<p>paying3tuitions,
Excellent post and I think you’ve hit on the number one reason that people believe that there is so much nepotism in teacher hiring. With student teachers or even former students there is a known quantity. Even a bad first year teacher is not so easy to remove unless they have physically assaulted a student in front of witnesses so it makes sense they want to hire someone that they know.</p>
<p>^LOL, in my own experience, the teachers you wouldn’t want in front of your students get so mauled they remove themselves before the end of the first year. There’s a big revolving door in the front of a school building for untenured first-year teachers whose names nobody can quite remember. And no shame on them; some school situations are impossible from the get-go. it’s very challenging work and if a teacher knows it’s not a fit, they sometimes do better in other types of work and are happier. Being asked to leave after one year is heartbreaking to some who want the chance to evolve.</p>
<p>It also takes 3 years for most promising teachers to become good, which is why they don’t determine tenure until after 2-3 years of probationary teaching in many states. I was TERRIBLE my first year, but figured it out by year 2, then was awesome by Year 3, if I do say so myself. I just pity the parents and students from my first classroom.</p>
<p>Cadbury,</p>
<p>In the LDS faith, women don’t work. They stay home to raise kids. So the women that go to BYU are actually going to become more knowledgable and to meet a husband. Even today, it’s still very true and very strong. </p>
<p>Walk around BYU today and you will find many young women that are very interested in meeting a man to get married to and start a family. Since the LDS faith is a family-oriented faith, it makes a lot more sense for a LDS women to attend BYU where there are a lot of eligibile LDS men rather than a state college that may only with only a handful of LDS people.</p>
<p>Thank you Paying3tuitions your post was VERY helpful. I am in the dark when considering a degree in education. I certainly think it would be a good idea to start your career in education where you did your student teaching. I don’t have any illusions that I get a vote in where she may settle down but I do hope we’ll be nearby. D2 wants to work in “under performing” environments where she feels she could make the biggest impact - this is a definite passion. I know her perspective may/will change but that’s what she is aiming for right now. I am lucky that I know some young teachers of the same mindset and am hoping she can spend some time with them (maybe even in the classroom) to get some practical dose of reality. I think this would either confirm her current opinions or perhaps lead her to other interests. Either way is fine with me. I wholeheartedly think we need the best teachers possible in the public system the question is how to do so? There is a new book coming out regarding what makes a good teacher this spring - I will definitely bet that one!
Lemov’s Taxonomy 49 behaviors</p>
<p>bigtrees,</p>
<p>I’m from Utah, and I know plenty of LDS women who work–true, most have children and stay home with them, but so did my mother (we’re not Mormon) and lots of other women of all faiths (or lack thereof).</p>
<p>Teaching has got to be the best profession on the face of the Earth. I cannot think of any job where I could have more fun. I have been at it for 10 years and I am as excited now as I was the first day I started. I am in my mid 40’s and tell everyone I am going another 30-40 years!!!</p>
<p>I got my first teaching job while I was still in private industry. It was a science position, during my interview I didn’t know the answers to any questions and the principal also didn’t ask me some questions because I had not had any training in the field. I found out about the interview 4 days before school started. No one else showed up for their interview and I got the job. A month later the same thing happened at a college and I became an adjunct professor. The toughest question I got on one of my interviews was, “Can you start Tuesday?” My first year I was “Teacher of the Year” at my school. This was before I had stepped foot in one credentialing course. Some of the students that I had when I taught in junior high are now students in my college class. </p>
<p>I have gotten 3 teaching jobs and 2 college adjunct jobs due to no one else applying.
Despite my love of the profession and the ease in which I have gotten my jobs, I would not pay a whole lot of money to go into the teaching profession. I got a tour at UCLA a few months ago and the tour guide wants to be a teacher. I cannot see spending all that money to teach. I went to a Cal State and paid cash for my credential classes.</p>
<p>The thing about California is they have programs such as the APLE which will pay back loans after you have recieved your teaching credential if you are willing to work in certain areas and/or teach certain subjects. I don’t think it applies for private colleges.</p>
<p>I would tell my kid to go to the cheapest school to get their credential.</p>
<p>Mysonsdad, I should have my DS2 talk to you, because he wants to be a teacher. He is in 10th grade right now. What courses should he be taking right now? SHould he take AP Psych?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>It depends on your financial aid package. My older D went to Colgate. She originally was an education major. Her FA package made it cheaper for her to go to Colgate than to a SUNY.</p>
<p>It often boggles my mind as to why many students will not get into grad programs in other professions with a sub 3.0 gpa, but we take teachers into grad school, and will confer masters on someone with a 2.75 gpa. I have always wondered, how can a teacher know what is “A” work if they have never received an “A”?</p>
<p>Excellent!!!</p>
<p>What boggles my mind is that there was a time when students had to meet very high expectations to become teachers. A friend of mine, a retired PHYSICIAN, had hopes of becoming a teacher in NY. However, she wasn’t accepted because they said she didn’t meet some standard (this was many, many years ago). However, she met the standards to become a doctor…and she went to a top med school!</p>
<p>At this point my S (CA resident) wants to teach HS math. CA seeing a coming shortage of math teachers is starting a program called project math at CSU Chico next fall. The program will provide both the math degree AND the teaching credential in 4 yrs. Due to the budget cuts other degrees are taking 5-6 yrs and you still need an additional yr for the credential. He’s in at Chico and has applied to the program. So this is a no brain er right?
Of course not, a couple of LAC’s (waiting rd) are way ahead on his list. We will do the spread it all out on the table thing and see what $ to desire works out to.</p>