Thought I’d create a place for parents of education majors to discuss the nuances involved. Choosing a school seems more complex. Which states pay teachers the most? How hard is it to leave the state where you received the certification? Which states have a decent teacher pension plan (none). Which schools truly offer a unique teaching certification curriculum?
We live in CT and D is considering schools in New York state but has friends who’ve gone to schools in the South. She’d like to experience a different region but New England states are fairly competitive when it comes to teacher salary and it seems any reciprocity agreements would mandate 5 years experience, probably most easily done in the state where certification takes place. It’s not just “where do you want to go to school?” but where can you see yourself living for up to 5 years after?
One of the schools on her list was Wheelock in Boston, well known for their education program. Well, Wheelock has been swallowed up by Boston University which is a very competitive school and likely not achievable for D.
Hoping others can chime in with their thoughts/experiences.
We are in AZ. Our state schools are likely to be affordable, and we want S (current junior) to avoid debt, but teacher pay here is terrible. Add that to the fact that he’s planning on music ed, so there’s auditions to throw into the mix. And our budget is somewhat smaller than our EFC. We have a pretty short list of schools at the moment.
If your kiddo wants to teach in CT and wants to be guaranteed that she will satisfy the CT requirements for teacher certification…I would strongly suggest she attend college in CT (I’m a CT resident…and public school educator).
Yes…she will be able to get her certification to teach here in CT. NO it won’t take her five additional years…who told you that? But she will have to take the praxis tests here…and she will have to show that she has taken all,of the required courses for certification in CT.
In addition, consider what KIND of teaching she will be doing. If it’s elementary school, she needs to understand that there are about 200 or so applicants for EACH elementary school position in most places in CT. And she will be competing with folks with teaching exoerince.
One thing she should do…especially if elementary school…is get dual certified in special education. St. joseph’s In West Hartford requires this.
Parentof - my daughter jokes that the school she interns at has a music teacher opening. It’s a shame there isn’t national certification to make it easier for applicants to go where the jobs are.
Her bottom of the barrel CT backup is Eastern. She doesn’t want to go to UCONN and admission there has gotten quite competitive (so different than back in my day). Quinnipiac is on her list now as are 2 SUNY schools. She was deferred from Syracuse University ED and if she gets in we may not be awarded enough aid for it to be a viable option. She does intend to get dual certification in special ed. The five additional years I referred to was a ballpark based on many States reciprocity requirements http://nasdtec.site-ym.com/?InterstateAgreements
She’s going to consider Temple in PA and one or 2 schools in Florida. She has a friend begging her to go to Ole Miss.
thumper1 have you ever moved from one state to another and had to get re certified?
No need to get certified as an undergrad - and no need to major in education, particularly in Connecticut. (My husband also a certified CT elementary school teacher.). Instead, your daughter can attend any college in the country and major in whatever interests her, making sure she has a sufficient number of undergrad credits in the humanities to qualify for the Masters in Teaching at any of the CT schools or in her field of choice if she wants to be a high school teacher. Then she can apply for a masters degree and do an internship in a school district in CT (which will pay for the degree as well as give her a valuable year of classroom experience). Some districts hire their interns as full time building subs after the internship ends but before the degree is completed. Many districts hire their interns. If her SAT scores were high enough, she may not have to sit for the Praxis exam (to gain entry to the program). We have a friend whose son just completed a MAT at Sacred Heart while working for a local district. He was a history and government dual major at UConn undergrad and is now certified as an elementary school teacher. Got a job offer from a NY charter school and started working earlier in the year. They are processing the paperwork to get his certification recognized in NY.
I have national certification in my field…so my situation is a little different. But yes…I have worked in five different states with five different requirements for teacher certification.
But more important…I know what it takes to be certified in CT when coming from OOS. Now. Not when I did my moving around.
Folks coming from OOS have to contact the SDE in CT…and get the ball rolling if they want to apply for jobs here. Where I worked, we would not interview anyone unless their application for CT certification was in the works.
