Off Topic · OT: Paladin55 (page 1)

Hello Mr. Paladin.

From what I understand you are a school teacher? I would like to know if you have any advice or leads on how I may obtain a full-time teaching position for the NYC Department of Education.

I have gone on interviews and have searched for nearly 2 years without any luck.

I am certified/licensed in Physical Education.

Right now I am substitute teaching.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Hello Mr. Paladin.

From what I understand you are a school teacher? I would like to know if you have any advice or leads on how I may obtain a full-time teaching position for the NYC Department of Education.

I have gone on interviews and have searched for nearly 2 years without any luck.

I am certified/licensed in Physical Education.

Right now I am substitute teaching.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

Hell..the only other time I saw my name in a post was when Briggs was calling me out about Anthony Randolph- very relieved that I was not being attacked in this one.

Unless you were a full time teacher at one point and excessed, it will probably be tough to find any openings at this point. The real issue seems to be the ATR (absentee teacher reserves) population which exists. These are the teachers who have been pushed out of jobs because of cutbacks. My understanding is that there was (is??) a hiring freeze on outside teachers- the ATRs get first crack at job openings. The number of ATRs dipped below 1,000 recently, but Klein is talking about some significant cuts-8,500 teachers is the number being thrown around, so even if it is half that #, there may be a significant number of teachers added to the ATR list. I assume that you already are aware of all this stuff, but that is the state of teaching in NYC at this point in time.

Add to all of this the fact that PhyEd jobs are always looked at greedily, and held on to in the same way. They don't face the pressures other teachers face in regard to state testing or the new teaching techniques that are always being thrown at us, which is the greatest pressure a teacher like myself faces. (My father was a PhysEd teacher on LI- I got into the profession late, and I am a History teacher, but I wish that I had gone into PhysEd- I might not be looking at my early retirement in a few years

As far as I know, the hiring freeze is still on. Bloomberg is trying to play off a new contract against clearing out the ATR population by firing them. He is basically trying to break the UFT at this point with this ploy. If he succeeds, you would have a better chance of getting a position.

I will try to find out if the freeze is still in place. The other option is to look at non-public schools.

I wish I could give you more info, but lets face it- I'm on my way out, so I am not that up on what is going on in the hiring world.

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Hello Mr. Paladin.

From what I understand you are a school teacher? I would like to know if you have any advice or leads on how I may obtain a full-time teaching position for the NYC Department of Education.

I have gone on interviews and have searched for nearly 2 years without any luck.

I am certified/licensed in Physical Education.

Right now I am substitute teaching.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

ODM, I am a Queens college PE major myself, where did you get your degree? What I'm hearing is that getting your masters degree is what will set you part, and what the degree will be. I'm thinking of getting mine in either ESL or Elementary Special Education. There aren't any guys in that field, so you could be looked upon as a diamond in the rough. It's something I am considering heavily.

Allanfan20 wrote:

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Hello Mr. Paladin.

From what I understand you are a school teacher? I would like to know if you have any advice or leads on how I may obtain a full-time teaching position for the NYC Department of Education.

I have gone on interviews and have searched for nearly 2 years without any luck.

I am certified/licensed in Physical Education.

Right now I am substitute teaching.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

ODM, I am a Queens college PE major myself, where did you get your degree? What I'm hearing is that getting your masters degree is what will set you part, and what the degree will be. I'm thinking of getting mine in either ESL or Elementary Special Education. There aren't any guys in that field, so you could be looked upon as a diamond in the rough. It's something I am considering heavily.

I know nothing about becoming a teacher firsthand... so feel free to completely disregard. My buddy really wants to become one. He was exercise science, needs a teaching certificate. Anyway, he was planning on coming back for undergraduate to be able to teach science (biology). His logic was that science (and math) teachers are always in demand, whereas if he went back for a graduate degree the district is forced to pay more for his service despite being inexperienced.

