# Any Teachers (or their spouses) out here



## TriggerHappy (Nov 21, 2007)

I would like to talk to a teacher. I am a first year teacher and just want to chat about a few things. Thanks

Brett


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## corrinas2 (Sep 27, 2007)

contact dale, ultralites' wife.....


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## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm a teacher.. Let me re-phrase - I _was_ a teacher and I am _supposed to be_ a teacher, but since moving here from NC, I have not found any teaching positions~! 

I am NC certified to teach K-12 Spanish.I have co-taught 7th grade band, K-12 ESL,I've taught K-5 Spanish, andalso substituted for grades K-5 in all subjects. I have7 years of teaching experience. Feel free to PM me anytime!  

-Amanda


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## JoshH (Sep 28, 2007)

Anybody teach at West Florida High?





Knot a Yacht, it is required to take a foreign language in 10th grade, at least at WFHS.


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## Ed Mashburn (Oct 1, 2007)

Howdy- Yep. I'm a teacher. Been one for 35 years. I teach in south Alabama- Baldwin County. I've taught elementary. middle school, high school, college. I'd be proud to talk to you about the best job in the world-sometimes. Give me a holler- Ed Mashburn


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## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

Back where I'm from, high school students had a choice between Spanish, French, and German. Theywere requiredto take 2 years of one of those languages - didn't matter which. You know what most of them took? Spanish. Why? Because in most parts of NC everyone hires Mexicans to work and the kidswant to be able to talk to them and/or joke with them in the grocery store on Sundays, (not stereotyping,just being honest...)

Also, elementary kids took Spanish once a week. There were no"electives" for them to choose. They alltook art, spanish, music, pe in addition to their core subjects.It's different everywhere you go, but in Carolina,my K-5 kids saw me once a week & they loved learning a new language.


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## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

I can't find a job becauseI amin Okaloosa County(Destin) and I am only licensed to teach K-12 Spanish. . . that narrows the field down quite a bit. I even tried to apply and become a substitute this school year andthey are no longerhiring those hereeither! sheesh - Okaloosa seems completely opposite of New Hanover, NC.If I were in Escambia County or was willing to drive to Escambia that would be a different story. There are probably plenty of schools out that wayneeding a Spanish teacher...?.. 

We certainly are not supported- I definately agree with you on that one.!


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## The Raven (Oct 8, 2007)

> *fishnfool (11/25/2007)*to get the thread "somewhat" back on track, my wife is a teacher and personally I can't believe that you can't get a job in this area. Teachers are leaving Escambia County every time they get a chance because it's one of the lowest paid in the state of Florida........ I think it's a shame that teachers aren't supported better in this area but at the same time, I can look around, read some postings on different area blogs and then it becomes clear why they aren't better supported. Good luck on the job search.


Headline in the paper two weeks ago said that Okaloosa County public school teachers got a 7.5% pay raise. A starting teacher in Okaloosa Co at base salary and nothing more, with no prior experience, makes over $30K. They have a 185-day work year, as opposed to most Americans who work 240-250 days per year. 

While many teachers complain that they're not respected or paid what "they're worth," most advertized classroom teaching jobs for positionsoutside the inner citybring dozens of applicants who are more than willing to accept the pay offered. 

If the pay were inadequate we'd see teachers walking away from the profession in large numbers. But that's hardly what's going on. The college classrooms are packed with students preparing to enter the teachingfield, and they've all heard the salary complaints.

The fact is that the supply of degreed teachers far exceeds the demand nationwide. We'll know that the pay and conditions are inadequate whenwe see waves oftenured teachers start walking away from their positions.


