Submitted by FeelTheBernCallTheDr t3_11crdch in baltimore
I'm currently working with preschool kids in a daycare, and I'm looking to work in the City Schools system as an elementary school teacher, and am wondering if there's any advice I could get from people with experience in that area. Especially from people who went through alternative certification plans, because I have a Child Psychology Degree and Classroom experience but no formal teaching certification.
Thank you for all that you do, seen and unseen. I have huge respect and deep admiration for you.
Thanks! I'm not sure all the parents of my students agree because I've been abused by a couple of them this year. I work hard, though, and I wish more people felt like you.
Can I ask, what is the dress code for a BCPSS teacher?
Not really any dress code. Just can't show too much skin, obviously. We don't really have any restrictions. Use you own discretion.
So I wouldn't have to remove or cover face piercings?
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My wife did bctr something like 14 years ago. At the time it was linked with the city and the city paid 100% for her graduate degree up front. Now it sounds like you pay up front then get reimbursed a percentage but the program will get you teaching quickly and you get paid for a bulk of the time you are training.
It's a good question. I know some people in Early Childhood Dev. I'll ask them to check this thread (they're busy and don't reddit much as far as I'm aware so it's a longshot).
Thank you!
Have you thought about becoming a Paraeducator /IA ? It is a good way to get your feet in the door and to see what the school system is like.
Good thought.
Me so smart
Honestly I'm having trouble finding the pay rate for a Paraeducator in BCPSS, one site says it's $12 an hour on average and another says it's over $20 an hour
Its way more than 12 an hour. The AA or AAA whatever they are called make at least 15 an hour I believe.. There are a lot of openings in Baltimore County and Baltimore City. You just need to call Human resources or someone in the office who does hiring and ask them.
I came through Urban Teachers. Lots of options, I liked UT because it had a year of student teaching with coaching. The other programs you do summer school and then immediately to teaching. Pros and cons of course. Feel free to message me if you have any questions
Do you get paid for that year of student teaching?
They've changed the structure since I went through the program so I can't answer honestly! It looks like yes, they do, but you are still responsible for paying for the grad degree? https://urbanteachers.org/finances/
I also came through Urban Teachers and agree with the other post about that program. Pros and cons. 100% agree with the commenter that said to get advice on where to work. In the city you can get stuck at a school if your principal doesn’t want to let you leave - the principals have to release you from the school in order to go somewhere else in the district. That could be okay if you love your school, but if you don’t love it, not good.
When you work through Urban teachers do you get to choose the school they put you in
Working at City Schools can be hell but, depending on the school, ECE is probably the best teaching position to be in if you have the energy to run around with kids all day. No state testing, no grading, no wit and wisdom BS. Best thing you can do is learn Spanish, there is a large demand for that in the schools in South and East Baltimore, especially in ECE where the kids have not been in an English language environment before.
For alternative certs, apply for TFA (if you put Baltimore as the only city in your top choice list, 90% chance you’ll get it), apply for Urban Teachers, and apply for BCTR. If you get TFA, go for that just for that for the resume builder. If you don’t get it (it’s competitive), then decide between Urban Teachers and BCTR. BCTR is less of a time commitment, Urban Teachers will leave you more prepared/ give you a year of student teaching to go “oh, nevermind, fuck this” before you commit to your own classroom.
Like everyone said, do not accept any offer until you speak with teachers at that school (and, ideally, not ones that the principal directed you to). Half the principals in this town are sadists.
Check pm’s
I changed careers several years ago and got my teaching cert through BCTR. I chose them because it was the quickest, least expensive option. Structurally it's similar to TFA: you have intensive summer training, you teach a summer school class, and then you're in the classroom in September. BCTR charges tuition for their classes your first year but the city will reimburse you a portion. When I went through the program, the summer was unpaid but that has changed now and they will pay you a stipend. With your advanced degree you'll start on step 3 of the BCPSS scale, I think. Tuition was about $6,000 when I was in the program.
Urban Teachers is more like a traditional master's program and charges $45,000 in tuition. There is financial aid, and you're getting a Hopkins MAT. Year one, you're earning a $28,000 salary, year 2 you're on the BCPSS payscale. So if you can afford a year not making a living wage, UT does prepare you for a career. https://support.urbanteachers.org/hc/en-us/articles/360050518012-An-Investment-in-Your-Future
The benefit to TFA, BCTR, or UT is that they also help with things like delivering documents to central office, making sure you're getting the correct credits, and taking the correct PRAXIS exams. If you go the route of para->teacher your only support is the certification office at North Ave and they're less responsive (I know more than a few teachers lingering on a conditional certificate because they don't know what classes they have to take and when).
Timid_Teacher t1_ja63do6 wrote
I teach 5th grade in Baltimore City. Make sure you get advice on which schools to apply to/contact. I’ve been in the worst of the worst and now I’m in a good school in the city. It’s still tough on a daily basis. It isn’t for the faint of heart. I love my kids and the job, but it’s never an easy pursuit.