Try working for a charter school. The starting pay is higher than the NYC public school. New Charter schools are being put together almost every month. Look into UnCommon schools.

Paladin, thank you very much for the info. I have kept up to date about the ATR situation in the Chief civil service newspaper. I totally agree phys. ed. teachers deal with much less pressure than clasroom teachers. There is no comparison.

If you dont mind me asking why are you planning to retire early if you have a steady job?

Also, if it is ok with you, may I e-mail you my resume in case you hear of any opening in a school in the future?

I view veteran teachers like yourself as valuable resources because of your familiarity with the system.

Allanfan,

I received my undergrad degree from Hunter College in English (Bachelor of Arts- not a teaching or education degree)

I did my master's at Brooklyn College - MSED in physical education

I also took a couple of classes to certify myself in Early Childhood Education, however I realized it was not for me.

For the whole month of March I subbed at a high school and I was told today to return for the whole month of May. This school was broken down a few years ago and transformed into smaller schools. I know they will be hiring a couple of new teachers (dont know for what position) for next school year. I am hoping they are considering me since I am the only sub there and will be returning in May.

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Paladin, thank you very much for the info. I have kept up to date about the ATR situation in the Chief civil service newspaper. I totally agree phys. ed. teachers deal with much less pressure than clasroom teachers. There is no comparison.

If you dont mind me asking why are you planning to retire early if you have a steady job?

Also, if it is ok with you, may I e-mail you my resume in case you hear of any opening in a school in the future?

I view veteran teachers like yourself as valuable resources because of your familiarity with the system.

Read my rant in the OT thread Allanfan started. I am burned out. I will sub if they can use me, and I can still do my coaching job as long as I have a file #, but I don't need the hassle of being a regular teacher.

If I was a PhysEd or Health teacher I don't think I would have opted for the early retirement. The pressure on you to pass students who should not be passing, to teach for the State Regents test but have to employ teaching techniques and have a student mix which makes it less probable that they will pass has become too overwhelming.

I've reached the point where the 5-7 grand more I will make in retirement by working the extra 5 years is not worth the stress. Maybe if Bloomberg had lost I might feel differently, but my union chose to stand back and not officially support a candidate, a move that can no be seen as an act of Labor cowardice which might have kept Thompson from getting the extra votes and support he needed to pull off an upset.

No problem with the emailed resume, I am friendly with the PhysEd AP and can give it to him.

Just a couple of thoughts that might help you out. If you don't have your masters I would focus on Adaptive P. E. If you are willing to go out of the city you might catch a break at some of the special act school districts (residential placements for kids) in Westchester. You would be in the NYS Retirement System and could get your career started and move on later if you wanted and had the chance. I think the market for P. E. teachers has to be highly competitive. Good luck.

Paladin55 wrote:

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Paladin, thank you very much for the info. I have kept up to date about the ATR situation in the Chief civil service newspaper. I totally agree phys. ed. teachers deal with much less pressure than clasroom teachers. There is no comparison.

If you dont mind me asking why are you planning to retire early if you have a steady job?

Also, if it is ok with you, may I e-mail you my resume in case you hear of any opening in a school in the future?

I view veteran teachers like yourself as valuable resources because of your familiarity with the system.

Read my rant in the OT thread Allanfan started. I am burned out. I will sub if they can use me, and I can still do my coaching job as long as I have a file #, but I don't need the hassle of being a regular teacher.

If I was a PhysEd or Health teacher I don't think I would have opted for the early retirement. The pressure on you to pass students who should not be passing, to teach for the State Regents test but have to employ teaching techniques and have a student mix which makes it less probable that they will pass has become too overwhelming.

I've reached the point where the 5-7 grand more I will make in retirement by working the extra 5 years is not worth the stress. Maybe if Bloomberg had lost I might feel differently, but my union chose to stand back and not officially support a candidate, a move that can no be seen as an act of Labor cowardice which might have kept Thompson from getting the extra votes and support he needed to pull off an upset.

