Teachers: College Search

[daughtersrus]

Thank you all. The school we visited Sunday does automatic double majors (or maybe it was double certification) in the age group (Elementary or Middle School) and special needs. I liked that idea also.

The only thing I didn't like about this school was the price. It's a private school with private school funding. Yes, they give scholarships to all students, but even taking scholarships and grants into account, it's still more expensive than public schools.

I did look at pricing at various schools in nearby states, and out of state tuition is (public and private).

My two oldest DDs are special Ed teachers (LBS degree in Illinois) I would argue that where your degree is from does matter. Both were able to get jobs in the Chicago suburbs right after graduation. There are a zillion applicants for each opening. During the interview process, they found out that the school of choice was the university that they graduated from.

I would be cautious of a program that says you will get a dual degree in the same amount of time. It's just not possible. The special Ed program at IL State University required observation hours the first 5 semesters. The 6th semester was 2 days in a classroom and 3 on ISU campus. The 7th was 4 days in a classroom and 1 on campus. The last semester was student teaching all 5 days. The placements were divided between elementary, middle and high school. They were also dividd between behavior disability, learning disability and life skill settings.

Dd#2 has a friend that went to a local private university. She has a dual degree in elementary and spedal ed. Her special ed experience was one day a week in a class for one semester. No student teaching. No lesson plans ... She told my DD that she's glad that she was able to get a gen ed position because she knows that she is not prepared.

If a state school is an option for you, check and see if there are any tuition waivers offered. IL still offers one on a limited basis for SpEd. The used to have one for math and science but I'm not sure if they still do.

Best wishes for your DD!

 

[StephMK]

I would look for a school that offers lots of practical experience. I went back to school for my teaching certificate a few years ago. The program I attended had a heavy emphasis on in classroom practicums. I spent several hours each semester in different schools, with different grade levels and subjects. It was very helpful to experience all grade levels, the city's largest district, and a feel for the atmosphere in various schools. I have ended up with a totally different population/age of kids than I anticipated when I started.

Through the program, I also learned about lots of great local resources and we toured many local agencies that work with schools. Not required but a nice perk if you live in the area you will be teaching in. If at all possible, I think it's important to at least student teach in the area where you want to teach. In addition to making those important connections, you learn about the state testing requirements, curriculum, union issues (if there is one), culture of teaching in the area, etc.

Good luck to her! I was talked out of teaching my first go round in school by my teacher mother. A dissatisfied feeling kept bothering me and I finally returned to school 20 years later. It's incredibly stressful but I don't regret the decision.

 

[Schmeck]

Getting secondary degrees/certification in Special Education, ABA, or ESL/ELL would be the way to go here in Massachusetts. Not sure what it looks like in other states, but that's all that is getting advertised for job offerings in MA on SchoolSpring right now.

 

[daisyx3]

I would have your daughter ask what her teachers what college they recommend....not necessary where they went, but which one is best for education. Here my alma mater has the best education program in the state.

I have to comment on the community college thing....my daughter's friend is getting no parental help so he did year #1 at our local CC. He then transferred to a local state school and applied for their transfer scholarship. He got nothing and was informed the transfer scholarship is only need based. If he had STARTED at the state school he would be paying less $$$ even with a year at CC. So make sure you check your details with any such plans.

I'm a teacher, but my experience has driven both of my daughters into business! My son, however, wants to major in history and I think education is the only job option with that. I know there are a lot of history ed majors, mostly coaches (he is not into sports) so I worry. BUT, he's only a junior. I am hoping to steer him away from education.
Daisyx3

 

[kaseyC]

Thank you all. The school we visited Sunday does automatic double majors (or maybe it was double certification) in the age group (Elementary or Middle School) and special needs. I liked that idea also.

The only thing I didn't like about this school was the price. It's a private school with private school funding. Yes, they give scholarships to all students, but even taking scholarships and grants into account, it's still more expensive than public schools.

I did look at pricing at various schools in nearby states, and out of state tuition is (public and private).

Does your daughter have a Princeton Review account? They have an excellent college search engine. Once my DD19 had decided that she wanted a small (under 5000 students), private college. We had a couple of schools in mind, once we found those schools on the Princeton Review site, on a sidebar it listed other schools that were similar and fit her criteria. Many were schools that we either didn't know about or hadn't considered. She ended up selecting one of those schools in Iowa, now in her second semester of her freshman year couldn't be happier.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

DD wants to be a teacher (god bless her). She wants to either teach elementary or middle school, probably focusing on math. We went on our first college visit yesterday. It was an "open house" type of thing. We got a small tour of the campus, saw some dorm rooms (I've forgotten how small they can be), got some information on financial aid and talked to one of the education department advisers. One thing I (and DW and DD) liked about this school is they start getting education kids out into classrooms (observing I guess). I think they get ~15 hours/semester. On to why I'm posting... what should we look for in education degrees? Does the school you go to make much of a difference? Any other questions or things you "wished you knew"? And she is set on being a teacher. I've read plenty of threads here about that being a poor career choice, but if it's what she wants to do, I'm not going to put up much of a fight. She has said she does NOT want a "big" school. She wants to build a relationship with professors, which we heard a couple good stories about that from students yesterday. I have gone on college confidential and college view to try to find schools (yes, it's her choice, but I do have some input), but I know there's a lot of teachers on here. DD is a HS junior and has good grades & a decent ACT score (will take again this spring). Thanks in advance

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm a teacher and what I've learned is the school doesn't matter that much. I started at CC because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I went for one year and transferred to a state college, which happens to be one of the best education colleges in MA.
A friend of mine went to BC ( a very good school). We ended up teaching together.
So my point is, it's not about how much money you pay to go to school, it's how well you do there.

