What is general music like in WA's elementary schools? Do all schools have a certified music teacher? Do students receive general music instruction every week? twice a week? Does it vary greatly from school to school? Is Orff or Kodaly used? I'm considering relocating to Washington or Oregon, but am worried about job security with all of the cuts to arts programs due to No Child Left Behind. Has that been an issue in Washington?
I love the Anchorage schools and consider myself lucky to be teaching here (13 years!). I'm an NBCT in early childhood music, have an M.S. in Music Ed., teach as an adjunct for the university here as well.
Almost all music teacher in WA state are certified How much varies from district to district My teaching experiences the students had music twice a week for a total of an hour Having music music once a week is pretty common, especially in the larger schools or where they have more than one building Orff is widely used, Kolaly is used but less I would not worry about job security. This may sound harsh but as long as teachers need planning time in WA state I will have a job. Planning time is a big deal here
When I was looking for a job I wanted two things one, I wanted to be in one building. Building relationships is a big deal with me. Two, I wanted the districts test scores to be high. Where there are high test scores there is less pressure on the principals to add more reading and math time. My time with the students will stay intact. ELL can be an issue with reading scores obviously too
I live in Camas, a small town outside of Vancouver Washington. There are a lot of high tech jobs and the economy is very healthy. You might consider southwest Washington
On 11/11/06, Ingrid Lindberg wrote: > What is general music like in WA's elementary schools? Do > all schools have a certified music teacher? Do students > receive general music instruction every week? twice a week? > Does it vary greatly from school to school? Is Orff or > Kodaly used? I'm considering relocating to Washington or > Oregon, but am worried about job security with all of the > cuts to arts programs due to No Child Left Behind. Has that > been an issue in Washington? > > I love the Anchorage schools and consider myself lucky to > be teaching here (13 years!). I'm an NBCT in early > childhood music, have an M.S. in Music Ed., teach as an > adjunct for the university here as well. > > Ingrid
I am studying for a masters degree in Multicultural Education, and I teach English as a Second Language in Brooklyn, NY.
I have been browsing around Multicultural Education resources on the internet, and I have come across a lot that is going on in Seattle.
I have found that Seattle has started to open up International schools, including an elementary school, which I think is just great. I know that James Banks is out of Washington, and is doing a lot at the University of Washington in Seattle regarding Multicultural Education. I came across an organization called New Horizons that is out of Washington that is doing a lot with Multicultural Eduction.
Is this a diverse city? What are the nationalities and languages represented in your classroom? Does it cater to ELLs? Is multicultural education practiced in the classroom? Is this a progressive city? liberal? conservative? How is the dominant populations attitude toward international students/people (ie. immigrants?)
I also know of a professional Developer that is in the area, Catherine Brown, who visited our school here in New York, and she is very active when it comes to teaching English Language Learners.
What kinds of programs do they have in place for ELLs? Is there a large occurence of bilingual programs? Dual language? ESL?
-Seattle is very liberal and very diverse. There are many backgrounds, from Asians, Africans, Middle Easterners, as well as Americans-Native Indian, Black, Hispanic. The city is known for being open to any culture and is why it is liberal in many ways. I'm getting my teaching certificate with an endorsement in ESL, and I will be moving to the Seattle area for a more intense satisfactual career. The opportunities are immense.
On 11/11/06, alieliza wrote: > I am just curious. > > I am studying for a masters degree in Multicultural > Education, and I teach English as a Second Language in > Brooklyn, NY. > > I have been browsing around Multicultural Education > resources on the internet, and I have come across a lot > that is going on in Seattle. > > I have found that Seattle has started to open up > International schools, including an elementary school, > which I think is just great. I know that James Banks is > out of Washington, and is doing a lot at the University of > Washington in Seattle regarding Multicultural Education. I > came across an organization called New Horizons that is > out of Washington that is doing a lot with Multicultural > Eduction. > > Is this a diverse city? What are the nationalities and > languages represented in your classroom? Does it cater to > ELLs? Is multicultural education practiced in the > classroom? Is this a progressive city? liberal? > conservative? How is the dominant populations attitude > toward international students/people (ie. immigrants?) > > I also know of a professional Developer that is in the > area, Catherine Brown, who visited our school here in New > York, and she is very active when it comes to teaching > English Language Learners. > > What kinds of programs do they have in place for ELLs? Is > there a large occurence of bilingual programs? Dual > language? ESL? > > Thanks for any info!
