Hey guys-- I've only posted on the introduction board before, so a tad of background info on me first. I'm currently a student at a junior college in IL, worknig on transferring to an Adult Studies program at a 4 year university in June for a 15 month + 17 weeks of student teaching program in Elem. Education, so I can reach my goal of a 1st-3rd grade teacher My question was if anyone has any experience working in a Title 1 school? Here in IL there's a grant you can get for help with your student loans but it requires a commitment of 5 years in a Title 1 school upon graduation. Everyone tells me this is a bad idea to consider, as Title 1 schools are not good to start in. Any opinions? I think I'm up for the challenge, but I'd like to hear other's opinions! Thanks!
Honey, I'm in a title I school and thought I could "do the time," but I'm seriously reconsidering! I don't think it's worth it for a credit towards my student loan if I lose my sanity in the mean time!
I have taught in Title 1 schools, a wealthy school, and one in between. Children are children for the most part. In Title 1 schools, the children come from poorer backgrounds and classroom management can be a bit more challenging at some of them--not all of them. Over 50% of the students are minorities which never bothered me. I think it depends on what you want. For me, it is not a big deal what the SES level of the school is. I care more about the location from where I live (I hate really long commutes) and how much autonomy a principal will give me in making a difference with children. I would familiarize yourself with the districts and the schools. You'll see yes there are some scary Title 1 schools, but some are strong public schools with good mannered students with a good staff. I know as I taught in a good one.
In terms of challenges Title I schools typically test one's skills to the fullest. They are great training grounds. If you can teach in a Title I school successfully you can teach at any school. I recall some time ago a well respected teacher transferred to a Title I school due to declining enrollment at her school. The school she was transferring from was in an affluent part of the district and earned the highest test scores year after year. About three weeks in she came stomping into the staff room beside herself, "I don't get it! I assign homework and barely half the class returns it! And the ones that do hand in sloppy and inaccurate work! I call the parents and no one answers!" Couple weeks later, "These kids just don't pay attention! They don't want to work! I spend most of my time trying to get them to sit down!'" At four months she quit.
I think a lot of it depends on the school and the district. My school is a partial Title 1 school (I forget exactly what the term is...selected kids receive services). It is definitely tougher than teaching at my previous school, which was in a high SES area (same district). There is a ton more paper work and progress-monitoring. I'm definitely feeling the stress of the extra workload. The kids aren't too much different than the kids at my previous school. They come in lower overall, and there definitely isn't as much home support.
I taught in a Title I school for 4 yrs in Arizona. It was very tough but manageable. I am now in a title I school again for my 5th year and it is VERY different than my old school. Within my class of 16, I only have a SMALL handful operating below grade level. they have made AYP for the past 2 years! I am very honored to be working here and I hope I get offered a continuing contract next year. 5 yrs and thousands of dollars forgiven by teaching in a Title I school....I think it's worth it!
I teach in a title 1 school. I've never thought anything of it in regards to it supposedly being "more difficult." Kids are kids. Every set has their own strengths and problems. Throughout my college career I taught in 9 schools and 8 of them were title 1. My school is interesting because we have about 80% extremely low SES and 20% extremely high SES. Honestly, I find my low SES families easier to work with. It may have something to do with the fact that they're generally hispanic at my school though, not that they're necessarily low SES. Their culture is extremely respectful of teachers. They come in to IEP meetings and are just so grateful we're putting in extra efforts to help their students. My students are all extremely sweet and hard workers, because they're taught at home that good education builds a better life. On the other hand, a neighboring school that is almost 100% extremely high SES has IEP meetings lasting 5-6 hours with parents bringing in attorneys, priests, doctors, you name it and demanding ridiculous things of the school. They have kids doing whatever they want because parents don't back up the school when it comes to discipline. I'd take my families any day over that, even if they do sometimes struggle to support my kids with homework and things like that. The schools I taught at in college were low SES and not hispanic, and I didn't see any huge behavior problems or anything like that there either. I would say the one benefit of working at a wealthier school is that good test scores (which can mean everything these days) are very easy to come by. In the past 5 years, not a single high SES kid in our school has failed any state test. Literally- not a single one. My two high SES kids on my caseload last year both passed every test, despite having learning disabilities. When every opportunity in life is handed to them, passing an easy state test is a given. Yet the low SES kids getting the same education are still scoring poorly because of issues not only related to low SES but also related to english being their second language. We tend to see those kids improve a ton by 5th or 6th grade, but the lower elementary scores are always low. In my opinion though, I'd much rather have the challenge of pushing those low SES kids to perform at high levels rather than having a bunch of high SES kids that are pretty much going to be successful even if I do a bad job.