You're lucky your DD already has a career choice. That makes things much easier. My DS is a senior and he just decided.

Tell her that Special ed. Or ESL/ELL is the way to go. A lot less stress than being a classroom teacher. If I had the motivation I would go back and do that.

 

[daughtersrus]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm a teacher and what I've learned is the school doesn't matter that much. I started at CC because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I went for one year and transferred to a state college, which happens to be one of the best education colleges in MA.
A friend of mine went to BC ( a very good school). We ended up teaching together.
So my point is, it's not about how much money you pay to go to school, it's how well you do there.

You're lucky your DD already has a career choice. That makes things much easier. My DS is a senior and he just decided.

Tell her that Special ed. Or ESL/ELL is the way to go. A lot less stress than being a classroom teacher. If I had the motivation I would go back and do that.

I'm curious why you think that these are less stressful than a gen ed teacher.

One of my DDs had a self contained BD class kdg-2 grade. Academically they are on target so she has lesson plans for each subject for three grade levels. Many people are surprised at the behaviors she has to manage while teaching.

My other DD teaches a self-contained class for students with autisim. Behavior management, one on one learning, life skills, communication...

 

[disney junky]

Where does she want to settle? That's a huge question. Around here, it's connections more than where you went to college. Who do you currently know that's in the field? Start tapping those connections/relationships. If my kids were looking at getting into the field at this point, here in PA, I'd tell them to think long and hard about it. The last state administration cut school funding to such a degree that over 20,000 teaching jobs were lost. That means positions cut, layoffs, and couple that with those graduates entering the field with the degrees-there's a glut of teachers looking for work. Recent grads have an advantage because they start at the lowest salary level. I don't know what the case is in your state.
Find a niche. For instance, here, on-line classes are becoming more and more common. If she can gain some experience like that, it may give her a edge over the field.
Someone else said learning support cert. Helps drastically. Another question is, does she have a second language? If she can take one or fit it into her schedule, that might help. ESL-ELL isn't necessarily a certification that requires you to know another language, but it does help a teacher teach someone who doesn't know English how to learn it.
Just throwing in my two cents....

 

[NHdisneylover]

I have to comment on the community college thing....my daughter's friend is getting no parental help so he did year #1 at our local CC. He then transferred to a local state school and applied for their transfer scholarship. He got nothing and was informed the transfer scholarship is only need based. If he had STARTED at the state school he would be paying less $$$ even with a year at CC. So make sure you check your details with any such plans.
.
Daisyx3

I had the same though. DD is a senior in highschool now and we have certainly seen many more scholarship options for incoming Freshmen than for transfers.

(BTW, OP; my DD wants to be a special education teacher and she narrowed her search to two schools that really focus on education, have very high full time placements for their teachers and are in areas she likes--now she is just waiting to see which one will be a better price after scholarship offers come in--as she sees pluses and minuses to each school).

 

[Happy Snowman]

I would have your daughter ask what her teachers what college they recommend....not necessary where they went, but which one is best for education. Here my alma mater has the best education program in the state.

I have to comment on the community college thing....my daughter's friend is getting no parental help so he did year #1 at our local CC. He then transferred to a local state school and applied for their transfer scholarship. He got nothing and was informed the transfer scholarship is only need based. If he had STARTED at the state school he would be paying less $$$ even with a year at CC. So make sure you check your details with any such plans.

I'm a teacher, but my experience has driven both of my daughters into business! My son, however, wants to major in history and I think education is the only job option with that. I know there are a lot of history ed majors, mostly coaches (he is not into sports) so I worry. BUT, he's only a junior. I am hoping to steer him away from education.
Daisyx3

I was going to post the same thing. Often is is more expensive to start at a CC, you really have to do your math AND make sure that everything will transfer. Also, a lot of colleges have an application process to get into their education programs that happens sophomore year and if you are not there to do that, you end up going an extra year, so it ends up costing a LOT more.

Sam--one thing to keep in mind is that you don't really know how much any school costs until you get the package in March/April. Some schools toss in extra scholarships if they really like your child, etc. Depending on her stats, there will probably be opportunities for Presidential scholarships and such that are anywhere from full tuition to full rides depending on the school. I know our DD got a $5000 scholarship from one school that was totally unexpected and it was just for STEM majors. There was nothing published on the websites about that, it was a nice surprise. She ended up not going to that school but still. Our son had several extras attached to his offers as well. Most were only a $1000 or so, but again, not something we expected. Point being, you never know until it's all said and done so don't not apply because of the current price tag.

