Is anyone else looking to advance his or her career in the future, maybe to K-12 administration, college administration or perhaps professor?
I worked as an Education Coordinator, where I went out in the field training and monitoring Head Start sites. I can see myself doing that again, but don't like driving around town all the time. I'd rather have a desk job in one office, 8-4pm or even 30 hrs a week, and eventually --- No Kids! I just come in and observe, help teachers with questions, talk to a few parents, and then fill out papers, and go home. Maybe sub for a class during trainings or occasional absence. I would help others work with kids, but less wear and tear mentally and physically for me. That's my goal.
I'm curious what type of job in education has those parameters - 8-4, no kids, observe teachers, answer questions, talk to parents and fill out papers?
Sounds like a department supervisor position to me, though I dont think many of them stay until 4.....more like 3/3:30 most days.
In Head Start, there are many administrative positions that don't work directly with children. There is a Family Support person who is responsible for going out to the field and doing some well-being/home visits checks. I don't care too much for those. Did my share as a teacher. They also work with the community to find resources for parents, such as potential employment, health clinics, and housing programs. Nurses are employed as Health Coordinators. They check the children's medical records, follow up on missing forms, set up referrals for counseling with obese children and children who have low weight and other health issues. They also set up free dental screenings with traveling dentists that come to the school, or have a van/bus that is a rolling dental clinic. The same applies with vision screenings. Mental Health Coordinators are usually people trained in social work or psychology. They work with severe and profound behaviors in the classroom, and help get the services for the children and parents before they transition to kindergarten. And, I already described my former (future) job - Education Coordinator. That person makes sure the academic policies and Head Start standards are followed. The also provide training and monitoring for the teachers. Some people work as consultants. They make sure the school is ready for NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation. That is a big deal. Parents look for this seal of approval. Additional, we need people to keep the director and administrators on their toes. Several inspectors come out and irritate (I mean check) us on a regular basis. The city, state and federal and funding site send representatives to check if our water is hot, and the playground is safe. All of this goes on while we are teaching, and the kids are running wild because they see we are distracted. They quiz us on CPR and First Aid standards, and ask where the nearest fire extinguisher is. Sigh...yeah, we are supposed to know this stuff, but I hate being tested while my class is in session. These workers have traditional office hours because most parents work or attend school, and you need to work late in order to meet with parents. You also need to work past 3 p.m. to go out in the field and meet community members. These companies and agencies are open all day, so you need to work around their schedule. Most preschool programs run between 6am and 6pm.
We have central office positions here that are pretty cushy if you can keep them. They vary from teacher coaching, to professional development, to curriculum design, to progress monitoring program implementation. Unfortunately, they are also some of the first to get cut when budgets are bad. A classroom position is less desirable, but more stable in my district. I don't ever see myself working with just adults in one of these jobs. I think I'd go crazy.
Yeah, adults..it's hard going back dealing with them all day! I see these jobs as being in your own cubicle, running out to meet a few parents, 2 hour lunch - uh that is appointment with local librarian and then lunch. And when you get tired of looking at your computer, drop in on class, play with kids - and come back to your desk!!
Yes, we operate from 6-6. But technically my session is only from 9-3pm. I mainly serve as supervision and I can usually get away with doing paperwork after snack time. Most people who are consultants have worked as Master Pre-K teachers, or Education Coordinators. You would have to present yourself to potential schools to see if they have an interest. Consultants offer their services to child care sites who are eager to meet NAEYC accreditation requirements, or Federal reviews, or even sites that need to open an additional classroom, but don't have the time or a clue where to start. Some agencies will offer consultant jobs to you. I interviewed for a lead teacher job at the Y, and they told me another candidate was selected. A week later, they called me back and asked if I would be interested in working as a consultant on a short term basis, in order to help them with NAEYC preparations. I declined because it was rather far away, and I needed something stable with benefits.
I don’t know if I will because I am already maxed out on the teacher salary schedule (furthest column) and with my tutoring money (27k/year currently) at step 13 (100k) I will be making more than most principals, so I don’t see the benefit economically. I did entertain the idea for a while, but I weighed my opportunity cost and determined teaching is the better fit for me.
Me too. In fact, I specifically went back to teaching because I had an initial teaching certificate. In order to move up to the standard certificate, I had to have 4 years of teaching. So I left my Ed. Coord. job to go back into teaching. I make more than everyone in my building.
The Head Start program here runs from 8:45-3:15 for full day and 8-11:30 & 12:30-4:00 for half days. I couldn't do 6-6! LTSing for the district here pays so much more. I'm going to have to figure something out to get out of public school but still make just as much
Yeah that's the problem. I won't see any TRS funds unless I work here for at least five years, but we don't plan on living in this state for that long. And I won't see any SS because I'm in the public school. It's like a lose-lose. I'll have to apply for a refund
I have zero interest in moving into a university setting. I'm not at all interested in moving into administration in my district. If I did, I'd be aiming for a central office job in curriculum development or something like that. I don't want to be an administrator at a school site. For now, I'm happy where I'm at.
I work from 8:30-4:30. The center is open from 6-6!! You can skip a 1/2 year and take a break, pull your money out and go back to subbing. That would be my suggestion. I subbed for two years, long enough to use time towards earning my standard certificate.
