The past couple of weeks have been insanely busy for me. For those of you who don’t know, in addition to my full time job as a sheriff’s office spokesperson, full time job as husband and father, and part time volunteer for Florida Citizens for Science, I’m also attending college in my “free†time as I slowly work toward my ultimate goal of becoming a science teacher. It’s difficult to find time for work (which sometimes entails evening, weekend and holiday work), family, college and other pursuits (did I mention I just wrapped a summer season as YMCA basketball coach?), but I manage to get by somehow. College work really stacked up over the past few weeks, though, forcing me to take several days off from work to get it all caught up. There were several small projects and a couple of big research papers that completely drained all my brain power by the time I turned in the last assignment last night. It’s all done now! Onward to the next semester.
Over the past few years I’ve completed the basic stuff, of course, (history, math, literature, etc.) and then plowed through biology I & II, chemistry and natural sciences courses. With those behind me I finally started work on teacher prep classes like classroom management, diversity, testing, human development, etc. My next semester starting in September features some tough stuff: microbiology, anatomy and a science pedagogy course. And then in the semester beyond that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. During that semester I finally get a taste of the classroom as I do some observation projects and teach a few practice lessons. And then after that, which will be September of 2010, comes three months or so of student teaching. Yes, I am that close!
It’s so close that I had to take a couple of state certification exams already. Last week I took the four-hour-long basic skills exam consisting of general reading, writing and math. I aced that. Then a couple of days later I took my state biology certification exam. About halfway through the 120 question multiple-choice exam I panicked. I felt that I was going to bomb it! Rather than confidently picking out answers, I was taking educated guesses at best. I got more depressed, overwhelmed, and defeated the further along I went. Finally, I finished and got my “unofficial†results as I signed out. Pass! I was too much of test zombie to truly celebrate, but the state of Florida now says I’m qualified to teach Florida once I get that college degree in hand. How did I manage that?
But the truly scary part is yet to come. This time next year I will have a big decision to make. In order to enter student teaching I will have to quit my current job. For at least three months I will be without an income. Not only that, but I have to pay the college for my student teaching. With a family to support I have no idea how I’m going to manage that. Loss of pay includes loss of my decent medical benefits, too. Will I be forced to postpone the student teaching until I can better financially manage it? I don’t know. If any of you folks out there have suggestions, please lay them on me.
The next worry after that is finding a job. If I do start student teaching at the beginning of the school year, then will I be able to find a job with the school year already in progress? Even more important: are there any science teaching jobs here in the area where I live (Lake County and other neighboring counties) at all? There have been layoffs all over the place. What are the chances of a guy fresh out of college landing a job other veteran teachers are probably also fighting for?
So, on the one hand I’m feeling good about my accomplishments so far, and I’m looking forward to the advanced challenges coming up in the next semester. But beyond that things look rather gloomy. Anyone care to give me some advice and a pep talk? I’m all ears.
Brandon, it sounds like you need to start peddling yourself as a consultant for part time work. If you can get a few consulting gigs for a relatively low cost to your clients, you can get the ball rolling.
Here’s another thought – teach as adjunct faculty for FIT. I have some connections there from working at Bisk. It’s all done online and mostly in your spare time. It’s not a ton of money, but it would help in the interim of getting going. You can do this! Florida desperately needs teachers that take their careers as seriously as you. 🙂
What is FIT?
Brandon,
Here in Hillsborough County there is a program that allows someone to teach under a 3 year temporary certificate while completing their coursework to become a fully certified teacher. This program is designed for those coming from non-teaching jobs and requires “alternative” certification coursework. It sounds like you are taking courses along a traditional certification track so this may not work for you – but it may be worth checking to see if Lake County has a similar program.
As for job availability, here in Hillsborough we are always scrambling in the summer to fill positions before school starts. I don’t know if Lake county has this same experience.
Good luck to you!
Lisa
Brandon:
Vacancies are more common in math and science specialties every year.
Counties start planning for next year in December, and sometimes job opportunities are posted that early. My suggestion would be to keep checking the HR sites for counties near you, and, once you identify potential future teaching slots, try to wrangle a student teaching assignment in the same county. Once they see you teach, they are more likely to want to hire you.
Also, if student teaching is part time, you may try to get a 51% job in the district as a teachers aide or similar to qualify for a benefits package.
As for the benefits, you get up to 18 months of cobra to maintain what you have at your own cost.
DSW,
My understanding is that student teaching is full time. The college even recommends that students don’t try to take on part-time jobs due to the student teaching workload. Argh!
Brandon,
I’d suggest getting a ninja costume and perpetrating low-level victimless crimes during the nighttime hours. The sheriff’s office would be compelled to keep you on during this period, allowing you to keep pay and benefits. Just a thought.
