r/CaliforniaTeachers

Hi, I made this one. I've played Wordle-likes for years and always wanted to build my own, but I never had an idea that felt like mine.

The push came from a strange place. Half of what I read these days is written by AI, and it's never short. Every email, every doc, twelve words where five would do. At some point I said the phrase out loud, long story short, and realised it was a game.

So: you get a twelve-word sentence. You rephrase it in exactly five of its own words. Real English, same meaning, your job is to work out which words carry the sentence and which are just dressed up to look important. Scoring is Wordle style, blue for right word in the right spot, orange for in the answer but elsewhere, grey for out. Five tries, one sentence a day.

My wife and my brother were the playtesters. An early version let "the" beat proper words in the answer, which felt awful to lose to, so the answers now always favour the concrete word. That one change ate a whole weekend.

So my husband got a new job that requires us to move from the Bay Area to LA, which is important to us because we a one year old baby and need to move to LA to be near family as we have no support system in the Bay Area. I missed the ed code resignation date by 2 weeks (I also didn’t know it existed), and my current district is holding me to my contract until the position is filled. It’s been a month and they have no candidates to interview yet. They also posted my position as “bilingual required” and I am not bilingual. I asked them to remove the requirement, and they did not respond.

I have another job lined up at a district in LA that is a great opportunity and somewhere I would want my child to go to school when she is old enough. They have now given me a deadline that I need to provide a release date for my current position.

I know that if I break my contract, they will report me to the CTC, and my credentials could be suspended. Has anybody been in this position and appealed to the CTC that you left with “just cause”? Or successfully negotiated out of the contract? Should I get a lawyer? I have already spoken to my union, and they are working on getting back to me, but I have this new deadline, so I need to get this figured out asap.

Hi, my boss told me of a 6th grade teacher position ( despite school starting this week. I do have some hope though b/c she said the last teacher hiring was in October).

I do want to be a math teacher, but taking CSET I and CSET II for math seems like a big task. I planned to take the tests a bit later to apply for classes. I feel slightly overwhelmed right now as I am rusty with linear algebra and etc.

I saw that 7th to 12th requires a single subject permit, but 6th could use an emergency multi-subject permit. Is that actually true. If anyone has any links that would be great too. I know I can pass the CBEST literally this week if this is true and then I'll apply for that job.

Looking for advice/reviews on CA Single Subject Credential programs!

Hi everyone! I’m currently researching Single Subject Teaching Credential programs in California and would love to hear from people who have actually attended this program (especially current students or recent graduates).

The school I’m currently looking at is CSUF and I’ve been doing a lot of research, but I’m finding that it’s hard to get a good idea of what the programs are actually like beyond the information on the university websites.

I’d really love to hear from people who have actually gone through that program because I am interested in what your personal experience was like.

Some of the things that are important to me:

• Student teaching/clinical placement: How was the placement process? Did the program help you find a good placement? Were you able to stay relatively close to home?

• Program structure/schedule: How manageable was the workload? Were classes mostly online, in person, or hybrid? How often did you have to be on campus?

• Professors/support: Were your professors helpful and accessible? Did you feel supported throughout the program?

• Student teaching experience: Did you feel prepared going into student teaching? How much support did you receive from your supervisor/cooperating teacher?

• Cost: Were there any unexpected costs or fees that you wish you had known about beforehand?

• Job preparation: Did you feel like the program prepared you well for actually getting a teaching job?

• Overall experience: Would you choose the same program again if you had to do it over?

And if you attended any other schools/ programs that you would recommend I’d love to hear about those programs too! What did you like/dislike, and what would you tell someone who is currently deciding between these schools?

Basically, I’m just trying to hear from some people who have actually been through this programs before I make a decision. Any experiences, advice, warnings, or things you wish you knew beforehand would be VERY appreciated!

Thank you!!

This one is for first year teachers in California. Preferably working in TK-6th grade/elementary and/or DLI. What made you stand out most to get onboarded this year do you feel? What kind of experience you had? Did you build relationships at other schools? Know someone in a district? With such low hiring numbers this year especially in SoCal I wanna know how you did it.

Trying to prep for getting hired next school year and seeing what steps I should take to stand out. Taking all the advice possible!

I am considering going back to school to get my Admin Credential. Has anyone here done that? If so, was the ROI worth it? Stress wise? Work life balance? Etc...

I recently started the new school year at a completely new district. One of the admin at my school has made it quite clear in every meeting that they were desperately trying to return back to the classroom this school year, but somehow this opportunity came up and they took it (this district pays well). I have never seen this person smile. They look glum everyday. Someone they work alongside is a nervous wreck and completely frazzled everytime I come in contact with them. Overall, they both look miserable. My mother was also an Admin for a time and she too returned to the classroom before she retired.

Any opinions on whether its worth it? Whether the need for qualified Admins will grow in the future?

