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Working Moms
Question for the many teachers on here...
Hello again:) I have posted a few times about my new job teaching art at a charter school. I had my baby in September and didn't receive my certification until a few days before his birth, so I effectively cut myself off for this year's hiring season. However, I have been proactive in my job search, and in addition to subbing, I was lucky enough to find a part-time position teaching in my content area at a charter school which started about a month ago.
For those who didn't read my previous posts, the position is very rewarding (I work with an integrated regular ed and special needs population, the children with disabilities have pretty severe issues), but it also has significant drawbacks: extended workday, a long commute (an hour each way at best), much lower pay than public schools in my area, and a weird school day-no designated lunch, no break in between 7 classes which I teach back-to-back.
After doing the job for a month, I think I can handle it indefinitely on a part-time basis. If it was offered to go full-time, I'm not sure-when I get home, I'm so exhausted and burned out. It's like a marathon teaching so many classes back to back, and many of the students have severe behavioral / emotional problems, so it is not unusual for me to be soldiering through a lesson while a child has a screaming fit in the background (many of their treatment plans require teachers to "ignore" the behaviors rather than to have the aide take them out of the classroom-easier said than done).
My ultimate goal is to find a full-time teaching position in a public school, preferably within a 45-minute drive. I know so many teachers who have been stuck subbing for 2+ years in this terrible economy. With this job, I am fortunate enough to only need to sub about once a week now (just to keep my name in the district for any future openings-the charter does pay significantly more than subbing), and I am able to stay home with my 5-month old son two days a week. Financially, DH and I can keep up this arrangement for a few years-probably at least 3-4, as long as we both do some freelance work as well.
For those of you who have been through the search process, do you think this experience will help "speed up" the process of finding that full-time district job? I feel like it's a unique experience that will stand out on my resume, and that I was lucky to find a position in my content area just a couple of months after receiving my certification.
Would you feel that the not-ideal working conditions are worth the experience and two days at home with your child?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Question for the many teachers on here...
For those of you who have been through the search process, do you think this experience will help "speed up" the process of finding that full-time district job? I think that it might look good in an interview. You still only want a brief resume so you can get your foot in the door for a full-time public school job. My resume doesn't state that for 10 years now I've mainstreamed special needs students into my music classroom. That's the type of thing that is highlighted in my letters of recommendation, and emphasized by my interview. I don't know if it will speed up an hiring process. The problem is that there are tons of more-experienced teachers getting laid off every year. It can't hurt to have it on your resume if you can survive what I consider to be crappy working conditions (I remember all your posts so far).
Would you feel that the not-ideal working conditions are worth the experience and two days at home with your child? I don't know. I started teaching 10 years ago, when DH & I were only dating, and I was nowhere near ready for a child. At this point in my life, my job is my dream job (and I worked my butt off to get it). If I were forced to teach elsewhere, I may not want to do it...but we'd have to for the money in our situation.
CrazyToast, thanks for your insights. I appreciate it. All my public school friends are horrified by my "crappy" working conditions, but I do feel like they are the trade-off I am paying for avoiding full-time subbing so early in my career and the ability to be home with DS a couple of days a week.
How many years did it take you to find your "dream job"? I am curious. I know everyone is different, but I am hoping to find a job in a district I want to stay in within 2-5 years. My situation is a bit different than some-I worked as a commercial illustrator for about 8 years, and then opened a gallery and boutique space for 2. So I am a career changer with a lot of real-world art experience. Many teachers I know began their careers in their early-to-mid 20s, while I am in my early 30s...so I didn't feel like I had the option to wait until I was more established to start a family. I am lucky in that my DH is well-established in his career-I can't afford to stay home, but it does give us a bit of cushioning while my new career is getting off the ground.
It took until my 3rd year to find my teaching job in the district I am in. (I'm a music teacher.)
I had to FIGHT to get out of my previous job because I didn't tell them I was leaving until later than ed code requires.
After the 1 year here, the woman who was on leave that I was covering for (just for that year) came back. But she retired a year later, and everyone begged me to reapply in the district and come back.
I've been here for 7 of my almost 10 years. And I am also in my early 30s.