Teaching Shortage....

[Renaschelle]

Yeah right! I went to college to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children and love learning. We were told from the beginning "there is a teacher shortage."

Really? My friend, Jennifer, and I have applied to approximately 17 school districts (approximately 20 schools possible per district). I had only 3 interviews!!! One was a freebie at a job fair for the district where I was a student teacher for a year. Another one, I was discriminated against, because I was white. They wanted a black or hispanic teacher. It was a very low-socioeconomic school. She was blatantly rude and told me to "be careful driving home" as I left the interview...as if I could not handle myself in the "hood."

I finally got a job teaching 6th and 7th grade English/Language Arts at a Science-centered charter school. My friend, on the other hand, still has not found a job and school starts August 25th here.

Schools tend to focus on standardized testing and not the quality of education, so they are willing to sacrifice highly qualified teachers for someone that is the same race as the students in an attempt to relate the test to said students.

I am lucky that I accepted the position at the school I did, because they actually allow the teachers teach. They are rated as one of the top schools in the United States and are Exemplary rated by the TEA in Texas.

What have you heard about a teaching shortage in your state?

[ballzack]

Teaching, to me, is a public service.
That's the only way I can rationalize sending THOUSANDS of dollars every year to my school district when I do not have ANY children.
I personally believe I should not pay ANY school taxes. I am NOT using the school, nor are any of my family members.
In a FREE society, you should only PAY for what you USE. Period.

This aside, I commend your decision to be a teacher. In this economy, any public service job is as rare and any other job. I also hear there is a huge shortage of Police in certain areas, but gaining a job as a police officer is not exactly a cake walk either!

[Renaschelle]

Teaching is considered a 'social service' in a way. It is public so any child can attend (incl. illegal immigrants...whole other topic). Schools are also a social service in the fact they provide counseling, free/reduced lunch to some, child care, and an education all in one setting.

It is also an investment. When people who do not have children pay school taxes, they are investing in the future with hopes that the education a child receives from Kindergarten through 12th grade will help change the future for the better.

[ballzack]

That's true. I guess I am "cynical" of educating other people's children with my money because of personal reasons I won't get in to here.

I also have issue with administrators of schools that take upwards of $300k per year in salary when people like you give their hearts and souls to educate for a fraction of those maga-salaries. But such is life.

I do appreciate any person that is a teacher in a public school. Noble profession indeed.

[MrJim]

I also hear there is a huge shortage of Police in certain areas, but gaining a job as a police officer is not exactly a cake walk either!

Coincidentally, I applied for a job as a police officer here earlier this year. If you can earn the highest of marks on the written test, pass a polygraph, background check, physical agility test, and impress a review panel, you MAY be the one out of a hundred or so that gets the opportunity to enter the police academy, of which most candidates fail within the first week...

That is, of course, IF you're the most qualified (experienced)...

[yee-haw]

Yeah right! I went to college to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children and love learning. We were told from the beginning "there is a teacher shortage."

Really? My friend, Jennifer, and I have applied to approximately 17 school districts (approximately 20 schools possible per district). I had only 3 interviews!!! One was a freebie at a job fair for the district where I was a student teacher for a year. Another one, I was discriminated against, because I was white. They wanted a black or hispanic teacher. It was a very low-socioeconomic school. She was blatantly rude and told me to "be careful driving home" as I left the interview...as if I could not handle myself in the "hood."

I finally got a job teaching 6th and 7th grade English/Language Arts at a Science-centered charter school. My friend, on the other hand, still has not found a job and school starts August 25th here.

Schools tend to focus on standardized testing and not the quality of education, so they are willing to sacrifice highly qualified teachers for someone that is the same race as the students in an attempt to relate the test to said students.

I am lucky that I accepted the position at the school I did, because they actually allow the teachers teach. They are rated as one of the top schools in the United States and are Exemplary rated by the TEA in Texas.

What have you heard about a teaching shortage in your state?

It's good to know you care about your profession as an teacher.

Props to ya' Mrs. jim... Here's a shout out from my hood! "You go girl"

Also reneachelle, It seems here on the northcoast it's the same deal, A friend of mine had the same problems finding a teaching job here
It was because she was white and they wanted hispanic like you said or other bull they fed her.

