Mrs Tiggywinkle Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) Covid has completed derailed my student teaching plans likely until the 2022-2023 school year. I am graduating with an M.Ed in curriculum and instruction in May, and it was supposed to have a special education licensure. However none of my local school are allowing student teachers. My local superintendent thinks it will be another year before they do. So I am looking at probably two years before licensure. My university is allowing people five years after graduation to come back and complete licensure requirements. My undergrad is in creative writing and philosophy. I worked in social work before becoming a paramedic, which I’ve done for 13 years. I have taught English and philosophy to homeschool students online before going back to school, but it was with an online academy type thing. We don’t have many private schools locally(like two) that don’t require licensure; there aren’t enough homeschoolers to justify holding paid classes. Teaching EMS is a highly political, very part time job here that I will be state qualified for but unlikely to find any significant(read political). For the record, I make around $25 an hour on average now with an extremely flexible schedule based around my kid’s needs; I am tired of working overnights at a really misogynistic company and watching my husband keep getting promoted while I am on the super Mommy track. I know that shouldn’t bother me; but watching him climb the ladder while I am shoved to the side really bothers me. I have applied to a couple jobs in the human services field I worked in before and was either ghosted, overqualified, or offered $14 an hour. I do think once I can work full time after Covid that will improve. Help me brainstorm! I am terrible at thinking out of the box. Moving to an area with more jobs is not an option, either. Edited January 10, 2021 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Do you have a B. Ed.? That opens up a lot of options in Canada, even if it's not in the classroom. Not sure about the US. Can you look into curriculum and instruction in the field of paramedics and/or first aid/Red Cross? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Corporate trainer? instructional designer? policy analyst? private test prep/tutor—my friend does this in science and math and charges $75/hr. Her wait list is about 3 years long, since she gives preferred placement on the wait list to siblings of good clients Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Instructional designer for a college or a curriculum company. There should be high demand now with the expanded online learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 What about working for Brave Writer at least part of the time? I don't know what they pay but it would be a resume builder if you want to tutor. I think that private tutoring is pretty lucrative, but you have to have a plan to find students or to get students to find you. One area of high pay is helping kids write their college entrance essays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Tiggywinkle Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 25 minutes ago, Choirfarm3 said: I don't have any suggestions, but just want to say you are such an interesting person with such varied interests! I would love to just sit and talk IRL. I have no doubt you will make a difference wherever you are! What I really wanted to do(and still would) was write, and one of my creative writing professors told me that the best thing a prospective writer could do was live a wide and varied life. So I’ve tried to. But it makes for a difficult resume lol. I don’t have a B.Ed, just a straight BA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 7 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said: What I really wanted to do(and still would) was write, and one of my creative writing professors told me that the best thing a prospective writer could do was live a wide and varied life. So I’ve tried to. But it makes for a difficult resume lol. I don’t have a B.Ed, just a straight BA. Do you have a journal where you record bits here and there? Grist for the mill later on, for sure. Or at least copy paste your posts here into a Word doc somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Tiggywinkle Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 19 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said: Do you have a journal where you record bits here and there? Grist for the mill later on, for sure. Or at least copy paste your posts here into a Word doc somewhere. Many journals lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Do you need a job with benefits? If not, I know people who tutor who make more than $25 per hour. I have a relative with a Masters in Ed has never taught. She did work for a non-profit but now works for the state writing a lot of health related educational materials. Some of the writing is for the general public, but a lot is summarizing the latest research for doctors and health care professionals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Grab a BCBA online and you can consult, do whatever you want, and bill around $90-100+ an hour. Many BCBAs supervise education programs for clients (at least in our state) so your education degree is a plus. And you'll make more than your dh and still have flexible hours. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 58 minutes ago, PeterPan said: Grab a BCBA online and you can consult, do whatever you want, and bill around $90-100+ an hour. Many BCBAs supervise education programs for clients (at least in our state) so your education degree is a plus. And you'll make more than your dh and still have flexible hours. I like this idea. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) Ugh sorry about the student teaching bit. SUNY schools are organizing student teachers this year- both for in person & remote placements. Observations are being done remotely. NY asked districts to be willing to take student teachers this year. I have one starting soon in my room. I wish you were closer! For employment- Look into early intervention (usually through your county health dept or a private provider agency) and/or preschool special Ed services. I used to work EI & preschool services and for both teachers & developmental therapists we did hire teachers without their licenses yet who were working on them. Pay for that part time is $40 a session in the North Country (sessions are either 30 min or 1 hour). Services are currently being provided both in homes & remotely due to Covid. If you could get hired at one of those positions, it could count as your student teaching if they agreed to supervise you for it. My former agency is also accepting student teachers this year- are you going for a birth- grade 2 certificate? If so you could try doing your student teaching at an preschool special Ed agency/site. You could teach at Headstart, a daycare, or preschool also without your license yet (but they don’t pay great, of course). You could sub or work as a TA in a public school too. The BCBA idea is great too but our rural