West Virginia Teacher Certification

[I talk to the trees]

Warning: Long. Vent. Plea for assistance. If none of those things interest you, stop reading here. There. Now, with my disclaimer out of the way:

 

Last night, dh and I decided that desperate times call for desperate measures. We both hate NY. We both are dying to get out of here. Our WHOLE FAMILY (pardon the shout) is in VA. We came up here for one purpose: Dh wanted to get his DMA from Eastman. He did. Now we want to move closer to home. And we have decided that our dream home is in West VA. (Ahem! I hear those giggles. No, we are not hillbillies. We just happen to like WV.) We lived there while attending WVU, and have always dreamed of going back.

 

And now, we're ready. More than ready. If I could, I'd pack and leave tomorrow. But.... A terminal degree from a private institution comes with no small price tag. So we have a student loan. Boy, howdy, do we have a student loan. So we can't just drop everything, sell the house (we are fortunate enough to have an assumable loan, so we could unload the house pretty easily, even if we had to take a loss,) and move. One of us would HAVE to have a job waiting before we moved. And, as you can imagine, full-time, tenure-track, benefits available positions for Professor of Oboe are few and far between. So we can sit here, be miserable, and waste our lives hoping for that perfect job to arrive, or we can move, take whatever job may be available, and hope for the best. But last night, amidst grumbles, gripes, and tears, we found door number three: Public school.

 

Never! Right? I mean, we homeschool our dd because we don't believe in the whole concept of public school, so how could dh ever think of working for "the system?" But the more I thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make. Could dh- with his fancy pants degree from a fancy pants university- get certified, and land a job in a public school? We'd both still be able to teach private students and take playing jobs when they popped up, and heck, he might even find work at a little college or two as an adjunct oboe professor. (Reality: Most oboe professors are adjuncts. That full-time dream spot may never come along!)

 

So, if you are still with me, bless your heart! Thank you for reading. Now here are my questions. When we lived in WV a few years ago, there were areas of the state where there was a "teacher shortage." Do any of you WV folks out there know if that situation still exists? And what are the requirements for teacher certification? Can that certification process be done online? Give me details. Please. We are ready to get the ball rolling. Now. And really, we're not particular about the area where the jobs are available. A return to the Morgantown are would be ideal, but honestly, ANY place in WV, no matter how small or run-down would be better than where we are now.

 

Advice? Suggestions? Websites I can go to collect information? WV teachers- do you know of any openings nearby?

 

(Oh, and thanks for listening!)

-Robin

[Heather in Neverland]

Here are two websites that may help:

 

http://wvde.state.wv.us/certification/

 

http://wvde.state.wv.us/certification/educator/

 

If it is any consolation, I have homeschooled for 6 years and worked in public school for 14 years. It is BECAUSE I work in public schools that I homeschool. :D

[Renee in NC]

WV Transition to Teaching program:

 

http://wvde.state.wv.us/transitiontoteaching/

[G5052]

WV Transition to Teaching program:

 

http://wvde.state.wv.us/transitiontoteaching/

 

If you look at the above link, they're looking for teachers in areas other than music unfortunately. They want math, science, English, foreign language, and special education for grades 6-12. There's a similar program in my state for the same areas that I have in the back of my mind. I'd rather teach elementary school though, but that would require more $ and time to prepare for. I don't know how picky WV is about having a music major teach math through that program (hypothetically, maybe he has other interests of course), but in my state you have to have a certain number of undergraduate credit hours and pass the Praxis II in your teaching area before you can start one of the transition programs.

 

Getting a music teacher job in public school can be tough from what I hear.

[1bassoon]

Robin -

 

First, congrats on the DMA!

 

Second, the bad news. My dh just left public school music teaching because he hated, hated, HATED marching band. If your dh is looking for a hs job, that's what he'll have to do. Sorry. Cold hard facts. If he's into elem. music, there might be more opportunities there. PM me if you want to "chat" about it more at length -

 

Ew - sorry - I kinda rained on your parade, didn't I??? Let's just hope for the best, shall we? :001_smile:

[I talk to the trees]

And keep it coming!

 

Actually, dh is looking at the option of teaching core subjects- math, science, English, whatever- at a PS, then looking around for adjunct positions in music at local colleges. The thought of being a PS music teacher didn't even cross his mind! And from what I read on the website, those with non-ed degrees (especially graduate degrees) are encouraged to apply, as long as they are willing to 1) Commit to a three-year contract, 2) Complete a year of online coursework, and 3) Pass the Praxis examinations. And honestly! How difficult could that possibly be?

 

And would you believe that the Mercer/McDowell County area is one of our preferred areas? And they are both listed as counties that participate in the program!

 

Deep breath. Don't get too excited yet. Don't get out the packing tape. Just calm down.

 

Thanks, gang! I knew the hive could help!

-Robin