Teachers--it's a seller's market

Reasons for this post:

1) Alternatives: This might be a strange interpretation of "alternatives" (because this concerns alternatives WITHIN the profession), but we propose that you become endorsed in as many areas as you can stomach.

Why?

• So that you are invaluable.
• So that you can walk at any time. ("Fine, you're going to assign me the worst classes/most students/worst classroom/most grueling schedule [in math, French, whatever]? I've got FIVE job offers to teach special ed in districts that PAY MORE!")

2) So that in your current situation, you can rise above The Servant Class.* Because we truly do want you to have a good school year.

***

JUST BY WAY OF EXAMPLE: (Extra points if you can catch the grammatical error!! Yes, there's a grammatical error on the Virginia EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WEBSITE!! YEY!!! WE LOVE HYPOCRISY!!! YOU MAKE TEACHERS JUMP THROUGH 7 TRILLION HOOPS, & YOU CAN'T EVEN HIRE A PROOFREADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[Yes, we know this blog is not perfect either. Let's review: It's a B-L-O-G.]

2008-2009 Top 10 Critical Shortage Teaching Endorsement Areas in Virginia
The following represent the top 10 critical shortage teaching endorsement area assignment [sic] for 2008-2009:

1. Special Education:
• speech-language disorders preK-12;
• special education general curriculum K-12 (learning disabilities; emotional
disturbance; mental retardation);
• early childhood special education (birth through age 5);
• special education adapted curriculum K-12 (severe disabilities);
• hearing impairments preK-12;
• visual impairments preK-12
2. Mathematics (Mathematics 6-12; Algebra I)
3. Science (Earth science; middle grades 6-8; biology)
4. Reading Specialist
5. Foreign Languages (Spanish preK-12)
6. Career and Technical Education (family and consumer sciences; technology education)
7. English as a Second Language preK-12
8. English 6-12
9. Library Media preK-12
10. Middle Grades 6-8 (all subjects)
11. Everything

Number 11 is our sarcastic addition to the list. So, let's see where there is no shortage....high school Social Studies (sorry guys, I guess you are consigned to Worker Bee status)...elementary (shocking, actually)...phys ed? I don't see that on the list...actually, I guess all of the arts are also excluded from this list (even though there are demonstrable shortages in music) because God knows we don't need thoughtful, creative, inventive, disciplined, resourceful, and highly imaginative people to populate 21st century America.

And here we get to the number two reason for this post. Just look at this [above]. Almost every subject is short-suited. What does that tell you?

• You are totally undervaluing yourself.
• This is what they don't want you to know, or think about.
• They want you to feel like you could lose your job at any moment.

But,

It's a seller's market.

Let's get to selling...




*The Servant Class = people who are the worker bees, people who have to tow the line and do lots of extra work for the people who are Untouchables.

Examples of real life benefits to being Untouchable in a public school:

• taking sabbaticals even if your school system does not offer them
• access to power
• come late, leave early [not that we endorse doing a piss-poor job, but why should you work harder than someone else getting the same or higher pay?]

More in a later post...