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Illinois Teachers Chatboard

breaking teacher contract before school begins

by Angela

Jul 19, 2010

I would like to know if anyone knows if there is a penalty for breaking a teacher contract before the school year begins in the state of Illinois? It is for personal reasons. I accepted a position early in the summer being happy to have found a decent school during this shortage of teaching jobs. I now, 2 months later, see that there is a job that ...See More

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Mary/3/IL Angela,

You might want to discuss this with your association president. I believe the district where you have your contract could request your certificate be pulled by ISBE if you accept another contract within 30 days of the first day of school.

But, please check and see before worrying too much. I know my principal is waiving th...See More

Jul 20, 2010

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sped Under state law, if you've signed a contract, the district can ask the state to suspend your certificate if you unilaterally jump ship on your contract. However, if you ASK the district to let you out of the contract, and they agree, you're fine. The main difference is asking. If the district says yes, then you are fine, but if they say no, then yo...See More

Jul 20, 2010

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How can you folks not be talking about this?

by Dan

Jul 19, 2010

are we avoiding this? cause we shouldn't. we can't.

[link removed]

we need to have some serious discusson about teacher pay, union overreaching, and local versus state or federal school funding in general.

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Susan On 8/20/10, lee/retired wrote: > Downside-downstate >> salaries are lower and there is no union. >> > I am from downstate. > 1) Correction....downstate schools do have unions. > > Mahomet-Seymour in Champaign County is now on strike for more > money as of yesterday, and more power to them! Their union is > strong, u...See More

Aug 20, 2010

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Bananas Teachers talk about this a lot. It is common sense for PE teachers to go hand-in-hand with coaching due to their athletic interests. If PE teachers earn higher salaries by percentage, I consider that they are earning the same base/level as teachers of other academic areas. Their pay, as well as teachers of other academic areas, increases when their...See MoreTeachers talk about this a lot. It is common sense for PE teachers to go hand-in-hand with coaching due to their athletic interests. If PE teachers earn higher salaries by percentage, I consider that they are earning the same base/level as teachers of other academic areas. Their pay, as well as teachers of other academic areas, increases when their load is heavier than others. Degrees will increase salaries in some districts. Teaching an extra period/subject will also increase pay for some. I know of many coaches who coach not one sport, but two or three during a school year. This compounds yearly, and the pay levels are higher. How many teachers earn more money in a year by taking on tutoring or other part-time jobs, to add to their income?

I do not begrudge other teachers who earn more than I do. I hope you, and many other teachers who are hoping for employment, are able to find a position soon. This is a very tight job market for ALL, not just teachers. More teens were unable to find summer jobs as adults were looking to support their families. These teens save less toward college than others in past years.

It is a very high rate of college graduates who return to live at home with Mom and Dad as they cannot find a job and yet have to repay their college loans. We as parents have our share of paying off college loans, with increased expenses of supporting the graduates who have returned home.

I really shouldn't way we. My son was exceedingly fortunate to find an accounting position with John Deere after he graduated, and he is making more than I am. I have years in teaching and another degree.

What really got my goat, and this takes the topic on a tangent, is when I heard over the summer that the Cubs had signed three players for $121,000,000 over a number of years. I was reading about all the layoffs districts in our state were considering at the time. I could only shake my head and wonder how many teachers that would fund.

Also, consider all the money that teachers and districts have put into the TRS for pensions. Our state government has used the money, our money, to fund programs for the present, without thought as to how they will return the money. This makes me angry! For all the money that I have earned where money has gone into Social Security for jobs not ed related, I will get little or nothing. I will get little or nothing from my husband's should he go first. Responsible families do not charge money without having the funds on hand to pay for the expenses when they come due. We don't spend if we do not have the money on hand to pay, with the exception of our house mortgage. Why should the government lead by the example of spending so much money it does not have?

Sep 3, 2010

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LBS1....Need Help

by Amanda

Jul 21, 2010

Hello,

I am currently going for my LBS1 endorsement. I was hoping to take a few online courses through University of Phoenix. I've heard mixed reviews on whether the courses prepare you for the test. Any advice?

Also, what courses do transfer from University of Phoenix?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

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jas gawla On 9/09/11, sped wrote: > On 9/06/11, jas gawla wrote: >> Since I have the TYPE 09 and have been for a few >> years, I plan on working for the LBS1 endorsement. >> Can I receive the TEACH grant for the endorsement? I >> wasn't sure if it was only given to students in a >> degree-seeking program. But, on the requirem...See More

Sep 28, 2011

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Cheryl McMillan On 7/30/10, Amanda wrote: > On 7/26/10, Amanda wrote: >> On 7/25/10, Hollywood wrote: >>> On 7/24/10, Amanda wrote: >>> >>>>> TRANSFER: I guess I should have used a different term >>>> instead of transfer. I'm wondering what courses will count >>>> toward obtaining my LBS1 from ISBE....See More

Feb 3, 2013

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LBS1

by jodi

Jul 25, 2010

I am looking to find somewhere that offers the 4 courses for the LBS1 endorsement and to to be eligible to then take the test. Does anyone know of anywhere offering these courses? So far, I have only found masters programs requiring 7-9 courses to cover the 4 topics the state requires.