 

[sam_gordon]

I was going to post the same thing. Often is is more expensive to start at a CC, you really have to do your math AND make sure that everything will transfer. Also, a lot of colleges have an application process to get into their education programs that happens sophomore year and if you are not there to do that, you end up going an extra year, so it ends up costing a LOT more.

Sam--one thing to keep in mind is that you don't really know how much any school costs until you get the package in March/April. Some schools toss in extra scholarships if they really like your child, etc. Depending on her stats, there will probably be opportunities for Presidential scholarships and such that are anywhere from full tuition to full rides depending on the school. I know our DD got a $5000 scholarship from one school that was totally unexpected and it was just for STEM majors. There was nothing published on the websites about that, it was a nice surprise. She ended up not going to that school but still. Our son had several extras attached to his offers as well. Most were only a $1000 or so, but again, not something we expected. Point being, you never know until it's all said and done so don't not apply because of the current price tag.

Thanks for the tip. We're just at the point of trying to FIND schools that will fit (financially & degree wise). I think she'll apply to this school, but I'd like to get a couple more that she's interested in also. I'm off to look at Princeton Review now.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Thanks for the tip. We're just at the point of trying to FIND schools that will fit (financially & degree wise). I think she'll apply to this school, but I'd like to get a couple more that she's interested in also. I'm off to look at Princeton Review now.

This is a good site for searching too:

https://www.collegeboard.org/

We still get a ton of spam from the Princeton Review site....

 

[daisyx3]

I don't teach special ed. but I don't for a minute believe it is less stress than a regular classrooom. Special Ed. teachers here burn out and if they have another major will switch to a position in that as soon as they can. With differing state requirements that change regularly, IEPs, etc., our special ed. teachers seem to be under a lot more stress than I am, teaching 12th grade English.
Daisyx3

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Without a doubt I would do a 5 year joint BS/MS program in education and get that out of the way. Lots of schools offer this now. I wish they had when I was in school.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Experienced teacher here - My two cents:

1. Make sure the the college has a good percentage of students pass the certification test on the first go 'round. We've got two "long-term subs" on campus currently who cannot, for whatever reason, get a passing score on the certification exam. These are people who have completed coursework and graduated.

2. Get as wide and as varied certifications as possible. You just never know where the openings are going to show up. Here in my state you used to have the option of K-8 and 6-12. Now they are making the ranges much smaller and that is making things difficult for teachers who may not have the right certification.

3. Stress the importance of building relationships as she goes along. Be a person of her word, of good cheer, and always willing to take on the "extra." That reputation will go a long way come hiring time. Who you know, matters. And it is a VERY small world. I came by my current position because an assistant principal who liked me was at a meeting chatting with another who knew of an opening. Likewise, I have sat on interview panels where the decision was made before the interviews even started. While this is less than ideal, it is reality.

4. Learn from the masters - Harry Wong, Ruby Payne, Haim Ginott, Stephen Krashen, and so forth. Research matters, theory matters.

Best of luck!

 

[jerseygal]

I don't teach special ed. but I don't for a minute believe it is less stress than a regular classrooom. Special Ed. teachers here burn out and if they have another major will switch to a position in that as soon as they can. With differing state requirements that change regularly, IEPs, etc., our special ed. teachers seem to be under a lot more stress than I am, teaching 12th grade English.
Daisyx3

Since you teach secondary English, is Math middle/secondary ed "still in demand"? Have always heard that math/science concentration positions are more in demand! THANKS in advance!

 

[daisyx3]

Since you teach secondary English, is Math middle/secondary ed "still in demand"? Have always heard that math/science concentration positions are more in demand! THANKS in advance!

Yes. Math is always in demand. You may be able to find grants to learn to teach math or science (STEM).
Daisyx3

 

[scoutie]

I don't teach special ed. but I don't for a minute believe it is less stress than a regular classrooom.

It's definitely more stressful. As mentioned, the burn out rate for special ed teachers is 5 years. The amount of paperwork is ridiculous. I've seen many, many of my colleagues who teach special ed leave for less stressful jobs (one is now an in-home daycare provider, and she says that is WAY less stressful...if that gives any context!).

I teach Honors English. It's so much fun!

 

[jerseygal]

Yes. Math is always in demand. You may be able to find grants to learn to teach math or science (STEM).
Daisyx3

THANKS for your reply! If his current path of accounting major doesn't work out by end of 1st semester sophomore year, he will be making the switch to math specialty/secondary/middle school...He will make a GREAT teacher and coach if that's what he decides!

 

[daughtersrus]

THANKS for your reply! If his current path of accounting major doesn't work out by end of 1st semester sophomore year, he will be making the switch to math specialty/secondary/middle school...He will make a GREAT teacher and coach if that's what he decides!

Dd's friend has a math degree and landed a high paying job right out of college as a mathematician for a company that makes slot machines. I don't know the lingo but she said that she checks the math for the computer program. She did say it can be a bit stressful because being off by .0001 could be the difference between a jackpot and a loosing spin.