We are in the process of installing a few in the school where I currently teach in Georgia. I've had mine now for 3 months and I LOVE IT!! My students are so enthusiastic and engaged whenever it is on. I can't imagine teaching without it!
That said... I will be moving to Washington this summer. I hope to work in the Lakewood/Tacoma area. Does anyone know if schools there have this technology in the classrooms?
If you are a teach students in grades 4-9, we invite you to participate in a special pilot study for a federally funded research project, the e-Learning for Educators Initiative.
The Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative (inTASC) at Boston College is conducting a pilot study to examine the characteristics of test items that will be used in the large-scale research project and you may be eligible to participate in this pilot study. You will only need to complete an online survey, and administer two online tests to your students, and you will eligible for a $100 stipend.
ELIGIBILITY
In order to be eligible you must: • Be a teacher in grades 4- 9 • NOT be a teacher in the following list of states. (The larger research study will occur in these states and thus these teachers cannot participate in the pilot study). o Alabama o Delaware o Kentucky o Mississippi o Missouri o New Hampshire o Pennsylvania o West Virginia • Be able to administer an online test to a class of students.
COMPENSATION
All teachers who participate will receive instant feedback about student performance. You can use this feedback to assess your students and inform future instruction.
In addition to the feedback about your students’ performance, the first 140 teachers to complete the requirements (10 in each sub-content area) will receive $100 for each sub-content area. Completing the requirements means taking the teacher survey and administering both tests to your students.
REQUIREMENTS
You can participate in multiple sub-content areas (listed below). Participation requirements are:
• You will take one online survey, estimated to take 30-45 minutes to complete. • You will administer two online tests to a class of at least 15 students. Each test takes one full class period; the total amount of participation time needed from your students is two class periods. You will need Flash v8 or higher to administer the students tests. This software is free for download at [link removed]
These requirements are for each sub-content area chosen. The sub-content areas are:
4th and 5th Grade ELA sub-content areas: • Vocabulary • Reading Comprehension: Narrative • Reading Comprehension: Expository • Writing 5th and 6th Grade Math sub-content areas: • Fractions • Algebraic Thinking • Measurement
7th and 8th Grade ELA sub-content areas: • Vocabulary • Reading Comprehension: Narrative • Reading Comprehension: Expository • Writing 8th and 9th Grade Math sub-content areas: • Proportional Reasoning • Functions • Geometric Measurement
For more information about the study and to sign up, please visit:
[link removed]!”
Once you sign up, you will be directed to the Teacher Management Page. Here you can download the files “Pilot Instructions” and “Stipend and Contact Information” for further details.
You can also contact the researchers at efe.[email removed].
If you teach students in grades 4-9, we invite you to participate in a special pilot study for a federally funded research project, the e-Learning for Educators Initiative.
The Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative (inTASC) at Boston College is conducting a pilot study to examine the characteristics of test items that will be used in the large-scale research project and you may be eligible to participate in this pilot study. You will only need to complete an online survey, and administer two online tests to your students, and you will receive a $100 stipend.
This study will conclude on Friday, December 8, so sign up now and participate! We need your help to collect data for this important study! For more information, or to sign up, please visit [link removed]
ELIGIBILITY
In order to be eligible you must: • Be a teacher in grades 4- 9 • NOT be a teacher in the following list of states. (The larger research study will occur in these states and thus these teachers cannot participate in the pilot study). o Alabama o Delaware o Kentucky o Mississippi o Missouri o New Hampshire o Pennsylvania o West Virginia • Be able to administer an online test to a class of students.
COMPENSATION
All teachers who participate will receive instant feedback about student performance. You can use this feedback to assess your students and inform future instruction.
In addition to the feedback about your students’ performance, the first 140 teachers to complete the requirements (10 in each sub-content area) will receive $100 for each sub-content area. Completing the requirements means taking the teacher survey and administering both tests to your students.
