In my district, I'm required to get my Masters within 10 years of working in the district or else I'll have to leave (they give 6500.00 in assistance of that mandate). I'm not wanting to do the program they have for a general education masters. If I'm going to bust my butt and go back to college, I want a degree that means something to me. So, with all that said, how do you go about getting one? What kinds are there? How much?!?!?! What about the GRE...is it that tough? I love teaching elementary science and math and down the road, would like to look into a coordinator job. Does anyone know if there's a masters of elem. sci or math education? I'm probably going to start getting serious with it starting this summer. I just wish North Texas was closer to where I live!
Hi Leslie... as you can see I am pretty insane about now, as it's almost 2am and I had class tonight from 5-6pm. I start back to work next week, so I guess I am like a kid...getting my last bit of summer in! first of all, let's talk $$ It seems that $7 grand will only pay for two semesters of most grad programs. You need at least a year if not two. Do you need to take out a loan and pay for the balance yourself? pretty stiff mandate, if you ask me. Will the automatically give you raise after you do this?? :0 second, I hope some texas posters will jump in and help. each state is different...and I don't want to give you hope where there is none! honestly, there's as many choices as there are zip codes! I think if I have to spend my evenings, weekends, and online time taking a class, it better be something I want..or I won't really stick to it...job or no job. Maybe you can throw in something you want on the side. You know, one for them and one for you?? good luck
The loan part is what kind of scares me. My hubby and his ex still have a butt-load of school loans that we've just started paying on after years of being on hold. The thought of adding more is a bit of a worry. Maybe my district will up the amount another 1500 like they did yesterday by the time I finally get off my butt. The bad thing about that money...it's taxed! But, I can't complain too much; I don't know of many districts that even give that much, if any at all. Luckily, I would get an increase in pay when I get my masters, but not nearly as much as I think it should be. Oh well. Thanks for listening to my ramblings!
certainly....glad to help, love to hear rambling... seriously...I had one worskhop leader explain it to me this way: It is an investment in you. Nobody can ever take it away from you they can take your car, your house but they can't take your education we buy all types of things...how much can we spend on our brains??? so, here's two words for you: tax writeoff! as a grad student, you can get $85,000 a year in loans! yes it is scarry, but as long as you stay in school, ALL your loans are in forebearance..so nobody messes with you! And, you have a grace period after you graduate before you start paying again. besides, did I mention scholarships?? lots of them out there. the school has their own. but also, look for the ones that pay you directly. your church, local organizations, were you in a sorority? serve on any non-profit agency? anything you did ten years ago may offer a program. returning adult, returning teacher. get outta AtoZ and start Googling! tax writeoff form #8863 lifetime learning almost any educational expenses can be written off...read thru form and save all receipts. if your kids are in private school and or college, put them all on there!
I have to disagree with the statement: they cannot take your education away........yes, they can and I would not doubt they will figure out a way to take away a teacher's Master's Degree. Or at least make it worth less than it is today. When I graduated in 1990, I thought I was a teacher for life. Guess what? Not true. If I wanted to remain a teacher who could teach in public schools, I had to keep spending money on education (and LOTS of money, I might add) to keep my status as an employable teacher. If I did not, my Bachelor's Degree would be "worthless"
What are you interested in? Do you want to keep teaching? If so, a curriculum & instruction program would be right for you. Do you want to eventually move into administration?, library science?, school counseling? There are a ton of different programs you could go into. It might not hurt to ask your principal if there isn't a better area(besides general ed) that the district would need. If the speech/langage pathologist has been there since the beginning of time, I would think they wouldn't have a problem with you working towards a master's in that area to meet a district need when that person retires. A lot of schools have "grow from within" programs whereby teachers with 5 to 10 years of experience are groomed for administrative positions while working on their principalship program. Perhaps they're tossed "lead teacher" assignments would the administration is out of the building, or they are "in charge" during extra-curricular events. I would work this angle, I think you could get a lot out of it. If they want to pick your program, I'd choose anotehr school to work for.
In Ohio, those graduating in 2000, have to get their Master's degrees within so many years. Thank God I was grandfathered in. I graduated in Dec. of 1999. I'm still paying on my bachelor's!
well, I guess in a sense..I see your point. if a person does a dastardly act..they state supt. can ban him/her from teaching...and that does take away your license if you did something dishonest in school, they could discredit your degree...and remove your licensing status What I meant was..what you have learned, what is inside your head, nobody can take that from you.. You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl... Even if you hook up with the wrong guy or girl, and maybe a bad crowd...somehow...common sense and education will break thru. It is hard when they try to beat you down, shame your name, and make you spend a zillion dollars to keep your status, but we all know our limits... Just hoping that we decide to come to that point before we break down.
wow...you just missed it by a nose! my state renewed everyone's certificate one year...and I didn't even know!
There are tons of varying plans out there: Reading Specialist, Counseling, Admin&Supervision, Curriculum&Instruction, ElemEd, SecondaryEd, Library Science, and much more!! You just have to see what would fit best for you. As far as paying for it, have you looked in Federal Aid? Fill out the FASFA app and see if you qualify.