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## Ed Mashburn (Oct 1, 2007)

You're right-pay is really not much of problem for most teachers- at least not for this teacher. I went into teaching many years ago knowing that I'd never be rich- no problem with that. You're right- the days out of class are almost as good as the days in class- I treasure my summer months out of class- both months are very nice. If I wanted to make more money, I'd go get a real job and work eleven and a half months out of the year- I'd be crazy, of course.No, the real problem with teaching schoolthese days is in the nature ofsome of the kids we have in class. We must spend so much time nursing kids through regular classes who really can't/won't do the regular class work, it makes it very hard to meet the needs of regular kids, much less really bright kids who need to be challenged to do more in preparation for college. Don't get me started on No Child Left Behind- absolutely the worst school legislation to come down from Washington ever! I don't mind non-teachers taking shots at the public schools- no one knows better about the problems in the schools than we teachers. However, if folks want their schools to be better, theymight want to find out more about them, and make sure that their kids are in school and are working to succeed- We only have them for a few hours each day- the rest is up to home- and that's the truth. Good fishing to all- Ed Mashburn


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## Ultralite (Oct 1, 2007)

aside from all this, back to the original ?...dale has taught Science for over 20 years and I suppose it was her calling because it isn't the money. Perks are good (vacation, summer, holidays, etc.)...she is a chemistry major and I only wish she would have followed that and became a phamacist:banghead ...she still can and I'm nudging her to go back and afterwards I'll retire and fish...LOL...

feel free to give her a call...numbers are in my profile...


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## on the rocks (Oct 1, 2007)

I am a teacher in Escambia County at Bailey Middle. I teach 8th grade science and have taught science for over 20 years. I am a biology major and have both a Chemistry and Physicsminor. I can teach any science course in grades 6-12. I could also teach math but then that's what science is for...I teach plenty of math in my science classes. There are openings in the county for teachers but the pay is among the lowest in the state. Average salary for a teacher in Florida is $45,000, in Escambia it is about $37,000. Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties pay considerably more and many teachers from Escambia wind up there for the increase in pay. We lost a band teacher from Bailey to Okaloosa County and she now makes over $10,000 more a year for making the switch. Check the district web site, they have job posting there. 

Now...for the foreign language issue...you DO not have to take a foreign language justto graduate from high school. If you wish to work toward a college prep diploma or are in the IB program (both of which requires students to go above and beyond the general requirements)then you are required to take two years of foreign language. Sign language counts here, so does Latin (my choice in HS), Spanish, French, and any other language offered at the individual schools. It is considered to be a requirement for most freshmen entering college to have foreign language credits from high school.For those of you that might be interested in knowing what the graduation requirements are, here is a link to the district web site. You can skip right to page 43. This is where you will find them. 

http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/EDITED_SPP_2007_Appd.pdf

I enjoy what I do or I wouldn't stick with it because it is sure not for the pay. The time off is well earned and is one of the reasons I have stuck with it this long. The days don't end at 4:00 for me. I take a lot of work home and let's just say grading 130+ tests(25 questions) means I am looking at 3250 answers, plus recording...making comments etc...and it doesn't get done quickly. There are many nights I spend all evening grading papers and the pay clock stopped hours ago. Tomorrow is advisory day which means that I have to have all my grades averaged by tonight so I can send a progress report home to parents letting them know how their little darlings are doing. Let's just say I didn't wait until tonight to do that either...I spent part of my Thanksgiving holiday making sure that was done. I deserve my time off during the summer. And if you really want to know it is more like7-8 weeks, not the 3 months as most assume.

If you can read this then you need to thank a teacher. It really ticks me off when I hear people bad mouth teachers.


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## bonita dan (Oct 3, 2007)

This is by far the best freakin debate i've seen yet on the new forum:clap I'd like to personally thank the teachers on this country for there hard work. Whats amazing is I passed spanish in HS but failed english and I can't speak a lick of spaniard:doh


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## Chris Couture (Sep 26, 2007)

Come on folks, lets keep this in good taste! Sorry for those who lost posts but I am trying to get it back on track! Guys, STOP bitching and quit derailing posts!!!


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## The Raven (Oct 8, 2007)

> *on the rocks (11/27/2007)* Average salary for a teacher in Florida is $45,000


That's $243 a day, plus some of the best benefits in the professional world.


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## The Raven (Oct 8, 2007)

> *on the rocks (11/27/2007)*
> 
> in Escambia it is about $37,000.


That's stilla full $200 per day. If you worked 250 days per year at $200/day like the average American, you'd be making $50,000/yr.


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