I graduated with my ba in liberal studies in 2019, but my last two semesters I had a really hard time taking care of my mom who had stage 4 cancer and my dad with type 2 diabetes, while working and being pregnant. So I ended up with some d’s and f’s I tried to make up for but I did end up with still a d in one of the course. Since then I have been working with a school district since 18 till currently which is 12 years all together. With 6 years of it as an elementary librarian. I have professional recommendations from my principal, vice principal, I’ve worked with for 5 years, as well as many of my coworkers who are teachers. Chat gpt makes it seem like the committee will still consider me with my experience and professional recs. But I feel like I’m literally going to have to re do my whole degree. Any help or advice 😭

Hello all!

I’m about to finish my bachelors degree, and would like to enter in a program to become an elementary teacher following graduation.

Three years ago I was convicted of a wet and reckless. Would this affect my chances of becoming a teacher, or even substitute teacher?

I did apply to be a substitute teacher in my district in order to gain some experience and a learn about teaching in different grades. I disclosed the wet and reckless on my application. I’m also debating on emailing the hiring manager with expressed interest. Would you consider this a good idea, and if so, should I mention the conviction in my email as well?

*Also, I have not been told that I could receive stipend for off duty hours and running the club (which I wasn't even told that I was expected to do). From what I understand, California requires that I be offered a stipend to do this....and I should have added the first play is scheduled for late October lol

I could really use some advice. I apologize for the length.

I was hired as an English teacher in California. The job offer letter that was provided for my intern credential states that it is for an English position, and the listing on EdJoin also lists that it is for an English position.

There was optional training about a week before required orientation meetings for new teachers in the district and for my particular school. Unfortunately, I had to miss this optional training due to my previous job. I now believe this was a massive mistake, as apparently the two new English teachers found out their courses at that time.

I was told on a Friday—with school beginning on a Wednesday—that I must teach an advanced drama and an intermediate drama class in addition to three English classes.

I have zero experience with drama (no classes in high school or college, no knowledge of lights or set design, nothing). I was told to use AI and they would hire another person to direct the play. I tried to politely object and say I was not at all qualified to do so, but was told that all you need is an English credential to teach drama in California.

Well, there was an issue with the MOU being expired between my school and my new job, so I am in contact with the credential analyst at my university. It is being sorted out so that I can officially obtain my intern credential, but I am currently working on my substitute permit. He told me that in California, I cannot teach drama with an intern English credential as of 2022.

I have a meeting on Monday with one of the admins at the school. I heavily suspect they will try to strong-arm me into directing a play. This is because after I wrote an email asking when the new director would be hired (i.e., a sort of co-teacher), the VP sent me an email saying that it would have to be approved. This is obviously completely at odds with what they told me last week (that they would hire someone to direct the play).

An experienced teacher believes I should contact the district office and the union. The union feels nuclear. However, this teacher implied if I refuse to direct the play, they will fire me or cut me down to .60.

I feel like I am stuck in a no-win situation. If I let them strong-arm me into trying to direct a play, I undoubtedly will fail at directing said play because of my lack of experience…which would then lead to me possibly being fired. If I refuse to direct the play, then I am likely going to get cut down to part-time or possibly fired.

I am thinking of going to the meeting on Monday with printed out copies of my job offer letter and the job listing (which stated it was for an English position).

Lastly, the students were under the impression I was the drama club sponsor. I never agreed to do this. Preparing for the play would require a lot of unpaid hours of work (there was zero mention of additional stipends), and my Tuesday lunch break. I am already a bit overwhelmed as I have very little help adjusting to the English classes (no mentor teacher, etc.).

Do you think I should play hardball, show my job letter & job application for the English position, and simply refuse to keep teaching this class if they do not hire a director within the next two weeks?

Is this normal to try and force an English teacher with zero experience to teach and direct a play for an advanced drama class?

So, 33+ applications, all written by hand, and not a single interview. I gave up and used AI for two applications... I feel a bit demoralized.

I've been told to do this in order to get my resume seen. Has anyone else been told this, or resorted to this?

This market has been bleak.

considering being a high school teacher and how is it that half of teachers love the job and the other half say don't become one, its the worst job ever? What is the nuetral truth?

Hi everyone!

I'm fresh out of college with a BS in math and physics, and I’d like education to be a big part of my future. I'm still deciding whether grad school is worth my time and/or money—in the meantime, I'll be teaching for a year or two at a SoCal science camp where living expenses are minimal, so there I'll pay down my loans and save some for whatever comes next.

Let's say I decide to aim for high school (again, undecided). It's important to me that I stay in the Greater LA area for now. In no particular order, my single subject areas of interest are math, physics, and geoscience, though I haven't ruled out teaching at a private school.

