[OOC] Pool of Radiance

[Mark Chance]

Woo hoo! I scored 274 out of 300 on my state exam for certification in special education. First major state-imposed hurdle out of the way. I rule.

 

[Leif]

Congrats, M.C. You DO rule!

 

[Thanee]

Yay! Congrats!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Scotley]

Woo hoo! I scored 274 out of 300 on my state exam for certification in special education. First major state-imposed hurdle out of the way. I rule.

Excellent! Are you preparing to be a special ed teacher? Leif and I both work with the Developmentally Disabled. He's a lawyer for a company that provides services and I run a small company that provides supported living, day services, personal assistance and other services to adults with mental retardation/developmental disability. My education is in Psychology and I've been working in the field nearly 20 years.

 

[Mark Chance]

Excellent! Are you preparing to be a special ed teacher?

Already am. I teach history in a charter school attached to a residential treatment center for students with emotional disturbances. This is my thirteenth year teaching. Previously, I've always worked in private or parochial schools where state certification wasn't an issue.

 

[renau1g]

My mother-in-law is also a teacher who has a specialization in special needs students and recently transitioned to a position to allow her to work full time with those individuals.

 

[Mark Chance]

My mother-in-law is also a teacher who has a specialization in special needs students and recently transitioned to a position to allow her to work full time with those individuals.

Cool. I'm not sure, however, I really enjoy my current position. It is seriously wearing on me.

My first love (my calling, if you will) is the Catholic school system, but no Catholic school in my area can pay me what I need to make in order to pay my bills.

Ah well. C'est le vie!

 

[renau1g]

Yeah I think the Catholic School (which is where my mother-inlaw works) system is different here in Ontario, they pay the same as the public board , are fully funded by the gov't through our taxes. Not sure if the states are the same.

 

[Leif]

I'm no education expert here in the US. (But I guess that I am a legal expert, of sorts. ) Public funding for schools sponsored by religious institutions runs afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits any part of the government from sponsoring a religion.

 

[Mark Chance]

I'm no education expert here in the US. (But I guess that I am a legal expert, of sorts. ) Public funding for schools sponsored by religious institutions runs afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits any part of the government from sponsoring a religion.

Well, I don't want to get in trouble for talking about religion and/or politics, but it's possible for tax monies to be used for non-public schools, but just because something's possible doesn't make it a good idea. There are, however, plenty of non-public monies out there (even if they're not being tapped very well). At the high school level, there's at least one Catholic high school in Houston that offers seriously competitive salaries and benefits.

All that said, I don't regret my decision to work where I'm at. I am doing good work, and I am getting to do my part to help some great kids. I also have some real options for next year should I decide to move to a different school.

For example, there's a charter school in Houston that focuses on a classical education curriculum that would be neat to work at. I've taught in such a school before. It was a hoot teaching Latin and Roman history to grade schoolers.

The key for me is getting to teach. I've tried other work since getting out of the Army many a-year ago, and nothing compares. When I interview at a school, I'm usually asked, "What do you teach?" or "What subjects do you teach?"

My answer: "I don't teach subjects. I teach children."