Thanks for the advice everyone! The input really helps. I definitely have no problem with different backgrounds & am quite familiar with many of them & their customs. The title 1 schools by me I'm assuming would be more in the city of Chicago (not far from where I live so that'd be a plus if my assumption is correct). I know that children are children and sometimes lower income can be harder & sometimes much easier (they don't feel as entitled in my experience). I'm glad to hear most everyone has had positive experiences in the title 1 schools. I know every school is different & has its own challenges and hard days, but knowing it's bad as bad as everyone makes it out to be makes me feel so much more confident! Thanks :]
Seems like you may have already made on your mind on this one, but thought I'd jump in here as well . I disagree that "children are children" - I think that a child's environment greatly affects his/her behavior, learning styles, peer interactions, adult interactions, etc. However, I don't think poverty/Title I status uniformly predicts how a particular child, classroom, or school will "behave." What that leaves you with is simply an assessment of the school itself - e.g., do they have supportive administrators, do the kids come (not only from poverty but) from high crime/stress neighborhoods? For example, you could have a rural Title I school with a very different set of challenges from a school in a more urban area. You could also have a school with a primarily Hispanic population vs. African-American population that might influence behavior - for example, it may be true that with a largely 1st/2nd generation hispanic population that dealing with ESL issues might be a major challenge, but that kids were brought up culturally having utter deference for adults. In short, simply knowing the Title I status of school isn't enough to predict whether it will be a difficult teaching environment, just as knowing the predominant ethnicity of a population of kids wouldn't automatically predict behavior. But, the more you know, the more hypotheses you can form to pay a bit more attention to when you tour/visit a school, or when you formulate questions for a particular interview. Personally, though, I'd pay a LOT more attention to the quality of leadership, sense of unity/support the staff feel, the particular dynamics of the grade-level team you'd be joining (if you knew), and other variables other than poverty status of a school.
EdEd sums it up pretty well. I work in a rural title 1 school and I love it. I hope I never have to change schools again. I previously worked in a verry wealthy district and I honestly had a lot of problems with spoiled children and parents Especially in January when the parents pulled their children out of school for a 10 day vacation and cruise and wanted them to be excused from all school work. So for me Title 1 has been wonderful.
I've taught at a Title I high school my whole teaching career. It has its challenges and it isn't the right environment for every teacher. I very much enjoy my job and my students but I'd be lying if I said that I don't struggle. I'm feeling some pretty intense burn-out these days.
I've taught at middle school Title 1 schools. There are basic things you need to understand before teaching at such schools: -The students are almost all minorities from extreme generational poverty. -The students almost never sit down. High ADHD is the norm in these schools. -Most all your students suffer some form of abuse weekly if not daily when they go home. You are the person who gets to mop it up the next day. -Many of your students parents are drug addicts or some form of criminal. You will know because your students will tell you. -In a Title 1 school every classroom is basically the office. Sending to the office does nothing. The students love going. Forget the office. You are the office. -It's not a traditional teaching role when you teach at a typical title 1 school. You have to embrace that truth. This is the jungle. The rules of the Jungle are different. If you try to apply the rules and or morality of middle and upper income areas to a title 1 school you will not last. -The students do not have pencils. They do not have binders. They do not bring pencils. They do not bring binders. They never will. -Contrary to most schools, at Title 1 schools the less parent involvement the better is generally true.
I teach at a Title 1 elementary school and love it. I have previously worked in a school that was the opposite. I liked them both. There is a much higher number of minority students in my Title 1 school, but the behavior is no worse than my previous school. Personally I have found the kids at my Title 1 school to be more loving and affectionate but that may just be my particular school. My kids still try hard but it can be more challenging when it comes to test scores because there isn't as much parent support at home. There are pros and cons. However, I have no intention of leaving my Title 1 school anytime soon and I truly enjoy working there. I think more than anything it comes down to the school environment though.