I will add…we almost never hired a first year…right out of college applicant. I worked at the elementary level…and with 200 or more applicants for each opening, we didn’t need to look at folks without some kind of experience.
@janjmom some school districts have internship programs with tuition assistance…and a relationship with some college…BUT that is NOT available in all districts. In addition, during the internship year, the pay is about minimum wage, with no benefits. But yes…if one can get one of those positions…in the few districts that offer them…it’s a good way to get some experience…and a foot in the door.
What SUNY schools is your D considering? SUNY Plattsburgh has a very good 5 year BA/MA program. Your daughter can graduate dually certified in both regular and special education.
Well, I say SUNY schools are on the list but she has it in her head that a very large school is her scene. Hence Temple. The SUNY schools that she’s agreed to apply to are New Paltz and Geneseo. They aren’t large though. It’s my opinion all the SUNY schools are great value.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of days since the disappointment of the Syracuse deferral. She is fixated on that school.
Tonight I researched some of the Florida University programs and saw no mention of dual certification (elementary/special ed) nor any mention of special ed at all so those are likely off the list (at least my list)! University of Vermont seems excellent (and large) but she is lukewarm about it. Clemson is in the same category as Syracuse, bit of a reach for her but she’d go there readily.
I really appreciate the posts folks, thanks! Good to hear everyone’s thoughts and point of view.
The ed. world gets complicated when it comes to certification. It is not always easy to transfer, but some states are easier than others. It’s not easy to get into NY from elsewhere because of their unique requirements. There are things you can do to make it easier though, like taking your subject area PRAXIS exams and taking any extra tests/classes that CT requires while still in school. The school will likely not help there. It’s on you to figure out what you need to do. Also know that what one certification covers in one state may not be the same elsewhere. e.g. my state has a separate endorsement for grades 6-8, so someone with an elementary cert. k-6 might only be k-5 here.
When looking at schools, you’ll want to know what methods they train in. Most are pretty generic, but some do Waldorf or Montessori. You’ll also want to know about how soon and what kinds of classroom experience students get. My school placed us in the classroom delivering instruction as sophomores. I was teaching 3/4 years, which was valuable experience. Having a lab school is nice bonus.
My D graduated from the 5 year program at SUNY Plattsburgh, which was mentioned upthread, with cert in birth through 6th grade and a masters in special ed. She got a job in NYC very easily and scored very well on the licensing exams, including the new one, which was first given in her year. However, she loved the resource room she taught in, but the principal constantly used her as a sub and she hated classroom teaching. After one year, she quit and now works in educational technology, training teachers. It’s a job that her degrees made accessible to her and one that she loves. Although she no longer teaches, she very much values her education and her degree. AND, she loved Plattsburgh, as did my middle son, who also attended there.
The major difference is that neither Geneseo nor New Paltz offer a 5 year program. When my D entered Plattsburgh, you applied for the 5 year program in your first semester and you were admitted if your grades were good. The major benefits are not having to apply to grad school, earning your masters in 18 months and having the first semester of grad school charged at UG rates. At Geneseo (at least a few years ago), you had to take classes in the first year and then apply to the school of education, with no guarantee of acceptance, so you could wind up wasting a year of classes. I know kids who have attended both Geneseo and New Paltz and it took them a lot longer to get their masters and cost a lot more than my D’s degrees.
Also, final word, I personally see no reason to attend a school other than a SUNY to teach in NY, unless you have lots and lots of money to spend.
Wow, I’m very glad for this feedback! Gloria, yes we have been looking at the amount of hands on experience offered.
techmom, great insight. I’ll be reading these responses to D. I agree about SUNY schools being the way to go if she wants to teach in NY and we definitely don’t have lots of money, that’s for sure. I’ll be re-scrutinizing the education program websites for all the potential schools with an eye toward 5 year programs. Time to start a spreadsheet I think. I’m glad your daughter had flexibility to choose a non teaching position and that she’s happy with it!
