not doing their jobs. Now its a mess. If you can get in and hang on, then you should be OK.

Have you ee riding your bike? I started 2 weeks ago and I am hurting like hell.

Several programs have contacted me about getting my credentials. Seems a few may give me close to a free ride because of my prior post-grad and work experience. LAUSD high school English/Comp was what I was looking into. But I have to say smaller unincorporated cities seem much more attractive.

Yup, been on the bike - averaging a little more than 120 miles a week.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

If I had the teacher gene in me, I'd want to teach at an elite private school. Can't even imagine dealing with what passes for public schools anymore.

Public schools pay more, and have better benefits. It's the teachers' union.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Rikao4

that gravy train is hopefully over..
folks used to want to teach..
they even cared about the kids..
some still do..
then it became a racket..
friggin awesome what Wis. is doing..

Rika

The gravetrain is upstairs. There's a list somewhere call the 100k club. Some of those admin. who are retires are making as much as 160k+ a year. Those are the ones who Fuch many to get up there. There are many that are in the 200k a year deal. Who the fuch get 200k in retirement?

Why do we need 5 VPs in one highschool making 100k+ per year? Then they have assistance who make 50-60k per year. That's what's going on at the Ambassador hotel where B Kennedy was shot, now a LAUSD high school. Yet, they have a plant manager and one janitor working to death trying like hell to keep up with the place. While the VPs are sitting with dicks in hand watching, b!tching about how thing isn't fixed or maintain. Yeah, they are in education and care about the kids all right.

[A930Rocket]

It used to be a good secure job from what I've read in the past, but in SC and GA, they've been cutting back and will continue to do so. Administaration seems to be safe though. Too bad, as the ones who get hurt are the kids (and the good teachers who care).

[look 171]

Originally Posted by dd74

Several programs have contacted me about getting my credentials. Seems a few may give me close to a free ride because of my prior post-grad and work experience. LAUSD high school English/Comp was what I was looking into. But I have to say smaller unincorporated cities seem much more attractive.

Yup, been on the bike - averaging a little more than 120 miles a week.

If you could get in, take it and ride out the money storm. get your credential if you can because it will get you through a whold bunch of doors. What school is that, LA?

Starting pay is not that great, but... After your units and years, top pay is close to 75000 per year. That's getting out at 3:00 and ride until sunset. Actual work time is only a little over 5 hours. 3+ month off . I am no where near that since I am only a part timer.

[dd74]

Right. The problem with LAUSD stems at the top. The teachers in the trenches, I've found, are merely trying to survive. Of course, there are a few who are coasting, waiting for that life-long pension and what-not.

I think all that's going to end. The teachers need to pay into their pension themselves, and pay at least 25% of their own health care, maybe more. Or the school system just might shut down, unless a Trump, Gates or Bloomberg comes in to buy the whole thing up -- which is unlikely.

[Rikao4]

[QUOTE=look 171;5852470]
It use to be a very stable job where one can't be let go for not doing their jobs. Now its a mess. QUOTE]

[Porsche-O-Phile]

If you're good, dedicated and willing to put the time in and really promote student achievement, it's still a good place to be.

Both my brother and his wife are teachers (charter school). They bust ass and put in a lot more hours than most would think, but their students do very well and they are pretty secure as a result - parents are beating the doors down to get their kids into that charter school.

[vash]

all my teacher friends say that parents suck. no support from home.

i wouldnt mind teaching a class. maybe algebra or something. calc to high schooler couldnt be that bad. i'll try when i retire.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by vash

i wouldnt mind teaching a class. maybe algebra or something. calc to high schooler couldnt be that bad. i'll try when i retire.

I have started to lay some of that ground work...when I retire/retire and the kids are firmly established.

There are other alternatives to HS and below. Depending on the state, JuCo's will hire specific disciplines, so will many universities, especially in ROTC schools...you are not on a tenure track, but I don't want to be. Ok, couldn't be.

There are lots of interesting opportunities out there.

[RWebb]

elite private schools, at least in impacted disciplines like Biology, often hire PhDs

many young teachers are going to China, Japan, etc. - see the world, etc.

if you want to teach in the US, I'd suggest an innovate school system - often in an area with a rep. for bad schools - New Orleans, NYC, and IIRC Philly are some - you could check out Detroit too

BTW - I wouldn't do it for anything...

[azasadny]

I would like to teach adults at a local community college...

[Cdnone1]

I was at a budget meeting for my son's public charter school here in LA. We are starting to go through the budget for next year, and being a charter school we actually have some say in the allocation of funds. The real negotiation start the first week of March,so as we where wrapping up we where tabling things we want to discuss at the next meeting. One of the teachers actually brought up that they thought they where over staffed and that if they dropped a teacher or two they would have more money for supporting field trips, arts and music. I had to pick my chin up off the floor. Should make for an interesting meeting in March when the teachers union reps show up.
First time I have ever heard a union member say they should let someone go
Steve

[Hugh R]

I've taught a few courses at Community College. I'd rather be in a place where the students actually want to learn. They have to be in HS (although they may not want to be there). But at CC at least they chose to be there. I'll teach, I won't be a prison guard.

[NutmegCarrera]

I'm thinking that there may be some openings here in WIsconsin soon.
With all due respect, these teachers really don't have a clue as to what they have. And they really don't understand what the private sector pays in terms of (gasp!) their own support of retirement programs and healthcare bennies. Teachers here are absolutely appalled that they should be expected to contribute to those programs. Heavens - paying 12% or so of your medical premiums (instead of the zero that they've been used to).

If you can get over those issues, you could be in like Flynn.

Absolute crime that they're "sicking out" this week in lots of venues. Doubt that many kids are in school in Madison this week.

....I think you may have struck a nerve tonight.

[dd74]

I think the concern in WI isn't the 1/8th of healthcare costs the Gov. wants the teachers to start paying, but the elimination of collective bargaining among all state workers. Every news report I saw showed state workers in general picketing, not just teachers.

Of course, it's the teachers who are always targeted first, and not the guy mowing the lawn around City Hall.