districts aren’t really into spending money for them so I’d check your area first. good luck! Edited January 10, 2021 by Hilltopmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Does your state offer alternative paths to certification? I was just hearing on NPR that lots of states are reducing requirements. In Wisconsin, for example, soon there will be NO requirements to become a special education teacher other than having a bachelor's degree - not necessarily in special education, either. Lots of states grant provisional certificates, too, and often they're turned into regular certificates after a certain amount of time in the classroom - apparently you've proved yourself by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Contact districts. It is likely that they could put you in the classroom (including possibly virtual) on an emergency certification for a year, assign a teacher mentor, and at the end of the year, you would be able to apply for full certification based on your M. Ed and that teaching experience. It would be a trial by fire, especially this year. A single semester, or even 12+ weeks of long term substituting might suffice, depending on your state's requirements. When I was teaching at the college level, we often tried to place our grad student candidates in such positions vs student teaching because they were paid vs having to pay college tuition, and since most grad candidates had experience with children in groups, they generally did not need the hand holding a 20/21 yr old did. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 14 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said: Covid has completed derailed my student teaching plans likely until the 2022-2023 school year. I am graduating with an M.Ed in curriculum and instruction in May, and it was supposed to have a special education licensure. However none of my local school are allowing student teachers. My local superintendent thinks it will be another year before they do. So I am looking at probably two years before licensure. My university is allowing people five years after graduation to come back and complete licensure requirements. My undergrad is in creative writing and philosophy. I worked in social work before becoming a paramedic, which I’ve done for 13 years. I have taught English and philosophy to homeschool students online before going back to school, but it was with an online academy type thing. We don’t have many private schools locally(like two) that don’t require licensure; there aren’t enough homeschoolers to justify holding paid classes. Teaching EMS is a highly political, very part time job here that I will be state qualified for but unlikely to find any significant(read political). For the record, I make around $25 an hour on average now with an extremely flexible schedule based around my kid’s needs; I am tired of working overnights at a really misogynistic company and watching my husband keep getting promoted while I am on the super Mommy track. I know that shouldn’t bother me; but watching him climb the ladder while I am shoved to the side really bothers me. I have applied to a couple jobs in the human services field I worked in before and was either ghosted, overqualified, or offered $14 an hour. I do think once I can work full time after Covid that will improve. Help me brainstorm! I am terrible at thinking out of the box. Moving to an area with more jobs is not an option, either. Special education evaluations? Do you have any experience in assessment - from your special ed endorsement classes? You may be able to apply for a job as a special educator. Special educators are often very needed positions and you may have luck getting a job with a provisional license. That's what I did - I was hired with a bachelors, having been out of the education world for quite awhile. I was starting a masters in ed. - k-8 math. My district paid for my classes needed for the special education endorsement. Have you taken any OG classes? Tutoring students in reading, especially if you are certified in OG, is another thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 14 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said: Corporate trainer? instructional designer? These were the first things that popped into my mind. I'm an instructional designer, and one of my co-workers has an M.Ed and a background in education. I would think your combination of writing, professional experience in a medical-related field and the education degree might make you a very appealing candidate for instructional design and/or training jobs in organizations that serve medical audiences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Our district definitely hires SPED teachers who are still working on their degree--I can think of one last year and one the previous year. Both were EA's working in life skills classrooms at the time, so the district already knew them, knew they would be good. I think SPED is still pretty high in demand--definitely look at openings for next year and explain your situation. Check also your education service district if you have one of those. That's where a lots of our specialists are--PT, OT, autism specialist. They go into schools to support students on their caseload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Tiggywinkle Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 12 hours ago, PeterPan said: Grab a BCBA online and you can consult, do whatever you want, and bill around $90-100+ an hour. Many BCBAs supervise education programs for clients (at least in our state) so your education degree is a plus. And you'll make more than your dh and still have flexible hours. I actually looked at that. The problem is that NY is so difficult about licensing BCBAs that I would have trouble finding someone to complete the 1500 hours of clinical time. There are no schools within a two hour driving distance that utilize it, either. I think it’s more of a money issue than anything. My son’s school is the special needs/autism/behavioral school that gets students from a three county radius when they can no longer be at their home school, and even they don’t have a bcba. I don’t honestly need to make a ton of money right now; mostly I just want to feel like what I did and the time And money I spent earning my master’s degree was worthwhile. That may be dumb but it’s how I feel. My husband’s contracting company he started has signed contracts for the next 24 months and he’s hiring employees plus still working as a paramedic supervisor, and his idea is that I can just run the business side of things and write my books and homeschool, working as a paramedic whenever I wanted to. Financially, we could afford that right now, and my ill advised associates degree from when I was 19 is in business. I can do the basics of Human Resources and accounting. DH is so convinced that he actually turned part of our enclosed porch into a little sunroom and made a nice private spot for me to sit and write my books. I just keep telling myself education is never wasted and who knows what the universe might throw at me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.