Thanks

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sped Here's a link to Roosevelt's page:

[link removed]

They cost a MINT, from what I've been told. U of Phoenix has classes online, but it's not exactly set up for the IL endorsement, so you have to take an additional class. Still much cheaper apparently that Roosevelt, but it is all online, so you would have to be comfortable with tha...See More

Jul 26, 2010

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Amanda On 7/26/10, sped wrote: > Here's a link to Roosevelt's page: > > [link removed].

Right now I have: SPE 511 ~ Special Education Methods SPE 512 ~ Special Education Assessment and Orientation SPE 531 ~ Characteristics of MR and Learning Disabilities SPE 537 ~ Characteristics of Learning Disabilites

I already have the intro ...See More

Jul 30, 2010

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PE endorsement

by TO

Jul 26, 2010

Does anybody know where I can take some of the courses for a PE endorsement? Here is the list of various courses that my ROE said I would need to complete. However, I am having trouble finding colleges that offer the courses. I am fine taking the courses at various colleges. I would prefer online courses. I live in Chicago. Thanks!!

Healt...See More

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Teacher Certification Programs/Bachelor's or Master's?

by guten tag

Jul 30, 2010

Hi,

I was hoping some people would be kind enough to offer me some insight. I am currently looking into going back to school to become a teacher. My primary interest is teaching high school German, but I'm also looking at earning a second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teac...See More

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guten tag Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to that. I'm weighing all of my options before committing to anything, and this forum has proved quite ...See MoreThank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to that. I'm weighing all of my options before committing to anything, and this forum has proved quite helpful.

Take care.

On 8/01/10, sped wrote: > On 7/30/10, guten tag wrote: >> Hi, >> >>I'm also looking at earning a >> second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make >> myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teaching >> them if I can't find any German positions. (I'm aware of >> the layoffs, dismal future, etc.) > > Good, you're aware. Even ESL and bilingual jobs are drying up. > Understand that a significant number of new teachers will NOT > get jobs, in any field, for the next several years. I hate to > be a downer, but it's also true. Illinois has never had a good > teacher job market, but there were other states one could go, > like Florida, Arizona, Nevada, etc. Well, they're in worse > shape than we are, so it's not a good time to be looking for a > teaching job anywhere, and will likely continue that way for > the next few years. >> >> I already have a bachelor's. I would have to take quite a >> few more German and Spanish classes in addition to all of >> the education courses and requirements. I am looking to >> teach in the Chicago suburbs or further west into the >> Belvidere/Rockford area. > > I mean, really, with the job market the way it is, I would > suggest that you look at other fields. If you are looking at > going into education, look at a Master's program for Speech and > Language Pathology. If you will need to take a lot of content > courses, plus an ed program, you are probably looking at the > same amount of time/work and you would actually have a hope of > getting a job. They work in schools, there still is a shortage > of them, and they have options outside of schools too. I mean, > really, you will major in education and then likely not work > with kids because you can't get a job. > > However, if you absolutely want to try to become a teacher, > despite the fact that it is very unlikely that you will get a > job, then you should look at Roosevelt or National Louis. They > are very expensive, but NLU will get you a teaching certificate > in one school year, and while you would be 80% of the way to a > graduate degree, you don't have to finish before you get a job, > so you would be cheaper than someone with a completed MA. NIU > and UIC are much cheaper, but they will also take more time, > likely a year and a half to two years. > >> Is it true that it is better not to get a master's and to >> just complete the certification requirements at the >> undergrad level so as to improve your chances of getting >> hired. (Because a bachelor's applicant would be cheaper to >> hire?) > > Depends. There's no set policy. As with any job, you need to > sell yourself. I've never been pressured in my district to > recommend someone for hire who is bargain basement cheap, but I > have been asked "why is he/she worth the extra pay." You need > to give me the answer to that question in the interview. You > need to sell yourself and why you're worth extra money. In > general, people with Master's degrees are less likely to leave > the profession after a couple of years as that they've invested > more time and money in the field, so that's a plus, but in > these lean times, there are penny pinchers out there. > >>It seems like some certification programs at the >> graduate level take a shorter amount of time to complete, >> but that seems counterintuitive. > > You're right. Many of the programs are shorter. Master's > degrees are 30-40 semester hours. Bachelor's are 120+ and have > a myriad of liberal arts requirements that your first degree > might not satisfy. There are some programs that are post-BA, > but non-graduate cert programs. They don't get you any closer > to a MA and don't get you a higher slot on the salary schedule, > but they're just about as much work as a Master's program would > be. It's up to you. > > As far as getting a second bachelors, that takes longer because > undergrad degrees have all those pesky, ever-changing liberal > arts requirements, so while you're trying to become a teacher, > your university needs you to take an art class or a history > class to satisfy some lib arts requirement that didn't transfer > from your first degree. > >> Once you earn the initial certification can you just take a >> few more classes to become certified in something like ESL? > > Six more classes, plus a test, to be precise. However, if you > speak Spanish, you should go the Bilingual route, which is > about the same number of courses.

Aug 1, 2010

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sped On 8/01/10, guten tag wrote: > Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my > questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are > awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I > would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to > that. I'm weighing all of my options before co...See More

Aug 2, 2010

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new teaching position

by syndey

Aug 2, 2010

have been switched to teaching fifth grade and math on top of that! how hard is this going to be? I have only taught for one year and that was third grade. What do I need to know?

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