Advice for future teacher in SoCal (Pasadena, Manhattan Beach: appointed, lawyer, home)

[FutureTeacher2008]

Hi. I live in Chicago and recently got married. My husband used to live in the LA area and really misses the weather and his friends. I'm originally from the South and am getting tired of the cold winters, too. We're planning to move to LA in the next couple of years.

The only issue is my career. I've been practicing law for eight years and know it isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'd really like to go back to school and get certified as a teacher. I've been considering becoming an English, elementary ed, special ed or biology teacher.

I would greatly appreciate any advice regarding teaching opportunities in the LA area, including (1) subject areas most in demand, (2) advice on whether it's better to take classes in Calif. and do student teaching there to get ceritifed or to do it here in Illinois and transfer, (3) good school districts to apply to, etc.

Thanks very much!

[bhcompy]

special ed would definitely be a good area to start. english not so sure about, but if you speak spanish as well, you would be a candidate for the ESL(english as a second language) programs. biology im not sure about. it does limit you to only high school, but sciences tend to be suffering for teachers lately. too many english and history teachers and not enough math and sciences

as far as doing classes, the one benefit you'll have here is that while you're getting your degree and teaching credentials you can(are required to?) work in schools as a trainee and that helps you make contacts.

school districts it just depends on what you're looking for. there are good districts, bad districts, and everything in between here. it would be better to find out what you want to teach and start on that before looking at districts because things will change as they fill up those spots

[harhar]

Originally Posted by FutureTeacher2008

Hi. I live in Chicago and recently got married. My husband used to live in the LA area and really misses the weather and his friends. I'm originally from the South and am getting tired of the cold winters, too. We're planning to move to LA in the next couple of years.

The only issue is my career. I've been practicing law for eight years and know it isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'd really like to go back to school and get certified as a teacher. I've been considering becoming an English, elementary ed, special ed or biology teacher.

I would greatly appreciate any advice regarding teaching opportunities in the LA area, including (1) subject areas most in demand, (2) advice on whether it's better to take classes in Calif. and do student teaching there to get ceritifed or to do it here in Illinois and transfer, (3) good school districts to apply to, etc.

Thanks very much!

If I were you I'd rather teach law to adults than teach kids.

In elementary you babysit.
Special Ed. is very demanding. Constant meetings, I.E.P's, and high strung parents.
Regular Classes are equally demanding in other areas, discipline, etc.

If you really want to do it, I'd suggest getting your credential here in California first. You'd have to go to school, observe for a semester then teach for a semester, then you have to get a job.

English and Math are always looking for positions, look to take on a Drama class if you are a first year English teacher. History, Science and Electives are the hardest to find.

And if you do teach English prepare to grade hundreds of (bad) essays every few weeks.

And of course you'll be reviewed your first and maybe second year until you reach "tenure."

Also, budget was cut this past year and a lot of first year teachers were let go. I would assume that by the time you get your credential the budget would get better. And with your (I assume J.D.) you'd make even more money to start. Probably around 50-60k at most school districts in SoCal.

Teaching is easy. Teaching WELL is very difficult and will take up most of those 9 months if you do it right.

[impala666]

Originally Posted by FutureTeacher2008

Hi. I live in Chicago and recently got married. My husband used to live in the LA area and really misses the weather and his friends. I'm originally from the South and am getting tired of the cold winters, too. We're planning to move to LA in the next couple of years.

The only issue is my career. I've been practicing law for eight years and know it isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'd really like to go back to school and get certified as a teacher. I've been considering becoming an English, elementary ed, special ed or biology teacher.

I would greatly appreciate any advice regarding teaching opportunities in the LA area, including (1) subject areas most in demand, (2) advice on whether it's better to take classes in Calif. and do student teaching there to get ceritifed or to do it here in Illinois and transfer, (3) good school districts to apply to, etc.

Thanks very much!

Seems like a radical change to me and you will need all the money you can get to live the good life in CA.
Why not just change legal directions? Entertainment law, Native American legal representation or Human Rights.
Sometimes a small move makes a big change!

[MisterDuke]

Out of state teaching credentials are worthless in California. It would be a waste of time to pursue that in Illinois if you are going to move to CA.

Teaching elementary school is a pretty dramatic jump from law. You will spend a lot of time dealing with behavior issues. If you are really intent, my advice is to spend as much time as you can volunteering in the type of classroom in which you want to teach. Then you can observe what it is really like and determine if you really want to go to the time and expense of pursuing a credential.

You might want to consider teaching at a community college. The pay and hours are better, and the only behavioral issues deal with cheating. And since you have an advanced degree, you don't need a credential.

[FutureTeacher2008]

Thanks very much to all who offered advice. People who aren't in law usually think it's strange that a lawyer would want to make such a dramatic career change, but there are plenty of lawyers out there who feel the same.

[CESpeed]

In the State of California teachers at all levels are being laid off left and right. There are other areas of the country that are desperate for teachers that have same relative pay but lower cost of living. And, imho, a better quality of life. Depending on how long your husband has been away, he may be disappointed by what LA has become. I moved away for four years and I am appalled by what I moved back to, and will be moving away again at first opportunity.

[TheRealAngelion]

There are many school districts in LA County. LAUSD is the largest. The following link lists all of the school districts and community college districts of LA.

LACOE Home Version 6.0 (http://www.lacoe.edu/orgs/125/index.cfm - broken link)

In terms of "good school districts," typically the smaller districts tend to have better academic rankings and test scores. For example in LA County, Beverly Hills, South Pasadena, Calabasas, Palos Verdes, and Manhattan Beach have superior public schools all around. LAUSD on the other hand is far more mixed. There are a few good schools, but most are underperforming academically and are plaqued with retention issues among a host of other problems.

You might start by calling a few school districts to learn about their hiring and credentialing processes. There are also a lot of great private schools in the LA area that might have different hiring needs and credentialing requirements.

The Great Schools web site is another good resource for getting individual school rankings and parental feedback. It includes rankings of both private and public schools. GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Community for Parents

[harhar]

Oh that reminds me. Check out Edjoin.org. You can search for listings of availabile positions at many different public and private schools and school districts.

[CESpeed]

I wonder how the teachers will be paid while there's no State budget? Especially when the funds run out in October. hmmmm. Yes, that sound like job security to me.