REQUIREMENTS
You can participate in multiple sub-content areas (listed below). Participation requirements are:
• You will take one online survey, estimated to take 30-45 minutes to complete. • You will administer two online tests to a class of at least 15 students. Each test takes one full class period; the total amount of participation time needed from your students is two class periods. You will need Flash v8 or higher to administer the students tests. This software is free for download at [link removed]
These requirements are for each sub-content area chosen. The sub-content areas are:
4th and 5th Grade ELA sub-content areas: • Vocabulary • Reading Comprehension: Narrative • Reading Comprehension: Expository • Writing 5th and 6th Grade Math sub-content areas: • Fractions • Algebraic Thinking • Measurement
7th and 8th Grade ELA sub-content areas: • Vocabulary • Reading Comprehension: Narrative • Reading Comprehension: Expository • Writing 8th and 9th Grade Math sub-content areas: • Proportional Reasoning • Functions • Geometric Measurement
For more information about the study and to sign up, please visit:
[link removed]!”
Once you sign up, you will be directed to the Teacher Management Page. Here you can download the files “Pilot Instructions” and “Stipend and Contact Information” for further details.
You can also contact the researchers at efe.[email removed].
I am gathering information on substitute pay in various districts in Washington. Would appreciate it very much if you could post your district, and the sub pay there for both full and half days. Thanks very much!
In the Vancouver area the rates are: 112 full/ 72 half in Evergreen 112 full/ 72 half in Vancouver 102/107 full (depending on where you travel)/ 51/53.50 in Battleground 93 full in Washougal 135 full in Portland, OR
In 2004 in Spokane: 80 / 40 in Mead 116/58 in District 81 86 / 43 in Medical Lake
Evergreen is the pace-car in Vancouver, since their subs are allowed to be part of the union and sub-pay is negotiated in the collective bargaining at 64% of first year teacher wages. It's pegged to the state salary schedule and the subs get a raise every year. To keep subs in the classrooms the other districts have to keep pace.
I came across a web site online awhile back with the pay scale for the various districts. But, alas, I have spent hours looking for it since and cannot find it....
Every teacher is entitled to a duty-free lunch and planning and preparation time. Except for a few minor changes made in the 1995 rewrite of the Texas Education Code, the statutes have essentially remained the same.
Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction and supervision of students.” According to a Texas Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch, because it would relate to student instruction or supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus is “closed” for students.
The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen circumstances—which give districts the right to require teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time per week.
The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the bar very high before a district can assign a teacher to lunch duty. Scheduling problems do not create unforeseen circumstances. They exist when an epidemic, illness, or natural or man-made disaster leaves no one available to do the duty. An extreme economic condition exists when hiring a person to supervise lunch would cause the district to raise taxes to the extent that the district might face a tax roll-back election. A personnel shortage exists only after all available nonteaching personnel—superintendent and business manager included—have been assigned to the duty and the district has diligently recruited community volunteers to help.
Planning and preparation time – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.404 The law entitles every teacher to planning and preparation time, during which the district can require the teacher to engage in no activity other than parent-teacher conferences, evaluating student work, and planning. Teachers must have at least 450 minutes of planning time every two weeks in increments of not less than 45 minutes within the instructional day.
Examples:
A teacher could have five 90-minute conference periods within a two-week period, instead of a 45-minute conference period each day. A district can provide 50- minute blocks of planning time daily, and exceed the minimum requirement, but it could not provide 50 minutes one day and 40 minutes the next.
A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m. to plan after the students leave.
Conference period cases often involve requirements for group planning or staff development during planning periods. According to the commissioner of education, if a district gives teachers no more than the statutory minimum planning time, the district cannot ask teachers to engage in group-planning during one of those planning periods.
Example:
A district that schedules 50-minute planning periods every day could ask teachers to plan as a group one day every two weeks, but the district could not take one planning period for group planning and another for staff development.
The United States Institute of Peace announces the National Peace Essay Contest for students in grades 9-12. For the 2006-07 contest, student's essay must examine the issue of youth and violent conflicts. First-place winners from each state receive $1,000 college scholarships and compete for national awards of $2,500 to $10,000. National award amounts include state awards. First-place state winners also are invited to attend an expenses-paid awards program in Washington, D.C., in June. To obtain guidelines for entering the contest, e-mail [email removed]].
Almost all music teacher in WA state are certified
How much varies from district to district
My teaching experiences the students had music twice a week
for a total of an hour
Having music music once a week is pretty common, especially in
the larger schools or where they have more than one building
Orff is...See More