Looking for advice on finding a teaching job in Mass

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Hi, my name is Josh and I'm sorry if this should be in the "Life At Work" forum. They both looked like good candidates for this question but this seemed to be a better place to post it.

With that said, I am currently a college senior majoring in Elementary Education in Maine. When I graduate I will be certified to teach anywhere from K-8 but I would prefer to teach somewhere in the range of 4th-7th grade. The ideal teaching position for me would be 6th or 7th grade social studies. Originally I was planning on getting a history minor but due to schedule conflicts I will have to settle for being highly qualified instead. During my student teaching I spent part of my time in a social studies classroom. I know that having an extra history course will put me a leg up on some applicants but there are sure to be many that have done much more than I have in a subject that seems to be highly competitive. I'm keeping this in mind as I'm preparing my portfolio and resume and am by no means treating middle school social studies as do-or-die. I am fully aware that I may end up teaching 2nd grade next year. However, I would still like to at least try to get a position teaching social studies. So, to get more to the point, I'm wondering if there are ways that I can help my chances at getting a position like this in a school system.

If it helps I will most likely be trying to find a teaching position in either the Lowell or Worchester area of Massachusetts. I'm currently helping to head an after school study group in the school I student taught in and will be doing some tutoring on the side once I know how much free time I will have during the upcoming semester. I worked in after school programs to help students with homework during my freshman and sophomore year of college and have worked with 6th graders in some capacity all 4 years. However, I feel like I could and should do more to help myself stand out among everyone else applying for teaching positions. The problem is that I don't plan on staying where I am after I graduate so it would be difficult to convince a school to let me start up any significant programs but I'm sure there are a number of options that I just am not thinking of. Any suggestions would help immensely.

Thanks in advance to any advice people may have for me.

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I hope someone shows up who has tried and true methods. I don't, but I'm starting out with the same major--and I've been poking around trying to enhance my possibilities, too.

Since you're already a senior, I don't know if this would help you at all--but I have read a few articles that say an education major needs to diversify into technology. They are interested in teachers who can integrate technology in to the classroom/lesson plans-- I read about how that can apply to prospective college instructors, but couldn't give too many ideas about how that would look in middle school.

My instinct tells me that glomming on to a respected Humanities professor, and asking his/her advice may be helpful. Talk about what you want to do, offer to be his peon for the rest of your time at school, get a great reference, and see if he can open any doors for you. Get as many references as you can. See if any of your professors know any administrators in the area you're headed to. They expect this.

That's all I've got. Hope someone else comes along. I'll be watching.

Good luck.

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Wouldn't you have a counselor at your college who can help you with your questions?

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Lash: Thanks for the advice. I am actually considering becoming a tech teacher after I've taught for a few years. I'm basically going to try and find a teaching job and see how I like having my own classroom for a few years, then decide if I would like to stay in the classroom, teach technology classes, or go into guidance consoling. I know, I'm pretty much all over the place but that's because I don't think I can really decide exactly what I want till I've been out there for a bit.

littlek: The college has been going through some... staffing changes as of late. Most of the professors are either devoted purely to freshmen and sophomores; the ones who aren't are swamped with work at this point. There is one professor I talk to on a regular basis about this sort of thing, but her husband has had some health issues lately which makes her very hard to get in touch with and even harder to catch during a time she can actually sit down and have a discussion. Because she has so much going on in her life and I am starting to wonder if I should be doing more I joined these forums to try and get some pointers.

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Sorry to hear about the state of the staff there - and of your professor's husband's health. Wish I could help you......

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Hiya Smitty.
Well, I'm not a teacher and I haven't been to Massachusetts for several years but these are a few things "I've heard" -- if you have education or experience with special education kids... that helps. If you have experience with coaching a sport... that helps. If you have experience doing anything out-of-the-ordinary -- helping with a debating society, helping with a science fair, helping with some kind of community undertaking, that helps.

Between now and next fall you have nine months to do all those things. Do any of those sound appealing? It doesn't matter if you do them in Maine even though you plan to teach in MA.

Good luck. Tell us what you decide to pursue. (Welcome to a2k.)

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A thought. Check out a Study Abroad program through your University system. You said your ideal position is Social Studies for the 6th grade... Think what location would be most useful in a 6th grade Social Studies class...

I have been eyeing a couple of Study Abroad programs that take place over the Summer. Locations like Florence, Monte Cassino, Montepulciano, Rome...would be great for Western Civ. One of my professors had taught in Greece and had an incredible slide presentation of the locations AND ACTUAL BUILDINGS we were studying. I know slide shows may make some suicidal--but for classroom purposes--and selling points for a prospective teacher--I think it would be a plus. (Of course, anybody could buy pictures or slides--but having studied there, I think, has a bit of cache.) These programs are paid for by student loans, and offer three or four classes during the 6-8 weeks you are abroad.

I think it would 1) be a memory you'd never forget, 2) look good on your resume and give a fabulous teaching tool and 3) just maybe jazz you up about history--and enthusiasm about your subject is something I think every good instructor needs.

My daughter and I are trying to prepare for her to go to Russia next summer.

Anyhoo, a thought.

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I decided to pick up an additional class this semester because I was still shy of the full-time student credit limit and had a lot of free time that I would be sitting around at home feeling restless. Now I'll be graduating with enough credits hours in history to be considered "highly qualified" to teach social studies in the middle grades. I'm hoping this will help me stand out. I debated trying to go all-out and getting a history minor, but that would require me taking a class at another college in the area and I would run into not only schedule conflicts but the possibility of losing my scholarships. So, I decided to meet them halfway and go for the course in politics instead of conducting research.

With any luck I'll be able to raise my GPA to a 3.5 so I can graduate with distinction as well. I'm not sure if I can, though because it is currently a 3.38 and I only have 4 courses to go.

Piffka: I've started helping in an after school program to help kids who need extra time finishing assignments and I should be getting some tutoring jobs soon as well. I'm going to try to do some more subbing as well. I figure that way I'll be making some extra money (which I desperately need) and it always looks good on a resume. And thanks for the welcome. Smile

Lash: I wish I could. It would be amazing to not only be able to study in another country but be able to use it as a stepping-stone for discussions in the classroom. However, money is really tight for me and the college tends to not help much with that area. It is a great school and has a really good teaching program, but when it comes to money matters you tend to be on your own more often than not. My girlfriend and I plan on traveling eventually but right now there's no real way that I could afford it.

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Are you aware that you must take the Massachusetts Teacher Licensure Exam if you want to teach in this state?

Go to www.mass.gov to register and click on the teacher licensure information site to learn more about testing and to register for testing and certification.

A candidate must take the general literacy test. A score of 70 is mandated. You must also take a specialist's test in the area you wish to teach. Again, the passing score is 70.

Teachers are hired in April. Go to the websites for the communities you are interested in; learn who does the hiring and email or snail mail them.

If you are willing to teach in Worcester or Lawrence, you might consider a federal program. These place teachers in areas where student success is low and the need for teachers is great.

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I still am.

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Looking for advice on finding a teaching job in Mass

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