No problem with the emailed resume, I am friendly with the PhysEd AP and can give it to him.

I don't know if you watch Bill Maher but during his new rules segment he talked about the US school system. Totally agreed with him on this.

Paladin, I read your post in Allanfan's thread. All I can say is wow. I am starting to get my feet wet to the scenarios you described.

Right now, I am subbing in a very tough school and have agreed to return in May (they dont need me in April) because I am in desperate need of a full-time position (have plenty debt to pay back). It was broken up into a few smaller schools, with the same students attending. The boys repeat the "n" word a million times a day and the girls say "suck my ...." all day long. Today a couple of kids were caught smoking pot in the bathroom. The assistant principal approached them, however I think nothing happened to them.

Fights constantly break out, the school is filled with "Crips" gang members and the boys and girls fight and push one another, hitting each other in the face. I would not be suprised if some of the students end up in Riker's or Upstate prison. I wonder if it is worth reaching out to the student's on an individual basis. They are beyond violent, rowdy, disruptive and disrespectful and do whatever they feel like. The students are suspended on a regular basis where they spend a few hours a day in the school each day and then go home or don't go home. Today a kid was supposed to be suspended from school. I heard he has been suspended over 60 days this year. Somehow he received permission to attend (reward?) 2 phys. ed. classes in a row today. I have yet to see the administration administer anything beside the "morning message" bulletin which states that teacher's must hand in their "student centered" lesson plans focused on "differentiated instruction" and "collaborative" group work. It seems like the majority of teachers in my school are glorified babysitters who are just there to collect a paycheck. Sorry to say, I can almost see why. I covered a few of their classes when requested, and the stress of having to calm them down from screaming all day is unbelievable.

I student taught 3 years ago in an ideal school with mostly good, mature students who can be taught and realized that as a student I attended schools with a lot of smart students, that had strong administrative leadership in what appears to have been an ideal situation compared to the schools I have subbed in.

I gathered a lot from what you wrote earlier and from my brief initial experiences. No wonder every veteran teacher tries to steer me away from the profession.

I don't have your e-mail address. You can drop it by offdameterzzzz@aol.com whenever you have a chance.

Kurt Russell in Miracle. Most recently, Sandra Bullock did an outstanding job in the Blind Side.

Sorry, wrong thread.

bitty41 wrote:

Paladin55 wrote:

OffDaMeterzzzz wrote:Paladin, thank you very much for the info. I have kept up to date about the ATR situation in the Chief civil service newspaper. I totally agree phys. ed. teachers deal with much less pressure than clasroom teachers. There is no comparison.

If you dont mind me asking why are you planning to retire early if you have a steady job?

Also, if it is ok with you, may I e-mail you my resume in case you hear of any opening in a school in the future?

I view veteran teachers like yourself as valuable resources because of your familiarity with the system.

Read my rant in the OT thread Allanfan started. I am burned out. I will sub if they can use me, and I can still do my coaching job as long as I have a file #, but I don't need the hassle of being a regular teacher.

If I was a PhysEd or Health teacher I don't think I would have opted for the early retirement. The pressure on you to pass students who should not be passing, to teach for the State Regents test but have to employ teaching techniques and have a student mix which makes it less probable that they will pass has become too overwhelming.

I've reached the point where the 5-7 grand more I will make in retirement by working the extra 5 years is not worth the stress. Maybe if Bloomberg had lost I might feel differently, but my union chose to stand back and not officially support a candidate, a move that can now be seen as an act of Labor cowardice which might have kept Thompson from getting the extra votes and support he needed to pull off an upset.

No problem with the emailed resume, I am friendly with the PhysEd AP and can give it to him.

I don't know if you watch Bill Maher but during his new rules segment he talked about the US school system. Totally agreed with him on this.

Wow. Great clip.

Have to show it to a few teacher friends. Probably should make a copy and give it to Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein, also.

Thanks for letting me know about it.