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Alabama Teachers Chatboard

Alabama Teacher's Test ??

by Wendy Oliver

Jul 3, 2008

Hi, I am moving to Alabama. I have been teaching for 20 years in NJ. Would you please tell me what test I'll have to take to get my Alabama teacher's license? Also, what book to get to study. Thank you very much, Wendy

view previous comments

Sarah A I often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area. That's not necessarily a bad thing. That means that the students here should be getting instruc...See MoreI often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area. That's not necessarily a bad thing. That means that the students here should be getting instruction from the best of the best! That's awesome! I just think that saying that the job outlook for teachers is good in this area is misleading. If you have to sub to be considered for a position then maybe this isn't the best town for a teaching career. I don't know about you all but I can't afford to sub for a year for $50 a day. I got offered a job at a private school for $10 an hour. Again, I can't afford to work for pay like that. If you can, that's great!I just think that people moving to the area should know that finding a position is difficult and if you are forced to sub you may not be able to feed your family! I don't want anyone to go through the difficulty that I have!

On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote:

> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and > not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. > I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always > coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in > love with the area! The city is constantly growing as > people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few > of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your > questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me it > is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am not > sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private > school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but > so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school > here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High > School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The > salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to > city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the > city and county school system but there are some ways to > assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another > is to work for a good private school with a good reputation > first and then move into the system. I teach at a private > school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my > job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay > enormously well. I work because of the love of the children > and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school > system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know > what will happen once school commences. We are a very > close knit group and we are very good friends. I will talk > with you more if we email each other. I hope you find > something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can > consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed > last year and before I could call teachers back, they had > already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster > was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to > work into the system and sometimes that means taking a > lower paying job in the private sector and then working > into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved > here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care > and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and > email me if you want. Ronda > > > >

Jul 17, 2008

Ronda On 7/17/08, Sarah A wrote: > I often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you > need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and > get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there > is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area. > That's not necessarily a bad thing. That me...See MoreOn 7/17/08, Sarah A wrote: > I often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you > need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and > get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there > is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area. > That's not necessarily a bad thing. That means that the students > here should be getting instruction from the best of the best! > That's awesome!

Sarah, you can have a Master's but you will need to prove yourself to a perspective principal. In order to do that, subbing is one route. Once you get your "foot in the door", the principal can assess you and the staff get to know your talents or lack thereof. I am sure you would prefer not to sub, but that is a good way to show off your talents. Many people have a Master's and have little or no experience. I prefer to have a teacher with some good experience. An unwillingness to do what it takes to acquire a job through whatever means is necessary will not net one a job. A Master's is not the only consideration. As a principal myself, I look for much more than that. And this is not the only area that subbing is recommended. If you get on the regular chatboard you will see that many, principals/teachers recommend subbing. If that is not what you are willing to do, you may have to settle for something different. One thing you may want to do is chat with Jan on the regular board. She trains teachers and has some excellent tips for acquiring a teaching job and much, much more. She is a gold mine of information!

> I just think that saying that the job outlook for teachers is > good in this area is misleading. If you have to sub to be > considered for a position then maybe this isn't the best town for > a teaching career. I don't know about you all but I can't afford > to sub for a year for $50 a day. > I got offered a job at a private school for $10 an hour. Again, I > can't afford to work for pay like that. If you can, that's > great!I just think that people moving to the area should know > that finding a position is difficult and if you are forced to sub > you may not be able to feed your family! I don't want anyone to > go through the difficulty that I have!

I am sorry you are having such a tough time finding something but you may need to compromise a bit. I think the one who is hurting in this situation is you, therefore, you can't afford not to take a job if the ultimate goal is to work in the system. If you negotiate your salary in a good private school, you may be able to make about $15.00 an hour or so but if you have little experience, you probably won't be able to get that much. One thing I would recommend is starting at a good private school. It has been my experience that teachers who work at a local private school with a good reputation and put that on their resume often are able to move into the system after a year or two. I know that this has happened in many cases with people who have come into the area. Also, getting experience by whatever means you can will help. Keep in mind that there are many people from this area that are Certified, Highly Qualified teachers and they are seeking jobs just as you are. Good Luck on your job search and though I know you don't feel you went to school to get your Master's just to sub for low pay, you are not doing it just to sub for low pay, you are doing it to obtain a permanent teaching job. It is a means to an end. Just not the one you want. I do understand that and you will get what you want eventually. We all had to start somewhere and we all had to work our way up. If I hear of anything that you might be interested in I will try to chat with you on this board. What grades do you teach? Can you share a little about yourself. I will put my email up so you can email me should you decide to. Much luck to you in your job pursuits. Ronda

