A friend of mine who has the same experiences I do. Same placements, same internship. She got an interview at a Title I school last week and our supervisor told her basically if she didn't insult the P, she'd get the job. Well, she didn't get the job. The P asked her "be honest with me, have you ever been in a school that was not from a rich setting" and she said "honestly, no, but I do like a challenge." So I think the fact that we were placed in a very well-off area for our internship, it has in the end hurt us more than helped. I'm not giving up though. I emailed 22 schools last week. I've heard from 13 so far, all no's. Then again they are like the desired schools in the county. I'm continuing to email schools...from the emails I can figure out, since several schools do not have their P's emails listed. If I know a teacher from the school, I'm emailing them "hey remember me?" and then going into how I'm looking for a job, etc. I thought this would be easier being certified in 2 areas, instead of just the 1, but not so much. It's August now, and I've heard that it's not uncommon to get a call a week or two before school starts and get the job.
I am so glad you are keeping a positive state of mind! You are absolutely right! Be happy, enjoy this time! I need that reminder myself sometimes- I too am looking! I just finished a panel interview- round 2! I do not know what to expect, but I am still eager, hopeful, excited, and everything else! Good luck! Keep up the great plan and keep us posted! Best wishes!
It's just a difficult job market out there. There are many, many candidates for each position and the principal your friend interviewed with probably just thought she wasn't the best fit for their school; maybe it was partially due to her lack of experience with at-risk youth, but I doubt it was the entire reason. If they were 100% against hiring candidates who haven't worked with at-risk youth, then they wouldn't have interviewed her in the first place. That said, I don't really see an issue with taking a candidate's experiences into consideration in the hiring process. You have to understand that principals at Title I schools see a number of teachers crash and burn, because they weren't prepared for the challenges ahead of them. I know one girl who grew up and student taught in a very wealthy suburb and was subsequently hired at an elementary school in a very rough area in the city. She came home crying every day and quit after a couple weeks. On the flip side, there are also candidates who get the job and excel, despite their lack of experience. Principals just have to make a judgment call. Title I schools also typically have a much higher teacher turnover rate, so, when they see a candidate with a lot of experience in "rough" schools, they might be more inclined to think that teacher would stick around if hired, rather than just get a couple years experience under their belt and try to land a job at a better school. You just have to sell yourself and let them know you're dedicated and that you can serve their students well because of [insert reasons here]. Good luck with everything - like I said before, it's just a difficult job market, but hopefully you'll land something soon!
I don't think having done your student teaching in a well-off area makes you unlikely to get a job. For a Title I school, it may have been a factor because they wanted someone who they knew could handle it. It's a different situation as those schools can be shock even for someone who really desires to work in a challenging environment. Take your experience and show principals the benefits of having worked in a school that's in a well-off area. Did the school have a rigorous academic program? Talk about how you learned to integrate subjects, create unit plans, and work collaboratively with teachers in the building. Were the parents very involved? Talk about how you would do everything you can to link the home life and school because you saw firsthand the the importance of parental involvement. Obviously I don't know exactly what you learned from being in the school but I think it's all about how you present your experience.
If you think you are missing something you need, go out and get that experience. Sign up to tutor in a tough school, do "Big Brothers/ Big Sisters", look into Literacy Vollunteers. You can add it to your resume right away. Plus, you may build relationships with people who could help you land a job.
I agree with everything people have said here. I think my experiences at T1 schools helped me land my current job at a T school... I don't know how many times the P said during the interview, "That's like our school!" or "I think you would find our population very much like your student teaching." Did you only do one internship? I know through college I had various practicums, volunteering oportunities, and jobs related to children that I tried to make as different as possible. It was great because when I went in to interview I could pull out the experiences from the setting closest to the job that I was interviewing. I tried to make sure that once I became an education major I tried to make sure that most jobs were related to children... it's what I was interested in, and I was trying to build my resume. With that said, I noticed that you are in MD. I don't know if moving is an option for you, or if you would be close enough to commute, but I know there are several counties in Northern Virginia hiring. I must sound like an ad with how many times I have posted about these counties, but they are HUGE counties! LOTS of job openings! They will also have jobs pop up after Sept. 30 as they count numbers... the year I was hired there were two other teachers that got hired with me in OCTOBER! The student to teacher ratio was too high, so they had to hire more teachers. Don't give up yet, just expand your options! Fairfax vacancies: https://hrnet.fcps.edu/vl/Vacancy Prince William vacancies: https://jobs.pwcs.edu/Jobs/
A friend of mine just got a job at a local high school. He will be teaching Social Studies and coaching. He was just feeling terrible because he had gone on several interviews, and had less than great response. He had all but given up when this opportunity came his way. He is thrilled! He had all but given up hope. I hope that some of you find your special place or niche this school year. Just keep plugging. It will happen. And you never know when being at the right place at the right time is just going to pay off!
