NY —> NC: Two teachers looking for advice... (moving to, hired)
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We're close to Rochester. The cost of living is low, but there's nothing for us in Western NY-- aside from shoveling snow. We're researching different places & aren't married to the idea of NC.
I understand that this is/may be the case during the winter.
I'd say to look into TN, but it can get chilly as well. Perhaps an area like Huntsville AL, which has a pretty high educational attainment(NASA presence) may be a sleeper area to look into.
I understand that this is/may be the case during the winter.
I'd say to look into TN, but it can get chilly as well. Perhaps an area like Huntsville AL, which has a pretty high educational attainment(NASA presence) may be a sleeper area to look into.
That's our Plan A-- we're planners, so we're loosely researching other states/gathering info, etc. We like making informed decisions. I'm mainly looking into three schools on the BI, none of which currently have English openings, so I'm keeping other options open.
Other than being a teacher, New Bern NC would fit your bill. Contrary to some prior posts there are many liberal leaning people in New Bern.
The problem you have is your career. Teaching in NC is miserable. Those that just read the paper think the big problem is the NC Legislature and pay. While certainly terrible, the bigger, much bigger problem are the hacks in the Department of Public Instruction and local administrators. Most are home grown with no broader perspective.
Apparently in NC, to be an administrator, there is no requirement for even a remedial economics course, so such concepts as marginal utility and economic costs are probably unknown and certainly not acknowledged. NC DPI is by far the teachers' worst enemy. The way DPI embrace consultants, is pitiful and would be funny if the consequences were not so dire. No one up there even remotely understands that consultants are in it to make money, not a bunch of altruistic people with education at the heart of their focus.
We have a 28 page evaluation and a 50+ page manual to "explain" it. The Kabuki Dance to get an evaluation finalized is comical, regardless. I think I need three sign-ons just to get the thing signed off.
Up until recently, pay was to be keyed to End of Grade Test performance, with PE and art teachers pay also based on EOG scores from subjects the did not even teach.
Unfortunately, that program was scrapped last year before I had a chance to cash in with my law suit. I could have been rich.
There is no union at all, there is the NC Education Association. These yokels have no power whatsoever, but have infuriated the TEA Party bumpkins that infest the NC Legislature, so ..... it is a one way street, with the politicos shunning (a better expression exists, but will not pass filters) the NCEA and its teachers, with no, and I mean no effective pushback whatsoever. Understand, one more time, there is no union in NC.
And I have not even addressed the legislature and its reductions and cuts to education budgets and its championing of Charter Schools, which rob the public schools of even more money, with very little documented gains.
In summary. Do not move to NC to teach. Don't let a couple of Masters Degrees convince yourself that you know better. You do not. NC used to be a near Mecca for education, now it is at the bottom of the barrel.
Still not convinced. Let me put it this way, after teaching in NC, I am trying to find a job with the circus, scrubbing elephant butts in an attempt to regain my self esteem!
I have taught in your present area and also taught in the Raleigh-Durham area more recently. I would recommend you look for schools near Chapel Hill, RTP (Research Triangle Park) or the western Wake area to begin with for less of a culture shock. From your description, you would not be happy in a more rural setting.
We had many teachers in our school from NY and Midwest states, many with MS degrees, and I found nearly all the staff and administration very dedicated and helpful no matter where they originated. The students were from families who valued education and were very supportive. However, the situation has definitely gone downhill recently, including the shocking lack of extra pay for those with a Master's, and a hostile legislature in charge.
There is no union situation to speak of, totally different from NY.
Montgomery County, MD would be a good place to look, but the housing costs are very high and I doubt there is a shortage of teachers.
From what I have heard, it is difficult to get teaching jobs in NY. I would really think twice before you give up your better pay, benefits and retirement plan (although I know that has been altered). Western NY is the one place I would actually move back to, and I have lived in many different states. Good luck!
Are schools in NC not unionized? From what I've read, they are. To clarify-- I'm a 6-12 teacher interested in a high school job. In my experience, bus time, lunch & recess are not part of a secondary teacher's schedule. Since my boyfriend is Elementary, that is a conversation he'd need to have with the hiring committee before committing to a district. I assume this would all be written into the contract, but of course, we'd bring it up. Other than anecdotal evidence, do you have a source for what you're saying? I don't doubt that it's accurate, but I'd like to read into it. I know that experiences across states can vary significantly-- at least in NY, I have friends who are miserable & detest their administration, & others who are quite happy with where they are. It seems that NC & NY (& all other states) have that similarity.
It varies from school to school, the majority of schools, teachers have cafeteria duty, bus duty, etc. Of course, at the high school level, there is no recess time. At the elementary level, he can expect it, plan on it. Teachers aides are becoming fewer and fewer each year...our legislature has decided that teachers don't need them (although THEY have not spent any time in a classroom).
I know this from first hand experience as a classroom teacher, substitute teacher, and as a member (Parent) of the School Improvement Team (SIT).
Schools are not unionized....we have the NCAE--North Carolina Association of Educators--and they lobby for teachers, but it's not a union.
PS..I've left the classroom because of how the schools are going in NC. I will be starting at my local community college in the fall to go into Medical Office Administration.
We are considering Virginia. I was under the impression that Delaware & Maryland aren't particularly warm, though? We have mixed feelings about being in the South, though I may look into Tennessee now that you mention it.
If you believe NC teachers were unionized, then perhaps other things you've been "led to believe" about NC are false, as well.
It really IS one of the worst states to teach, just within the past few years. Any list floating around that ranks the states on that will tell you. Are there good schools and districts that are better than others? Of course. But with no other reason to choose NC other than "we're looking for a change and warmer weather", well, that applies to a lot of places. Currently other states are holding job fairs to poach away dissatisfied NC teachers. On the one hand, that means more openings here, but OTOH, the openings are because of worsening working conditions.
You might want to post on the Education forum and ask about a list of states, which are the better ones to choose from? Also, research the school systems of the areas you're considering and read their web pages for info "from the horse's mouth". Maybe even consider contacting Teachers' Associations for the given state for more info (in NC, I think that is the NCEA). Again, that's an association, NOT a Union. Part of NC's appeal to many is that it is NOT a Unionized state.
Let me put it this way, after teaching in NC, I am trying to find a job with the circus, scrubbing elephant butts in an attempt to regain my self esteem!
The new definition of "I don't know whether to laugh or cry."
In summary. Do not move to NC to teach. Don't let a couple of Masters Degrees convince yourself that you know better. You do not.
Thanks for the perspective. I'm not sure what led you to believe that our education has convinced us that we "know better" when we're clearly researching what the teaching climate is like on sites like city-data.
Thanks everyone for the insight! As mentioned before, NC is somewhere we were looking into, not a place we're currently packing our bags to. We wanted to hear from NC residents about what the teaching climate was like & we definitely got that. Thanks!
Thanks for the perspective. I'm not sure what led you to believe that our education has convinced us that we "know better" when we're clearly researching what the teaching climate is like on sites like city-data.
After re-reading my post, I did not mean for it to come across that way. Sorry!
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We're researching different places & aren't married to the idea of NC.
