Friday, May 28, 2010

Multiple Endorsements?

Well, the job search is still freaking me out. I hear too much and too little gossip about who's retiring, transferring, getting hired, getting cut ... and come up with way too many chess-like strategies for how to get a spot in the district. So I think it's time for a REAL strategy - getting more endorsements on my license so I can teach multiple subjects.

Time was, (and I'm a young'n, so by that I mean, two years ago,) to get real job security you added a special education or ESL endorsement to your pedigree. I resisted, because while I love my special-needs students, I like having them mixed into a regular class, adding variety and diversity, not cooped up in a room doing slowed-down curriculum. I just don't work at that speed. And it seems that may have been the right move, because the district is announcing all sorts of "restructuring" to the delivery of SpEd and ESL content, which is a fancy word for "cuts." Some of the best teachers at OHS are getting cut to half time or cut completely. So there goes that theory of job protection.

So, I've been thinking about getting a middle level math endorsement (that would let me teach up to Algebra.) I think it would open up the number of jobs I could apply to or, if I get a job and then get cut, the number of jobs that the district could re-assign me to. And while I don't want to teach math forever, it could be a nice touch to an application for an art post: maybe instead of a study hall duty period they give me "Math Support," or again, if cuts are proposed they share me between art and math.

Does this sound like a solid plan? Do any of you have multiple endorsements?

1 comment:

  1. I'm signed up to take a test that will allow me a Middle School math endorsement. Woo hoo, studying math all summer!! :P

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