> > > > On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: > >> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and >> not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. >> I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always >> coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in >> love with the area! The city is constantly growing as >> people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few >> of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your >> questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me it >> is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am not >> sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private >> school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but >> so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school >> here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High >> School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The >> salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to >> city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the >> city and county school system but there are some ways to >> assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another >> is to work for a good private school with a good reputation >> first and then move into the system. I teach at a private >> school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my >> job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay >> enormously well. I work because of the love of the children >> and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school >> system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know >> what will happen once school commences. We are a very >> close knit group and we are very good friends. I will talk >> with you more if we email each other. I hope you find >> something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can >> consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed >> last year and before I could call teachers back, they had >> already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster >> was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to >> work into the system and sometimes that means taking a >> lower paying job in the private sector and then working >> into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved >> here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care >> and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and >> email me if you want. Ronda >> >> >> >>

Jul 17, 2008

Sarah I do know that many principals recommend subbing. I wish that I could afford to do that! It's not that I am "unwilling" to sub, I am "unable" to sub! I will definitely have to leave the education field while in Huntsville b/c 50 a day just doesn't pay the bills! I do have experience (5 years in another state) and still have not received any calls f...See MoreI do know that many principals recommend subbing. I wish that I could afford to do that! It's not that I am "unwilling" to sub, I am "unable" to sub! I will definitely have to leave the education field while in Huntsville b/c 50 a day just doesn't pay the bills! I do have experience (5 years in another state) and still have not received any calls from principals. Most positions I have called about are being filled from within or they have already made a recommendation. Honestly there have been very few elementary positions open in the Huntsville area this summer. I have great references from past principals and was a "model" teacher back at home. This means other teachers were sent in to observe me so they could improve their teaching. With the glowing references that I have along with the positive experience I'm just baffled as to why I haven't even got an interview! I am just really confused with the system here. I don't want to sound negative, I guess I am just really frustrated. School starts in a couple of weeks and I don't have a job. It's just been a real change to live in a place where teachers don't have work. Thanks for the advice about Jan. I will look for her on here! I need any and all help I can get!