I know my daughter is looking at her future time in college and eventual career through rose colored glasses. But this kid is my straight as an arrow, decisive child. She’s interned at a preschool and currently works in a daycare with 70 2-5 year old children of mostly low end economic households. She’s had chairs thrown at her, attempted stabbings with a plastic knife…she’s definitely vetted her interest and commitment to working with this particular age group. In the New year she’ll intern at an elementary school possibly in 1st or 2nd grade. She knows what she wants to do. Fortunately she’s been introduced to the concept of student debt through the school, acquaintances and us. While she may apply to financial reach schools she knows it makes no sense to accrue major debt. I encourage her to dream but also be realistic when the aid packages come in.
Hearing from people like yourselves is immensely valuable! Thanks again for taking the time and effort to record your thoughts, all are welcome.
My daughter graduated from a small LAC in WI and earned her certification there.
She decided to move to Virginia and found it pretty easy to get certified. Her coursework all counted, and so she just had to take a couple of standardized tests.
She found it easy to get a job as well-- she went to a job fair at one of growing suburbs of DC and walked out with a job offer.
I really think that getting certification in another state IS very doable…and possible. The new,t minted teacher just has to be proactive and contact the SDE and find out what is required.
Even in CT, it’s very doable.
But really for elementary education positions in this state…the competition for jobs is very there. Just an FYI.
The competition for elementary school jobs in the tri-state area is fierce. It helps to be dually certified in regular and special education. One of our teachers ( pre k-5) has a special math certification ( not sure what exactly) and that helped.
Most of the teachers in my school did not attend college in the state.
I have a lot of friends and relatives that teach. A SIL, a BIL, Mr R, my best friend, etc etc. The number one advice- minimize debt as much as possible.
Thanks for starting this. My D is at a local state university so we are not spending a huge sum of money on her education. She will be certified as English only, K-12. She is also planning on getting ESL certified. My state also is very competitive for teaching openings unless you are high school math/science. Also because we live in an expensive state I have been very clear that she should not feel obligated to stay local. I know of kids who have moved away (Las Vegas comes to mind) and have done very well.
I’ve also heard of kids who left the state for college, returned with an education degree, and couldn’t get anything, as they did not have the benefits of student teaching or substitute teaching in the state. So if you really want your child to teach in the state you are in, i would think it makes sense to have her degree from an in state school.
If so, and she wants to work in a public school…dual certification in special education will likely be a MUST. There aren’t too many public schools with regular education preschools for all. Most are preschool programs which have special education students in them.
I do not agree with Montessori training UNLESS she plans to work in a Montessori school. If so…this will be required…and is completely separate from her college studies.
Depending on the school, extra method training isn’t separate. Within my program, I was trained in four methods with an emphasis on one. Plenty of schools offer these types of classes either as J-term/May term or summer if they’re not offered during the regular semester.
You don’t necessarily need to be SPED certified specifically, but you do need side skills or some specialty training. If SPED doesn’t appeal, ESL can get you a job too. I’m in a slightly different market, but my bonus skills are what have gotten me hired. Extra literacy classes may help as well.
A word of forewarning here, there’s extra costs associated with ed. degrees that you aren’t always told about in advance. Whatever standardized tests are required cost, plus possibly a background check fee, plus a student-teaching fee (several hundred), and if the state does it edTPA (~$400) and eventually licensing fees. EdTPA is a colossal pain in the butt. Depending on the environment, she may need to flesh out a teaching wardrobe too. Every school has different requirements with attire, so don’t be surprised if she needs non-slip shoes or something. The program may require her to have a car on campus, which means paying for a parking sticker.
Public schools do not charge for parking stickers. Every private school I know of gives their faculty FREE parking.
YMMV…depending on your locale…but that has been the norm in all five states in which I’ve worked.
But yes…there are fees associated with becoming a teacher. There are costs to take…and retake if necessary…the Praxis tests. Many states have fees associated with teacher certification.
In addition, if your daughter does get a job with her bachelors, most states require getting a masters within a certain number of years.
She needs to know her market. A special education dual certification will most definitely help her get an elementary job in CT. An ELL certification might get her an ELL job…but it won’t help get her a regular elementary classroom job.
Being bilingual in Spanish is helpful in some school districts.