OT Rant and ramblings
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| Mon, 06-25-2007 - 10:58am |
This is about me, not the kids but does involve special needs.
I have been applying like a mad woman for an internship position for next school year. Basically how this works is that since I am not fully credentialed I have to wait until all the teaching positions are filled that they can fill with fully credentialed teachers. Then what is left, if there are any, is open for interns.
The main town I have been focusing on is my home town. I had to fill out this profile questionnaire thingie that is automatically attached to all my applications just for my town. WELL I find out that they are using this questionnaire to rule out people and get rid of people who are not tenured. So teachers who have been in the district for a year or 2 and did a great job had to fill it out and if they didn't answer something right they aren't being hired back. If you are looking for a job and didn't answer a section the way they want then they won't ever invite you for an interview.
Well, I have never heard back on a single application. I can't even get emails answered. I KNOW I am a good teacher and yet it would appear I must have answered something not to their liking on the dang profile so have been blacklisted from this district for 2 years. Would have been nice if SOMEONE told me so I wouldn't have spent so much effort applying for jobs. I am furious (as are teh teachers and parents who are fired). I answered many of my questions from a SN teacher and parent POV. Since this questionnaire is used for all teachers (general ed and special ed) I figure perhaps that is where I went wrong. No clue honestly.
In the mean time I have applied for a job with the private company that owns the school that Mike will be going to. They have another school for more severe/profound disabilities. I applied to teach there. I think I have a good shot as all my experience is in schools like that. I think I can use that for my internship too but not sure I will get my summers off.
I also interviewed last week for a 20% resource specialist position at a charter school in a nearby district. I doubt I will get it as there were credentialed teachers interviewing too but I do have a small chance as one credentialled teacher I saw was lousy and I was more qualified.
Just had to rant about all that. Gotta go get son ready for school. The bus already tried to pick him up 1 1/2 hours before school starts. UGH.
Renee


Jobs are like the number 49 bus. When you really need one there is none to be found. Then, as soon as you finally get one, another
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Thing is they can't afford to be that picky, lol.
Actually, I know for me it isn't political. HECK one of my reccomendations is from the director of elementary special ed herself and another is from a program specialist at the district office. The only principal that may be a problem is from like 4 years ago and I didn't apply at his school.
The screening is done through an outside company from NEBRASKA! HELLO! WTF?
You will love this. There are articles in our local paper about it. Teachers who despite GLOWING reports and recomendations from their principals and parents are being not rehired based on this firm in NEBRASKA! They are the ones that designed the questionnaire and do the phone interviews. Based on the 15 minute computerized profile and a 10 minute phone interview these teachers aren't being rehired.
I agree I don't want them. This is not an individual school issue, it is our school board and superintendent. All of them are a bunch of useless lamebrains. One lady on the school board I liked but lately even she is ticking me off.
I think I was discussing our benchmark testing the other day in chat? These are the same people who require such an amount of testing that it takes 1-2 weeks minimum every grading period during class time to teach. That means between the 3 grading periods AND state standardized testing the kids lose out on about up to 8 weeks of educational time each year. Ridiculus.
Renee
Renee,
I won't say anything as to the orthodoxy of the company in Nebraska, but this certianly does seem like a case of "need a job to get experience, but need experience to get the job".
I don't know if you remember what happened to me when I changed occupations. I had graduated from school, but couldn't get a job that fit the specs I needed to save my life because I'd never had a job in the industry before. Sucked. In my case I was able to apply all of my vollunteer charity works to my resume', so eventually (after what 2 years?) I was able to get the job I have now, even then I started out as the company peon.
Okay, so maybe none of this heartening, and maybe our fields are lightyears apart. But, I know how ya feel. If you need a brick wall to to help with the frustration I've got a really good one in my backyard that you're free to use anytime.
Hugs.
~Candes
{{{{Renee}}}}
I wish you taught in my district. (But don't mention that; I'm not sure that pleasing parents is a selling point.) (Well, unless 'pleasing' means 'keeping 'em quiet.')
-Sidney
Man! that just sucks! I'm sorry that people at this lovely firm in Nebraska are out of touch w/ the reality of Cali schools! what in the world?!? and if they make all these teachers leave then what will they be left with? yikes! that's a scary thought!
we'd love to have you in SC! our district has a good autism program and is always looking for teachers. AND the autism society here trys to hire people w/ autims parenting experience first.
Betsy
TY TY TY gals.
I wonder if it was something about parent stuff or parent relations that messed up my profile? I saw 2 awesome jobs in our district yesterday when I was searching for new ones and it killed me. They are both at a brand new school about 2 miles from here. GRRRR.
Parent relations SHOULD really be a positive and I think good district agree with that. In fact, in one of my classes last semester an assignment was to create a visual for parents explaining the steps in the IEP process and presenting that. Some other classmates kind of balked at giving parents that much information but the instructor was great. IF you are doing your job then you shouldn't fear giving parents the info. It can only help and they are valued members of the team. We know sped but they know the child. It is our job to educate them on the process and special education since we have the background and they were kind of thrown into the world unaware. This way we can work as a team and make better choices and progress for the student.
BTW I have heard that many many graduates and students of the program I am in have had a hard time getting through the screening Profile in my district. That is how I first found out about this. Another classmate had told me she and a few others with the same trouble. She worked at our district for years as an hourly teacher and suddenly wasn't hired back. She was at my kids school and the RSP there and others have nothing but glowing reports of this person. She also is the parent of a young adult with special needs. When they questioned as to why she wasn't rehired she was told it was because of the profile same for the others in the situation. I think perhaps our university is too forward thinking for them.
Still haven't heard back from either of the jobs I had applied for and was hoping for.
Renee
I keep on reading this and am dumb founded Renee! You would think that sd's would WANT excellence!
Well all I can say is with hiring this co. in Neb, they will eventually suffer the consequences of their behavior.
Hey, come out to good ol Central Valley hehehe. WE NEED Teachers like YOU!!!
Will buying you a margarita do the trick? lol
Lainie