On 7/17/08, Ronda wrote: > On 7/17/08, Sarah A wrote: >> I often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you >> need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and >> get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there >> is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area. >> That's not necessarily a bad thing. That means that the students >> here should be getting instruction from the best of the best! >> That's awesome! > > Sarah, you can have a Master's but you will need to prove yourself > to a perspective principal. In order to do that, subbing is one > route. Once you get your "foot in the door", the principal can > assess you and the staff get to know your talents or lack thereof. > I am sure you would prefer not to sub, but that is a good way to > show off your talents. Many people have a Master's and have little > or no experience. I prefer to have a teacher with some good > experience. An unwillingness to do what it takes to acquire a job > through whatever means is necessary will not net one a job. A > Master's is not the only consideration. As a principal myself, I > look for much more than that. And this is not the only area that > subbing is recommended. If you get on the regular chatboard you > will see that many, principals/teachers recommend subbing. If that > is not what you are willing to do, you may have to settle for > something different. One thing you may want to do is chat with Jan > on the regular board. She trains teachers and has some excellent > tips for acquiring a teaching job and much, much more. She is a > gold mine of information! > >> I just think that saying that the job outlook for teachers is >> good in this area is misleading. If you have to sub to be >> considered for a position then maybe this isn't the best town for >> a teaching career. I don't know about you all but I can't afford >> to sub for a year for $50 a day. >> I got offered a job at a private school for $10 an hour. Again, I >> can't afford to work for pay like that. If you can, that's >> great!I just think that people moving to the area should know >> that finding a position is difficult and if you are forced to sub >> you may not be able to feed your family! I don't want anyone to >> go through the difficulty that I have! > > I am sorry you are having such a tough time finding something but > you may need to compromise a bit. I think the one who is hurting > in this situation is you, therefore, you can't afford not to take a > job if the ultimate goal is to work in the system. If you > negotiate your salary in a good private school, you may be able to > make about $15.00 an hour or so but if you have little experience, > you probably won't be able to get that much. One thing I would > recommend is starting at a good private school. It has been my > experience that teachers who work at a local private school with a > good reputation and put that on their resume often are able to move > into the system after a year or two. I know that this has happened > in many cases with people who have come into the area. Also, > getting experience by whatever means you can will help. Keep in > mind that there are many people from this area that are Certified, > Highly Qualified teachers and they are seeking jobs just as you > are. Good Luck on your job search and though I know you don't feel > you went to school to get your Master's just to sub for low pay, > you are not doing it just to sub for low pay, you are doing it to > obtain a permanent teaching job. It is a means to an end. Just not > the one you want. I do understand that and you will get what you > want eventually. We all had to start somewhere and we all had to > work our way up. If I hear of anything that you might be > interested in I will try to chat with you on this board. What > grades do you teach? Can you share a little about yourself. I will > put my email up so you can email me should you decide to. Much luck > to you in your job pursuits. Ronda > > >> >> >> >> On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: >> >>> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and >>> not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. >>> I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always >>> coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in >>> love with the area! The city is constantly growing as >>> people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few >>> of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your >>> questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me it >>> is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am not >>> sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private >>> school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but >>> so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school >>> here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High >>> School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The >>> salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to >>> city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the >>> city and county school system but there are some ways to >>> assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another >>> is to work for a good private school with a good reputation >>> first and then move into the system. I teach at a private >>> school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my >>> job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay >>> enormously well. I work because of the love of the children >>> and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school >>> system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know >>> what will happen once school commences. We are a very >>> close knit group and we are very good friends. I will talk >>> with you more if we email each other. I hope you find >>> something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can >>> consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed >>> last year and before I could call teachers back, they had >>> already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster >>> was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to >>> work into the system and sometimes that means taking a >>> lower paying job in the private sector and then working >>> into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved >>> here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care >>> and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and >>> email me if you want. Ronda >>> >>> >>> >>> >

Jul 17, 2008

Wendy Oliver On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: > Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and > not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. > I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always > coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in > love with the area! The city is constantly growing as > people ...See MoreOn 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: > Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and > not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. > I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always > coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in > love with the area! The city is constantly growing as > people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few > of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your > questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me it > is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am not > sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private > school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but > so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school > here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High > School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The > salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to > city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the > city and county school system but there are some ways to > assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another > is to work for a good private school with a good reputation > first and then move into the system. I teach at a private > school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my > job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay > enormously well. I work because of the love of the children > and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school > system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know > what will happen once school commences. We are a very > close knit group and we are very good friends. I will talk > with you more if we email each other. I hope you find > something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can > consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed > last year and before I could call teachers back, they had > already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster > was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to > work into the system and sometimes that means taking a > lower paying job in the private sector and then working > into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved > here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care > and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and > email me if you want. Ronda > > Ronda, Here is my email address: [email removed];

Jul 19, 2008

Wendy, I emailed you! Ronda On 7/19/08, Wendy Oliver wrote: > On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: >> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large > and >> not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. >> I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always >> coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in >> love...See MoreOn 7/19/08, Wendy Oliver wrote: > On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote: >> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large > and >> not too small. The people here are very friendly overall. >> I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always >> coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in >> love with the area! The city is constantly growing as >> people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few >> of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your >> questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me > it >> is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am > not >> sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private >> school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but >> so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school >> here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High >> School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The >> salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to >> city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the >> city and county school system but there are some ways to >> assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another >> is to work for a good private school with a good reputation >> first and then move into the system. I teach at a private >> school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my >> job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay >> enormously well. I work because of the love of the children >> and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school >> system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know >> what will happen once school commences. We are a very >> close knit group and we are very good friends. I will > talk >> with you more if we email each other. I hope you find >> something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can >> consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed >> last year and before I could call teachers back, they had >> already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster >> was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to >> work into the system and sometimes that means taking a >> lower paying job in the private sector and then working >> into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved >> here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care >> and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and >> email me if you want. Ronda >> >> Ronda, Here is my email address: [email removed];

Jul 19, 2008

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