Teaching Certificate in Maine (Portland: wedding, school districts, teacher salaries)

[crystaltrl]

I am moving to the Portland Maine area next year. I am teaching 8th grade math in NJ. This is my third year teaching. My undergrad is in electrical engineering. I already have my MAT in secondary education. I was wondering if I would need to have my Maine certificate before I could get a job in Maine. I also wanted to know if there are many math jobs in Maine. My fiance just got into Med. School, and we just found out we will be moving to Maine. I am very nervous about trying to ger recertified in Maine, because to get certified in NJ I found the easiest way was to get a my masters. Know I am wondering if the certification process will be very involved, and if I should just go for my doctorate. I am not coming across many doctorate programs in Maine especially ones that are not for administration. This is very overwhelming since I am also trying to plan our wedding before we move. I am not sure I can plan a wedding and get recertified. Is subbing the best way to get a foot in the door in Maine?

[MRVphotog]

Your fiance is going to UNE I presume. From what I read math teachers are needed pretty much everywhere. I would contact the Maine Dept of Education before I went for a doctorate. If you did tho you would have two doctors in the house, one for the body, one for the mind Good luck! BTW don't be too shocked at the pay for teachers compared to Jersey. What you lose in money is more than made up by being in a great state like Maine.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

We left Maine for better paying jobs and were gone for 7 years until we could save up enough to come home. My wife had a MAT and was teaching honors English with tenure in New York State. When we got back she was unqualified to teach in Maine until she got two more undergrad courses in some odd teaching theory. Yet we have math teachers working in Maine high schools who don't yet have bachelor's degrees. You will find the education bureaucracy strange and complicated. Just grin and bear it. Once you get into the classroom the kids are great.

We actually have math teams as most schools have sports teams.

[MRVphotog]

FYI...the massive consolidation of Maine's 290 school districts to around 75 is almost completed. SAD's had till the end of August to submit their plans to reduce administration and to partner with neighboring districts. Not all have and penalties for non-compliance are built into the effort.

As you can expect there is a groundswell of oppostion trying to repeal the effort. My kids are in SAD 51 and parents still are not in the loop yet as too want to expect for their district and so it goes......

If it really saves a bunch of money I would love some of the savings to go to raising Maine teacher salaries

[Elcarim]

I think that would be the very best use of extra money! Teachers are so severely underpaid. No-one seems to consider the hours of work done by teachers in their "off" time, grading and planning and such. They also, in most districts I'm familiar with, pay for all their own classroom supplies and decor. It really doesn't seem fair.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

There is a good chance that the legislature will overturn this monstrosity of a school consolidation rule. It isn't a law.