I'm not sure why this old thread was resurrected, but I don't like to see low income schools being painted with such a broad (and negative) brush. I agree with Lovetoteach. I've worked as a para at a few different Title 1 schools, and I teach at one now. - Yes, most of my students are minorities. Not all of them are from extreme generational poverty. This depends on the area. I'm sure there are plenty of Title 1 schools with NO minorities, as well! - Well, my students are first graders, so they're rather active. But I don't think every kid from poverty has ADHD. - Not all the students in my school suffer abuse or neglect. The vast majority do not. My students' parents are mostly caring, dedicated, and well-intentioned. They may be working two jobs and have little time for their children, but they are doing the best they can. - Well, I teach first grade so they're clearly not drug addicts and criminals - but I don't believe this is true of all students in secondary schools either. - We have very supportive administration and a behavior plan at my school. So yes, there is support. - Maybe it's because I teach elementary, but I don't feel I work in a "jungle" at all.... - We provide pencils and binders. Many students would not bring them, that is true. - I'm not sure that less parent involvement is ever better...I'm sure there are very difficult parents at low and high income schools. Is teaching in a Title 1 school very different than teaching in a high income school? Of course, it absolutely is. But I find it very rewarding. My students are eager and ready to learn. They often lack background knowledge and vocabulary, but that just means i need to teach it to them! I work hard to teach them social skills, as well. I really love working at my school and teaching my students. I'm sure there are some really awful Title 1 schools where many of those negative statements are true, but I just want people to be aware that not ALL schools are like that!!!
I didn't comment on this the other day because of the date, but I'll bite. Unless you are in a very high income area, you will be hard pressed to find non-Title I schools anymore. When I moved to NC in 2007, I taught at the 'wealthy' school in the district. I went to observe other teachers my first year and I was blown away at how many more resources they had! We were in the dark ages compared to them. We became Title I in 2009 and it helped my school so much in terms of funding. Now, I just finished a LTS position in a district near the town I grew up in. This was always the wealthy town. The school I was at was Title I.
I teach in a Title I district. This is my 21st year. We are a rural school. I love it. I don't think I would like another type of school.
I'm in a Title 1 school, and almost none of the listed characteristics fit. We're a rural school, and I love it. We work hard to stay on top of changing trends in education, we have amazing, supportive administration, and a positive environment. It's a great place to work.
I both attended Title 1 schools throughout my time as a student, and have worked at Title 1 schools. I have lived mainly in rural areas, but now that I'm in the city, I think I'm probably around mostly Title 1 schools here too. To me, they're just normal schools. It's never really occurred to me that I could choose between teaching at one or not teaching at one. Every school is surely different. The Title 1 schools I worked at were mixes of Latino and Caucasian students in an agricultural area. The schools I attended as a kid were predominately white, low income areas. No gangs or violence or slums, just small towns with not a lot of high wage income opportunities. My mom is still teaching in the area that I grew up in. She struggles with parental involvement, so she pretty much has to teach at school and not count on learning happening away from the classroom (reading logs, homework, museum trips, etc.)
I don't agree with all of the above. I have taught in a title one school for over twenty years which is my entire career. Many of the people I have worked with are the working poor. They are doing their best, but can't get ahead for many reasons. They care, but a majority of their time and effort is put into getting food on the table. They are usually extremely grateful for anything you do for their child. I am not trying to cause a fight here but I think you need to be careful about stereotyping people/schools. It makes me a bit angry you would stereotype all title one schools in this manner. Am I saying teaching in a title one school is easy? Nope, but it is a great place to learn and can be very fulfilling.
I think that there is a tremendous difference between "country poor" schools and "city poor" schools. Apples and oranges. I teach in an urban setting. I totally agree with most of the claims made by teachers who teach in similar settings. While those things may not be true in every poor/Title I school, they seem to be fairly accurate across most poor/Title I urban schools.
It depends on your location!! In a large city or urban setting, yes it can be tough. I've only taught in Title 1 schools, but they were rural districts. I love small districts and wouldn't trade it for anything!