My son goes to a charter school, His experience has been great this far so...
Good luck to you! Keep on teaching.

[ballzack]

Coincidentally, I applied for a job as a police officer here earlier this year. If you can earn the highest of marks on the written test, pass a polygraph, background check, physical agility test, and impress a review panel, you MAY be the one out of a hundred or so that gets the opportunity to enter the police academy, of which most candidates fail within the first week...

That is, of course, IF you're the most qualified (experienced)...

Funny!

I have a friend that is a State Trooper in your state, Haw. He lives near Dayton. Anyway, he told me that during his "interview" years ago, they asked him "so what qualifies you to become a State Patrol Officer?"

he said..

"Well, I have a shitload of speeding tickets, so I really know what it's like to get pulled over!"

They laughed, and admitted him.

[yee-haw]

He realy said that?

[ballzack]

That's what he told me, Haw, and I've never known him to lie.

I would believe him.

[yee-haw]

I have to say... Thats pretty dog-gone cool!

A little wit, humor and all honesty.

[ballzack]

They made a good hire with him.

He quickly worked up to Sargent within 5 years. Last time I talked to him (10 years ago) he was up for another promotion. He's probably a Captain by now.

He's a pit bull terrior. You'd not want to have him pissed at you, especially if he was in uniform. He'd be the guy that would be pounding on a perpitrator in a ditch beside the highway!

But I guess when you have to arrest people that don't want to be arrested, you have to be a pit bull!

[paper warrior]

Props to you, Renaschelle, for being a teacher. I know first-hand how evil children can be, but the job has to be done. Education is crucial, so that the little morons that infest schools don't grow up to be big morons that infest society. (A few exceptions granted.)

[MrBirdy]

Yeah right! I went to college to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children and love learning. We were told from the beginning "there is a teacher shortage."

Really? My friend, Jennifer, and I have applied to approximately 17 school districts (approximately 20 schools possible per district). I had only 3 interviews!!! One was a freebie at a job fair for the district where I was a student teacher for a year. Another one, I was discriminated against, because I was white. They wanted a black or hispanic teacher. It was a very low-socioeconomic school. She was blatantly rude and told me to "be careful driving home" as I left the interview...as if I could not handle myself in the "hood."

I finally got a job teaching 6th and 7th grade English/Language Arts at a Science-centered charter school. My friend, on the other hand, still has not found a job and school starts August 25th here.

Schools tend to focus on standardized testing and not the quality of education, so they are willing to sacrifice highly qualified teachers for someone that is the same race as the students in an attempt to relate the test to said students.

I am lucky that I accepted the position at the school I did, because they actually allow the teachers teach. They are rated as one of the top schools in the United States and are Exemplary rated by the TEA in Texas.

What have you heard about a teaching shortage in your state?

Well, i dont know how its going on down in texas, but here in reno nevada, it is impossible to find a teaching job, and no, its not because we have a huge hispanic and filipino crowd, its because the spots are "frozen" meaning that they are not firing or laying off anyone yet, but stopped hiring because our school district (washoe county) no longer has the money to hire any new employees, even though they are crazy desperate, i mean our school district is bordering on the red line between bankruptcy. Now, unfortunately, our county gets no federal funding, most of our funds come from local city taxes, in great part casinos (if it weren't for bars slot machines and whore houses nevada would have been dead by now) then state taxes, but thats like not much, and finally we receive ABSOLUTELY NO FEDERAL FUNDING, the only schools that do receive federal funds is Head Start pre-schools. and despite the fact that we do not receive federal funds, we still have to give money to the "feds" so our fair little city has to reallocate funds, ohhh... but wait, whats this, the rest of the city's projects are also low on funding, so then our brave fire department has to organize fund raisers, and then, wait, our regional transportation commission has to file for bankruptcy also! Ohh, and wait, its only getting worst, because casinos are now paying less and less taxes, no, its not because of lobbyists, its because their business is going down the shitter because of indian casinos in other states! so then we are left with few alternatives but to either A raise taxes, or B stop paying for shit at the federal level like the war, and other side projects!

I wish i could go back to my original point, but i forgot what is was, and im too lazy to go back and look for it...