Full disclosure based on what I've seen here: the job search is a bit rough right now, working conditions vary dramatically across districts, and enrollment is beginning to fall across the board. But that seems to be the case for all of the education-y careers I'm considering right now, and K-12 education seemingly comes out on top with the highest expected payoff? (Most college faculty have their own struggles until later in their careers.) So while I take seriously all the issues teachers face right now, I've sort of just accepted that education/academia is systemically bad and exploitative and all that.

With all that said. I understand that this is a pretty big question, but what steps could I take over the next few years to position myself as best as I can for the job market?

• Should I take the CSET in geoscience when I get the chance, so that I end up with credentials in 2-3 subjects (AB 130 (2021) in mind)?
• What kind of job should I aim to have while getting credentialed? Something like subbing or private school teaching?
• Should I reach out to some of my (CJUHSD) high school teachers for advice/encouragement?
• Anything else you think I should know before committing to this path for the foreseeable future?

(Not as important, but I'd also appreciate any advice on how to decide between high school or STEM grad school! Education grad school is on my radar, too, but I'd need to read more on that anyway.)

Sorry for the lengthy post. Many thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks for all the great advice, learned some things I wouldn't have thought of on my own :) will save this post for later down the line.

Hi All,

I have an interview with CAVA this week - that stands for California Virtual Academy. If you get selected, you're placed in an eligibility pool until there's an opening.

Has anyone gone through this process? How long did you wait in the pool before an opening?

Please share any other experiences you've had with CAVA too.

TIA!

Hi! I work in a school district in California near the Central Valley and we had recently cut our special education budget. It’s really effecting a lot of my team members and I was wondering if this is happening all over California? I’ve been considering moving districts because of this but I’m not sure if that’s a great idea. If your district is doing this too could you comment on this post. I would love to know if this is happening all over the state. Thanks!!

Just as I've finished applying for my 30 day credential the district substitute teaching pool I was going to apply to paused hiring (southern CA). Not sure about SD unified at this time. I don't have the ability to apply to a broad range of districts because of a limit in my travel capacity/radius. I wanted to take an opportunity to explore the public school classroom environment before committing to going through a teaching credential program, and I was told subbing was a good option. I currently work with preschoolers in something related at least w a few months experience, I just feel disheartened because it seems very competitive right now to even get jobs by applying directly to the district.

I know there are sub agencies like Scoot/Swing as well. I've heard mixed things about both and that maybe Scoot is better than Swing but honestly not sure. I appreciate any advice.

If you’re a teacher in California, can you tell me what graduate level PD credits your district accepted and from where?

I’m currently in a MAT program to get my credential and I’ve also taken additional grad level courses outside of my university so that when I’m hired next year I land as far right on the salary schedule as I reasonably can as a first year teacher! However, it’s a bit of a gamble because I obviously can’t get prior approval if I don’t know where I’m working yet. During my summer break, I earned grad credits from Ashland, Andrews, UMass Global, and Northwest Nazarene universities. These are all regionally or nationally accredited universities, and all of my credits are specifically teaching related (no random Intro to Music etc), so I’m not concerned about them being accepted to be honest. However, it does have me curious!

I'm prepping for an app to a single subject program (either csueb or sjsu). have a few questions that I'd appreciate comments on.

1. is it better to do math or physics given the current market?
2. I live in the east bay and would like to find a position in the area, which school is a better choice? seems like SJSU has a stronger program.
3. Seems like the current situation is highly competitive, is it possible for me to work in a different profession why hunting after I complete the program but am unable to land a teaching job?

Thank you

Hi all,

I will be finishing up my masters program next year so this is me thinking ahead! Where in Cali do you think it would be easier to land a job as an elementary teacher? I know multiple subjects/ high school market is pretty oversaturated. I'm currently in SF and would love to stay here/ work nearby. I would be open to moving south towards monterey/ carmel? I'm also not super familiar as I'm from the midwest and it's pretty easy to land a job there lol. so that also might be a very real possibility given the state edu is in right now.

thanks in advance:)

Am I missing something? I moved to San Diego from Texas 3 months ago, and I’ve been waiting since the job fair in April to be hired by SD Unified. I called and emailed so many times this summer asking about my application. They only ever gave me answers like “be patient as we are trying to get through many applications”. They told me 15 more days, in May, then a few more weeks again in June, and now here we are in August. School started and I don’t have a classroom! In Texas, you apply to a school anywhere and honestly they’d hire you by the end of the week, maybe even day. So what am I missing here California? I have to pay my rent and I don’t know what I’m gonna do after my last paycheck from my old district runs out. Can’t believe school districts here just leave teachers without a job like that. I think it’s really wrong.

I’m finally ready to get my teaching credential, but I’m in no rush. I currently sub and really enjoy the flexibility, so I’d prefer a program that allows me to take my time.

I have a BA in Chemistry and would like to become a teacher in California. I’m looking for an affordable, preferably online program that allows me to move at a slower pace.

Any recommendations or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! 😊