Seriously, the best advice is to just dive in. You’re good, and good people always land on their feet. It is always better to regret something you did than to regret something you didn’t do.
I’ll turn off the cliche’ machine for a moment. You’re taking the most valiant path and words can’t describe how glad I am to see you do this.
Hang in there, and best wishes.
Kevin
Brandon, if you’re good at math – take the math exam (or history, or language arts, or even PE)
It will be easier for you to get hired if the school has more than 1 use for you.
Also,There is a program called “Florida Teach” (or teach Florida – I can’t remember which) that offers a 6 week crash course that takes care of all of your certification stuff. ESOL, etc…
You might be able to skip the student teaching altogether.
(unless it’s required for your degree)
I’ll ask my hubby the name of it. In the meantime …
http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/level3.asp
Ok – I talked to hubby. He said that you will be better off earning a degree and then taking a “TPI” class rather than student teaching. They offer 8 week crash courses or a year long class once per week. Long story short – get your degree and then do an alternative certification course. Here’s a link –
http://www.teachinflorida.com/Preparation/EducatorPreparationInstitutes/tabid/187/Default.aspx
Lake City and Central Florida Community Colleges are on the list.
“What is FIT?”
Florida Institute of Technology
Definitely look into alternatives for the student teaching. You may be able to get emergency certification if there’s a shortage of science teachers. In our middle school we have hired 3 people over the years who were not certified (worked on the certification while teaching). Most schools will hire people with less teaching experience (less money). Most schools look for the science background first before the teaching experience. But, I highly recommend time in the classroom to be really sure you are ready for the paperwork, committee work, lunch duties, parent conferences, oh, and the teaching and learning! Good luck! BTW- are you thinking MS or HS?
Brandon,
When I decided to make a career change and start my own business, I took a job overseeing an overnight stocking crew at a major retailer in Sarasota County. It allowed me to build my company during the day, and I made enough to cover health insurance for me and my family. I bought my own until I qualified for the company plan.
I did it for just under a year. I was tired a lot, but the bills got paid and I have been successfully self employed since, doing something I love.
My two cents.
I second the comment about avoiding the student teaching if possible. I graduated w/ a m.s. bio and was hired under a 3-year temporary teaching certification while I worked for my 5-year certification in broward county. Florida’s DOE has programs to fast-track new hires w/o any teaching education from college. I had two options: I could go back to school and make up those teaching credits. I instead opted for a program called ACE, Alternative Certification for Educators (or something like that). It was basically busy work- proving you can write lesson plans, analyze data, revise lesson plans based on classroom experiences, etc. I also had to take a few online courses, all offered by the DOE, so it isn’t like i had to enroll in more college classes.
Like it was mentioned before, unless your degree specifically requires it, skip the student teaching. I’m not really sure what your degree will be so maybe my comments are moot.
Good luck!
Kudos to you, Brandon!
I’m an old fart with a wife, two kids, an engineering career, and a not-so-secret fantasy of being a science teacher. I simply LOVE helping out and doing presentations in my kids’ science classes, and I really enjoy coaching for Science Olympiad. Of course, hurling cantaloupes with my trebuchet at “Teach-In” and “Science Night” at the school are always the highlights of my year! (I made the year book last year!)
Unfortunately, I’ve just never been able to dredge up the nerve (or ‘nads) to chuck it all and do the major career-change thing to teaching. You have, and you should be highly commended for it. You’re going to be a great teacher, Brandon, and kids will be fortunate to be in your classes. Go for it, and good luck!
Brandon,
This is my first week teaching middle school science and I have to say, get used to this schedule. First year teachers average 60 hours per week. That seems accurate because I have already put in over 50 hours and I’m looking at 6 more this weekend.
I suggest going through school as planned – especially your science pedagogy course; this is when you can do the high level planning and thinking about education. Your science courses are good for that too, Classroom management is your most important class. Once you are in the classroom, you are just trying to survive and keep up, you wont be able to step back and look at the whole picture the way you can right now.
Don’t underestimate the importance of your student teaching internship. The job I have had 600 applicants – they chose me because they were impressed during my internship. And there is nothing like experience to help get you ready for the classroom. Good luck.
Brandon,
Those are really some tough choices you have to make. If my opinion means anything, I can’t think of someone better to be teaching my kids science. You already have the gift of communication and a passion for science. That’s a powerful combination and a winner in my opinion. Good luck, I know it must be a scary proposition, but you would be a fantastic addition to the teaching community.
Cheers
Joe Meert
BobH…. if you’re still checking this thread, please email me. I have questions about your Science Night at school, as I’m looking to do something similar. (if anyone has his contact info, please let BobH know I’m looking for him). ryanslat at yahoodotcom