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Education RANT – The Price of Being a Teacher…Jul 06 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Someone help me understand what's happening to our educational system, PLEASE, someone explain it to me... comment, w/o, something, someone explain!!!
Okay, so today, I signed a contract to teach in a new school district (in California) – I should be happy right? Well, I’m happy to have a job (REALLY happy, it pays the bills and allows me to continue being the career student I am destined to become). However, thanks to all sorts of bureaucracy and no child left behind, etc. although I signed a contract, there are ALL sorts of hoops I have to jump through first: 1. Within the year, I have to do two things: a. Take and pass the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) which basically tests to make sure I can read, write, and do basic math. For this, I have to pay $41 (not counting score reports that are $20 a pop if I change schools, etc). b. Either take a CLAD (soon changing its name to CTEL or something) for which I’m posting the fees below: CLAD/BCLAD Tests Test 1: Language Structure and First- and Second-Language Development $82 ________________________________________ Test 2: Methodology of Bilingual, ELD, and Content Instruction $87 ________________________________________ Test 3: Culture and Cultural Diversity $87 ________________________________________ Test 4: Methodology for Primary-Language Instruction $47 ________________________________________ Test 5: The Culture of Emphasis $57 ________________________________________ Test 6: The Language of Emphasis—all four parts $147 ________________________________________ Test 6—Listening Component $47 ________________________________________ Test 6—Reading Component $47 ________________________________________ Test 6—Speaking Component $52 ________________________________________ Test 6—Writing Component $57 CTEL Examination All three subtests $256 ________________________________________ CTEL 1: Language and Language Development $82 ________________________________________ CTEL 2: Assessment and Instruction $92 ________________________________________ CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion $82 Additional Service Fees Additional score report fee $15 ________________________________________ Score verification (multiple-choice-question section only) $25 ________________________________________ Fee to clear an account $20 If I’m unsure about whether I can pass these tests, and don’t want to pay to take the test, I have two options, I can write a letter protesting I’ve had the material in the form of other classes, OR I can pay to take the classes online (roughly $1,500 for 4 classes after textbooks, DVDs for the class, etc) 2. Within 5 Years (assuming I don’t get myself fired) I have to: a. Subject Matter Qualification – I can obtain this by begging a local program to go through my classes and verify that I’m capable (the personnel lady who helped me, though very nice, advised me not to hold my breath about this one, the local universities are apparently constantly pestered, and therefore often unwilling, to do this). OR, I can take another test, CSET, which I’ve pasted the fees for below: Test Registration Fees CSET: Multiple Subjects $74 per subtest ________________________________________ CSET: Single Subjects and Preliminary Educational Technology Agriculture, American Sign Language, Business, French, German, Health Science, Home Economics, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Punjabi, Russian, Science, Social Science, Spanish, and Vietnamese $74 per subtest Art, Industrial and Technology Education, and Preliminary Educational Technology $111 per subtest English Subtests I and II $55 per subtest English Subtests III and IV $56 per subtest ________________________________________ Late registration (in addition to the regular test fee) $25 ________________________________________ Emergency registration (in addition to the regular test fee) $50 Additional Service Fees Change of registration fee no fee ________________________________________ Additional score report fee (per report) $15 ________________________________________ Score verification fee (includes score verification for the multiple-choice section of all subtests taken on the requested test date) $25 ________________________________________ Fee to clear an account $20 3. Also, my master’s degree only has one, maybe two classes they’ll count towards the other classes California wants, so I’m looking at, not counting the classes and tests above, another 3-4 classes, which spread out over 5 years won’t be that bad, but still. One of the classes I have to take is a BASIC computers course – they won’t count programming courses I’ve taken because it’s not BASIC computer classroom skills. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! 4. There have also been fingerprinting fees (~$100, one set for school district, another for certification), and then there are certification application fees (another $55). Okay, I really understand why there should be professional standards for teachers, HONESTLY, I get it. However, I have a bachelor’s degree (http://www.epinions.com/content_81223126660), I have a master’s degree(http://www.epinions.com/content_240364785284), as a career student I’ve actually started on my second master’s, for fun. I have another 10 or so credits post-baccalaureate not counting the master’s. I’m a teacher because I really like kids, I enjoy creating curriculum and working in education. I like teenagers and all the dramas they come with. BUT THIS IS GETTING CRAZY. I haven’t started my new teaching year yet and having registered for a couple of the courses, one of the tests, gotten new fingerprints (I just moved, so the other state saying they cleared me with the FBI isn’t enough, which, okay, okay, but still…), etc. etc. I’ve already spent an extra $1,200. I don’t have a single paycheck from them, but I’m out another $1,200? I guess I’m ranting because, post college, with my engineering degree, I had job offers that were nearly double what my salary last year, as a first year teacher, was. BUT, I wanted to teach, I like teaching. So I went back to school, took my education courses, and then entered the classroom. Also, I teach in a “needed” area, science, high school science… I mean, I’m probably going to stay with teaching, because I truly do like it, but I have to wonder, how are we going to attract teachers to areas like math and science when a) the pay is REALLY bad compared to industry or even some research jobs and b) we’re less respected and now c) there are MORE and MORE hoops to jump through thanks to all the state and national bureaucracy surrounding education right now. I thank you for reading and truly, I’m not asking for pity here. I chose to teach, and I like it, but seriously, with all the hoops, the low-pay, etc. who out there (who are, unlike me, of sound mind and NOT masochistic) are going to enter this field considering the low pay, low respect and new tests and bureaucracy? Final Score: No Child Left Behind/ Bureaucracy -- 1 My wallet/ Free Time/ Tolerance for this -- 0  |
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