I don't mean to insult your basic comprehension ability, so I will assume you're simply easily agitated or overly assumptive. Never once did I stereotype anything or anyone. My list is simply mere observations over many years teaching at title 1 urban schools. You need to try to be more open minded and less quick to jump to your emotions. Truth is not always going to be what you expected or wanted to hear to the letter and maybe that's why education has taken huge hits, because the hard truths are not easily stomached. Ceasar is correct. Urban Title 1 schools are about as similar to Rural Title 1 schools as the Sun is to Earth. They have nothing in common, for perfectly legitimate reasons that have nothing to do with perceived or claimed "Stereotyping". Not all truths are fairy tales that you wish to hear (and that's a good thing for education). Title 1 Urban schools are a different game whether you choose to 'like' that reality or not. It's still the reality most of the time in most of the cases. Pretending it isn't does a great disservice to people wanting to know what to expect in those schools. Those teachers need to know what they're in for or a disservice is being done for those students.
What constitutes urban? I'm in southern California, which is really just a huge urban/suburban hybrid sprawl of some sort. Downtown LA I assume meets the definition of urban, but I often wonder about the areas I have taught and worked in when I read about "urban" schools. Los Angeles itself is not all very urban feeling, even within the city limits. I think painting this with such a broad brush is a little too much - even urban Title 1 schools aren't all bad - doesn't the percentage of students on free/reduced lunch only need to be 40% or something to qualify as a Title 1 school? That's not really that high.
I'm sure there must be some sort of widely accepted definition of "urban". When I hear and use the term, I think about the type of neighborhood where the school is, what sorts of resources are available there, what sorts of housing options are there, whether it's an industrial area, that sort of thing.
I really think it depends on the school. There was a reimbursement program that paid for my certification but i had to teach 3 years at a title one school. My first title one school was wonderful. The P and VP were approachable and supportive. I had no issues with parents, most of the children were respectful and I liked the school culture. Then i moved to a other state and had to give up the position. I got a job at a nonTitle one school. I hated it. The P was a wuss, the VP tried to run things and we rarely had the necessary materials and the P would always use the excuse "well we arent a title one so we don't get much funding". A lot of the parents were highly educated so many thought they were smarter than the teachers and would talk down to us or threaten to bring in lawyers and child advocates when they didn't get their way (ie: i had a parent harass me for a week because her child had gotten into a fight with anither, so they both got written up and she was convinced that my note in his file would keep her child out of a good college. Keep in mind he was SIX. Everyday she was at the school first trying to convince me, then she started threatening me if i didn't remove the note. finally she lied to the P and said that I said to remove the note. the P called me into his office and yelled at me. i told him the parent was lying,but he said it was her word against mine and i had underminded his authority.) That kind of stuff happened a lot, and not just to me. Most of the teachers who were there when i came in have since jumped ship. The P was also reassigned. I'm now at a title one school again. We have all the materials we need and are one of the top scoring schools in the county. The P is always on the side of the teacher and supports us when we have parents that try to accuse the teacher for their child's issues. But i'm considering moving because of the pressure. I have never been so stressed out in my entire teaching career. Every time i feel like i've finally met the impossibly high standards set by the P, she changes them or adds on 10 more things. She has "spies" who report every little thing to her and the kids rarely are allowed to do any art or hands on activities. My P is fair, but has favorites, so whenever her favorites do a good job, she praises and rewards them. When others do good, she doesn't acknowledge it. It causes tension and jealously between the favorites and none favorites. I try not to get too caught up in it but morale is low. People smile and act happy in the hall, but there's so much negativity and division. I'm not saying this things to scare you, rather just sharing my experience and trying to show you that it really varies by school.
We have urban Title 1 schools here that wouldn't fit half of those definitions from a post that was removed. Several of our districts Title 1 'urban' schools have high ESOL populations where there may be 2 parents but neither is home or neither speak English. There may be 70% minority, but there are several different groups which cause its own problems. 70% of teachers are not over 40. A fair percentage of the students are transient.
Is your post in response to mine? I didn't provide any definitions, only factors that could be part of a standard definition, so I'm a little confused.
I didn't quote the previous post, and it was removed. It contained snarky attacking comments about someone not taking their overreaction medication..... It then went on to make a list of what an 'urban' school was. Our 'urban' Title 1 schools didn't fit half of what was listed including the 1 parent home the 70% of one race, etc.
