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Illinois Teachers Chatboard

Isabel A.

by Been away from teaching 5 years

Sep 22, 2016

I recently interviewed for a teaching position with CPS after being away from teaching for about 5 years for personal reasons. During the interview, the issue of being out of the classroom for that amount of time kept resurfacing. My license is still good until 2018 but I think I might need to go back to school to refresh my teaching skills. I alre...See More

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mark I don't know if sitting in an academic higher ed classroom will really benefit you, or make you more marketable, and I doubt you want to go through a whole other program and redo student teaching.

Teaching has changed in the last 5 years, particularly on teacher observation and reviews. Quite frankly, I think they've ruined the profession,...See More

Sep 27, 2016

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Hiring older teachers ?????

by Rick K

Dec 7, 2011

Currently I have an associates degree. I am thinking of returning to college to complete a teaching degree (math) for high school. Will schools hire a 55 to 56 year old first year high school teacher. I don't feel like I'm even close to being over the hill, but, I would hate to get my degree and not find employment opportunities.

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Nic On 12/11/11, Math is NOT NOT NOT NOT a shortage area. wrote: > On 12/11/11, anon wrote: >> Age discrimination is rampant in the field. Do NOT waste your >> money going into a field where your "career" will be two or >> three years tops. Besides, there are few or no jobs >> nationally. I don't care about whether ...See MoreOn 12/11/11, Math is NOT NOT NOT NOT a shortage area. wrote: > On 12/11/11, anon wrote: >> Age discrimination is rampant in the field. Do NOT waste your >> money going into a field where your "career" will be two or >> three years tops. Besides, there are few or no jobs >> nationally. I don't care about whether "math" is currently a >> "shortage" area. That could change in just a couple of >> years. > > > This person is right. Don't do it. It is a game of russian > roulette where the odds are not in your favor. Odds are you will > spend a great deal of money as well as precious moments of your > life on this endeavor and in the end, it will gain you nothing. > > And, please, please, please do not believe this stuff about math > being a shortage field. It isn't. IT IS NOT. There are lots and > lots and lots of out of work math teachers. Fully credentialed > math teachers are not in demand. They say that but it is all > lies. Total garbage. Large school districts are signing > contracts with Teach For America in which they agree to hire not > dozens but a 100 or more of their scabs as teachers of math and > science. In a local large school district, 50&37; of their new hires > this year were Teach for America. Those spots are RESERVED for > Teach for America. > > The same district hires the majority of the rest of their math > and science from the Philippines. > > There are very few spots available for traditionally certified > math teachers when so many spots are reserved for Teach for > America, district interns and foreign visa workers. That leaves > the traditionally certified math teachers fighting like starving > dogs over a bone to get the few other spots. > > Seriously, don't bother. The math teacher shortage is a complete > falsehood. Don't get conned by the lies from the government and > school districts. They are telling the lie in order to create a > teacher glut so that they can keep salaries low. When they can't > create the glut, they simply create new alternative certification > routes. They will never ever ever allow a true teacher shortage > in any subject. Please be smart enough not to fall prey to their > lies

Aug 20, 2016

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very enlightening. I learned the hard way. On 12/11/11, Math is NOT NOT NOT NOT a shortage area. wrote: > On 12/11/11, anon wrote: >> Age discrimination is rampant in the field. Do NOT waste your >> money going into a field where your "career" will be two or >> three years tops. Besides, there are few or no jobs >> nationally. I don't care about whether ...See MoreOn 12/11/11, Math is NOT NOT NOT NOT a shortage area. wrote: > On 12/11/11, anon wrote: >> Age discrimination is rampant in the field. Do NOT waste your >> money going into a field where your "career" will be two or >> three years tops. Besides, there are few or no jobs >> nationally. I don't care about whether "math" is currently a >> "shortage" area. That could change in just a couple of >> years. > > > This person is right. Don't do it. It is a game of russian > roulette where the odds are not in your favor. Odds are you will > spend a great deal of money as well as precious moments of your > life on this endeavor and in the end, it will gain you nothing. > > And, please, please, please do not believe this stuff about math > being a shortage field. It isn't. IT IS NOT. There are lots and > lots and lots of out of work math teachers. Fully credentialed > math teachers are not in demand. They say that but it is all > lies. Total garbage. Large school districts are signing > contracts with Teach For America in which they agree to hire not > dozens but a 100 or more of their scabs as teachers of math and > science. In a local large school district, 50&37; of their new hires > this year were Teach for America. Those spots are RESERVED for > Teach for America. > > The same district hires the majority of the rest of their math > and science from the Philippines. > > There are very few spots available for traditionally certified > math teachers when so many spots are reserved for Teach for > America, district interns and foreign visa workers. That leaves > the traditionally certified math teachers fighting like starving > dogs over a bone to get the few other spots. > > Seriously, don't bother. The math teacher shortage is a complete > falsehood. Don't get conned by the lies from the government and > school districts. They are telling the lie in order to create a > teacher glut so that they can keep salaries low. When they can't > create the glut, they simply create new alternative certification > routes. They will never ever ever allow a true teacher shortage > in any subject. Please be smart enough not to fall prey to their > lies

