I am a prospective Career Switcher. My 3+ (careers) each lasted 10 years or more. I liked and did well at all of them. I'm "mid-college-years" toward raising my own two children.
Teaching? Pay is a lesser motivator, still essential. Respect is a show-stopper! I need a VOTE: " Is there no respect out there? [Yes, NO, or Indeterminate]...:-)
Please folks, tell me that good HS principals do exist and are numerous! My children graduated in '97 & '00 from the best of 5 HS's in a pseudo-'inner-city' district. Their principal, and possibly much of the district lives with the benefits of good leadership, for many years, in the various principals' offices, the 'downtown offices', and the school board. My wife and I are proud of our city and its schools. Neither of us is a teacher, yet.
All of the "Respect" comments are believable, only the claim of universality is at issue. Perhaps the disrespect is political or social, but it certainly is not personal, especially in the cases with which I am familiar. Rather than fulminate against the 'turkeys', my aim is to stand up and put in my two cents. Please forgive my verbosity, but I place high value on the ideas of many of the speakers in this forum, and I wish to give enough background that I may trust the judgements that will surely be rendered about my position.
I'm an incipient Career Switcher. I'm retired from the US NAVY reserve as a CDR. I have a Liberal Arts Education in Economics, with 9 physics and 5 math courses, about 25 or 30 'fuzzies' (non-science) plus an MBA. I spent ten years as manager of corporate planning for a Fortune 1000 company. I've written in 18 dialectical computer languages (14+ versions of BASIC, APL, html, Perl, etc.). I was a sole proprietor doing white boxes, Novell and RealWorld for 15 years. I've taught CS, finance, marketing, news analysis/briefing, scouting, and PC to human interface diagnostics. I've wired 5 Habitat houses as Master Electrician; I'm a ham radio operator, civic volunteer leader, sailor, and private pilot. I could play Ultimate at the Division III level, as soon as I lose a bunch more pounds! Whimsy is a specialty at my college. [I'm NOT rich in $$$, just love!] I qualify to love and teach physics. I've met classes. I can teach.
Virginia did a two year trial project for ex-military career switchers. I learned of it too late to complete the exams in time. It has been highly successful. This November will be the first year of private/public execution of the program. They want $4200 for a 4-week seminar (160 hours, plus 20 hours practice teaching) that then qualifies a career switcher to find a cooperative HS principal. Upon completing a year of successful teaching and gaining that principal's recommendation, one gets full teaching licensure in the Commonwealth of VA. The principal, for whom I wish to work, tells me the fraction of career switchers on his faculty is 20 percent! He all but promised me a position, if one is available, when I show up with the proper temporary certificate and PRAXIS scores. I'm 'stoked' !!:-) I look forward to the career switcher instruction in education, which I consider essential; 4 weeks total immersion is just right!
BTW, did you know that 'apraxis' is a medical condition in which one is disoriented as to time, place and individuality? Whomsoever named the National Teacher Exams "PRAXIS" has written one of the all time great secret meanings! Trust me, if, with concerted effort, you can't pass these exams, you have apraxis and should resume your quest for general literacy and specific professional competence! The only other reasons for not passing them are lack of good education, lack of concerted effort or perhaps disability. Note well, that I can easily sympathize with those failing after multiple attempts. Clearly they suffer from lack of good education, which they should correct before pursuing teaching as an occupation. Why didn't they get that education... where's the Q/C? In the real world, some proportion is doomed to perform in the lower percentiles. Do we still owe them positions as, whatever: ________ (fill in the blank with 'teachers')?
I've passed with flying colors all of the PRAXIS exams required for teaching HS Physics. I note that, as such, the exams, though comprehensive, were of only nominal rigor and of modest difficulty. Given spirited teaching and a supporting environment, I could teach a HS physics class to pass the PRAXIS-II physics 'professional knowledge' exam. As a matter of fact, accomplishing just that is precisely what's needed to prepare them to pass the VA SOL's in physics. (The PRAXIS-II in physics eschews calculus, and is therefore less difficult than the AP Physics exams recently taken by both my children.)
I suffer disrespect poorly. I'm still trying to learn how to change disrespectful work environments. First off, there are no secrets. I will teach because of two things: (A) it's fun and important, and (B) I really love to see young folks take my perspective and go soaring off higher than I ever could.
Yet, with all this, I'm still reaching out to test whether I think I can persevere through that tough first year in the secondary school teaching environment.
Very respectfully,
the "Blue Beagle"
PS One REALLY does not wish to get any of the teachers in my family started on the trend of the centerline of a Gaussian measure of secondary education! My aim, foolish it may be, is to get out there and do something about it personally. My greatest concern is to avoid censure as a heretic, while conducting myself in a fun and honorable fashion.