I will also give you some perspective. Trust me, your training has prepared you to be a great teacher....BUT I will tell you it is a lot harder to work in a Title I school than in a more affluent school. I completed 1 field experience and student teaching in aflluent schools. Last year, I taught at a Title I school, where at least 85% of our students were on free and reduced lunches. I was not prepared for the behavior problems or needs of my students nor was I prepared for the lack of support of parents. It was a learning year for me. Now...you also need to know that I did have field experiences and I subbed in Title I schools but in a different grade level than the one I taught in and maybe the students may not have been as poor. It really depends on the school and situation, IMO. Having told you my story...I moved to another state so the P's had no idea that I had field experiences at afflluent schools unless they asked. Last year, I was told no...by affluent, middle class, and Title I schools until 1 P gave me a chance. That experience resulted in a non-renewal but that is a different story. I would teach in a Title I school again. I think that some of the difficulties I had was due to administration. I will also tell you there are some great books out there for teaching children of poverty and that would be of great help to you. You could even work what you are reading into your cover letter and into an interview when you get one. Keep your chin up!! This is just a tough market as someone said so it may not even have anything to do with where you were placed. There are just so many teachers new and experienced without jobs right now.
The P probably found that very insulting. I work at a title one school. I never thought of the students as challenging. They are a great bunch of kids.
I came from an affluent district and I don't think it hurt my chances of being placed in a teaching position. Glowing recommendations and a positive attitude made the difference for me. I think that the fact that the teaching market is so inundated with a surplus of teachers is going to be the key reason why you or your friend are not landing positions. But you can change that around by putting yourself out there and hand delivering your resume and cover letter to your choice schools. You just never know when a position is going to come available at this time of year. So much of the time it is a numbers game. They have the projected numbers to hire a new teacher, but have to wait until the actual bodies are enrolled before the hiring process can begin. You have a great attitude. Keep the faith that it still can happen for you. All the best!
I student taught in a more affluent school and I agree that it doesn't help when looking for a job. The question of dealing with diversity came up a lot when I was interviewing and honestly, there wasnt much diversity where I student taught. I tried to dance around that issue but I think not having that experience hurt me in the job hunt.
I was wondering about that reply, as well. My letter of rec. from my former admin. had a similar comment, so I have been hesitant to use it...well, if I had any interviews I would have been hesitant to use it. Would a simple "no" have been too curt in the interview? I'm curious about the response - I'm in a similar situation. I'm also trying to figure out why I haven't had any calls. It may be that the schools are just saturated with applicants. I sub. The school where I did most of my subbing only had an EA position opening. It didn't even interview - it was given to another EA whose position was being eliminated. I hear most of the area schools have two or three EA's with credentials to teach and are waiting for positions. It would be nice to sit down with HR and ask "What do I need to do?" Hang in there. I'm noticing on the New Hire thread, MD has not been a strong hiring state.
This is why I did my student teaching in the city instead of the suburbs. Most of my peers who student taught in the suburbs didn't get a job right away. Too many people are afraid of working in the bad areas.
A friend of mine had the opposite problem....she did her STing in a Title I school and when she interviewed at a VERY affluent school they asked her a ton of questions that actually insulted the school and her intelligence. Good luck--I know it is SO hard but hey, you got the interview and in my opinion that is the hardest part!
I would say that was not the best response either, I might have said more like kids are all unique and special, and I would welcome the opportunity to teach and share my love of children no matter what their background.
My placements have been: - 15 hours in a suburb school - 15 hours in a low-income farming area - 15 hours in a suburb/farming area - 1 year (1 day a week) in a suburb/urban fringe wealthy area - 1 year (2 days fall/5 days spring) in a rich farming area. There were students who had FARMS, but I worked with GT so I didn't really see them. My classmate did. I didn't have a choice in any of my placements. The 15 hour ones were through the community college and each time I requested to be close to my work and they basically placed me 30-45 minutes away and then the other 2 were through the university. I was a resident the first year so they placed me in a school that was close to the school. My internship started out in a school of my choice near my house because I was commuting, but my teacher didn't like me and made my life hell so after many tears and doctor visits I requested a change and was placed at the only school that was open. I did have a better experience there and because I was only at my first school for about 4 weeks, I don't even include it on my resumes or experiences. Having just graduated, I can't really go out and get experience right now. My plan if I don't get a job is to sub in 2 counties...my own and the one I want to teach in.
I would think that it would have been wiser for your friend to answer this question in a way that would show that even if she didn't have experience in working in a school in a lower-income area, she had done some research in to what the differences may be and how she is prepared to face those challenges. All teaching positions will come with challengs and its important to be aware of what they are and have some idea of how you may face them. Lack of experience is only an issue if it is paired with lack of research and collaboaration to gain the knowledge one would need to counteract the lack of experience.
Do you think it would work to my benefit if I say that I attended a Title I school in elementary school?
I had worked at a Title 1 school before, and was still told by a principal I didn't have the kind of experience I needed. They were very different schools, but similar in many ways. It all goes with how you sell it! Your ability to meet the needs of students at a particular school should be mentioned in the cover letter. Mention any trainings or workshops you've had that address literacy, classroom management, poverty, emotional needs, etc. And if you haven't attended any of those, what are you waiting for? Get out there and get some experience in that, so that you will stand out!