Aug 20, 2016

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Leaving Illinois?

by lrkerme

Jun 28, 2016

Howdy,

Like many of you, I am a teacher here in the great state of Illinois. My wife, two kids and I are looking to leave this joint. Have any of you successfully left IL to teach in another state? Could you please share your experiences and I would like to narrow down my search to out west (Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, ect...) or ...See More

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sped I successfully left Illinois, but to work outside of education. That said, there are a couple of things for you to consider:

1. The cost of living for the places you're looking as high, or higher, than the Chicago area. New England and Pac Northwest typically have much higher COLs than Chicago, and a lot more than Downstate. Of course, the...See MoreI successfully left Illinois, but to work outside of education. That said, there are a couple of things for you to consider:

1. The cost of living for the places you're looking as high, or higher, than the Chicago area. New England and Pac Northwest typically have much higher COLs than Chicago, and a lot more than Downstate. Of course, there are parts of these regions that have lower costs of living, but they either are more sparsely populated or more economically depressed. These areas have lower demand for teachers and/or pay less.

2. The thing I've noticed about teachers who want to move is that they somehow think they're going to end up at the same point on the salary schedule in the new district/state. If you're on step 15, you look at step 15 in other districts. Unfortunately the way teachers are compensated, they usually lose when they move. Many districts have clauses in their union contracts which limit how many years a new teacher can be given. Others have policies that impose the same limit. Usually it's a max of 5 to 10. If you're in a good paying district in Illinois, with a good amount of experience, then you're probably not going to make as much money. It may be way below what you're making now. Most of the teachers I know who make a move sacrifice a lot of salary unless they're moving from the South, where the pay is very low, to somewhere up north. Then, they may make more in a place like Illinois even with only a few years on the salary schedule.

Believe it or not, administrators are more likely to get a raise or take much less of a hit when they move. If you are able to make a move into admin, you might consider that.

On 6/28/16, lrkerme wrote: > Howdy, > > Like many of you, I am a teacher here in the great state of > Illinois. My wife, two kids and I are looking to leave this > joint. Have any of you successfully left IL to teach in > another state? Could you please share your experiences and I > would like to narrow down my search to out west (Washington > State, Oregon, Colorado, ect...) or even the Northeast > (Maine, Mass, ect...). I am certified in Special Ed and ESL > and teach in a higher end High School dist so my pay is > pretty well, but so is the cost of living. I need a change!! > > Thanks, > Louie

Jun 30, 2016

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UK trained teacher, hoping to work in Chicago

by E.Nichols

Jun 22, 2016

I am hoping to make the move from being an English teacher in a UK state-run school, to a school or other education related job in Chicago. Would anyone kindly be able to help out with the following questions?

1. The best time of year to apply for teaching jobs in the UK seems to be around the end of the academic year. Is this also the cas...See More

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Professional Development

by JJ

Jun 10, 2016

Since we have moved from CPDUs to PDs, I am having trouble finding ways to complete PD hours. Under the former system, I was able to earn CPDUs in the classroom with the students, with staff, or other means, such as traveling. Now, all I can find are webinars which occur during school hours! How can I be part of a webinar if I'm in the classroom? D...See More

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Resigned Teacher Wanting To Maintain License

by Jen

May 23, 2016

I resigned from teaching in June of last year. I substitute teach currently and am interested in keeping my Professional Educator's License active. I would love your feedback on how to go about this (or where to find information on this!)

Thank you, Jen

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Kathy I just got relicensed. Go to the ISBE website. They have details about how many CPDUs you will need and in what areas. In Illinois, there is KIDS. They offer coursework that isn't too expensive and is relevant. Kathy

On 5/23/16, Jen wrote: > I resigned from teaching in June of last year. I substitute teach > currently and am interes...See More

May 23, 2016

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Academic Research Survey - Enter to win $50 Gift Card

by Kelly Grossmann

May 9, 2016

Researchers from Northeastern Illinois University are surveying teachers, and library media specialists at Illinois high schools on the resources available for information literacy education at high schools throughout Illinois.

The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. After completing the survey, you can enter your em...See More

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Connect with a Global Community!

by Kristi Svec

Mar 28, 2016

Welcome an international high school student into your home for a year or a semester. An exchange student can offer so much to your classroom, school, and community! Contact 1- 800-AFS-INFO or [link removed]

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How to teach the value of diversity by Leah Davies

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Feb 10, 2016

Children’s identity and self-respect are related to how others treat them, and ultimately to their future success...

How can administrators and staff help children value diversity? [Click below to access the article.]

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