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I am a prospective Career Switcher. My 3+ (careers) each lasted 10 years or more. I liked and did well at all of them. I'm "mid-college-years" toward raising my own two children.
:-)
:-) I look forward to the career switcher instruction in education, which I consider essential; 4 weeks total immersion is just right!
Teaching? Pay is a lesser motivator, still essential. Respect is a show-stopper! I need a VOTE: " Is there no respect out there? [Yes, NO, or Indeterminate]...
Please folks, tell me that good HS principals do exist and are numerous! My children graduated in '97 & '00 from the best of 5 HS's in a pseudo-'inner-city' district. Their principal, and possibly much of the district lives with the benefits of good leadership, for many years, in the various principals' offices, the 'downtown offices', and the school board. My wife and I are proud of our city and its schools. Neither of us is a teacher, yet.
All of the "Respect" comments are believable, only the claim of universality is at issue. Perhaps the disrespect is political or social, but it certainly is not personal, especially in the cases with which I am familiar. Rather than fulminate against the 'turkeys', my aim is to stand up and put in my two cents. Please forgive my verbosity, but I place high value on the ideas of many of the speakers in this forum, and I wish to give enough background that I may trust the judgements that will surely be rendered about my position.
I'm an incipient Career Switcher. I'm retired from the US NAVY reserve as a CDR. I have a Liberal Arts Education in Economics, with 9 physics and 5 math courses, about 25 or 30 'fuzzies' (non-science) plus an MBA. I spent ten years as manager of corporate planning for a Fortune 1000 company. I've written in 18 dialectical computer languages (14+ versions of BASIC, APL, html, Perl, etc.). I was a sole proprietor doing white boxes, Novell and RealWorld for 15 years. I've taught CS, finance, marketing, news analysis/briefing, scouting, and PC to human interface diagnostics. I've wired 5 Habitat houses as Master Electrician; I'm a ham radio operator, civic volunteer leader, sailor, and private pilot. I could play Ultimate at the Division III level, as soon as I lose a bunch more pounds! Whimsy is a specialty at my college. [I'm NOT rich in $$$, just love!] I qualify to love and teach physics. I've met classes. I can teach.
Virginia did a two year trial project for ex-military career switchers. I learned of it too late to complete the exams in time. It has been highly successful. This November will be the first year of private/public execution of the program. They want $4200 for a 4-week seminar (160 hours, plus 20 hours practice teaching) that then qualifies a career switcher to find a cooperative HS principal. Upon completing a year of successful teaching and gaining that principal's recommendation, one gets full teaching licensure in the Commonwealth of VA. The principal, for whom I wish to work, tells me the fraction of career switchers on his faculty is 20 percent! He all but promised me a position, if one is available, when I show up with the proper temporary certificate and PRAXIS scores. I'm 'stoked' !!
BTW, did you know that 'apraxis' is a medical condition in which one is disoriented as to time, place and individuality? Whomsoever named the National Teacher Exams "PRAXIS" has written one of the all time great secret meanings! Trust me, if, with concerted effort, you can't pass these exams, you have apraxis and should resume your quest for general literacy and specific professional competence! The only other reasons for not passing them are lack of good education, lack of concerted effort or perhaps disability. Note well, that I can easily sympathize with those failing after multiple attempts. Clearly they suffer from lack of good education, which they should correct before pursuing teaching as an occupation. Why didn't they get that education... where's the Q/C? In the real world, some proportion is doomed to perform in the lower percentiles. Do we still owe them positions as, whatever: ________ (fill in the blank with 'teachers')?
I've passed with flying colors all of the PRAXIS exams required for teaching HS Physics. I note that, as such, the exams, though comprehensive, were of only nominal rigor and of modest difficulty. Given spirited teaching and a supporting environment, I could teach a HS physics class to pass the PRAXIS-II physics 'professional knowledge' exam. As a matter of fact, accomplishing just that is precisely what's needed to prepare them to pass the VA SOL's in physics. (The PRAXIS-II in physics eschews calculus, and is therefore less difficult than the AP Physics exams recently taken by both my children.)
I suffer disrespect poorly. I'm still trying to learn how to change disrespectful work environments. First off, there are no secrets. I will teach because of two things: (A) it's fun and important, and (B) I really love to see young folks take my perspective and go soaring off higher than I ever could.
Yet, with all this, I'm still reaching out to test whether I think I can persevere through that tough first year in the secondary school teaching environment.
Very respectfully,
the "Blue Beagle"
PS One REALLY does not wish to get any of the teachers in my family started on the trend of the centerline of a Gaussian measure of secondary education! My aim, foolish it may be, is to get out there and do something about it personally. My greatest concern is to avoid censure as a heretic, while conducting myself in a fun and honorable fashion.