30 Credits In 37 Days!!!

[jacanyardie]

Strangely enough, while waiting to take a CLEP I got into a conversation with a woman who happened to be a teacher in my area. She told me 30 credits above a Master's Degree in our system gets you a $6k pay raise. At that point I had already banged out 24, but did so simply for the teaching license. So, I went and grabbed 6 more. What I had calculated to be to be a $1000 loss ended up becoming a $5000 gain!

Someone asked how many credits you need for a teaching license. That's a very complicated question and varies from state to state. In NY, once you already have a teaching license in one area, you need a total of 30 credits of content specific courses to get a license in another area. In other words, if you have a K-6 license, and you want a High School English license, you need 30 English credits, in addition to passing a state English test.

I'm now getting two additional licenses in a matter of a couple months, when otherwise ONE would have taken a couple years! (and THOUSANDS of dollars)

Gotta love it.

***AWESOME***

[nj593]

Heres a question for all you teachers out there in the forum.
I hear that teachers dont get alot of money. Yet, i grew up next to a highschool math teacher as a kid who made close to 100k a year. Granted she was with them already 10 years + in at the time of telling me this.
Now she is retired. None the less, I hear teachers saying they dont make alot.
Is this true ? Was this just a fluke?
What about principals? What does it take now in days to become that status?
And what about a superintendent of schools? I would imagine that is a political thing on who you know to get that position.
Where i live the superintendent is pretty powerful. They have their names plastered on schools they live in mansions and even control some of the government behind the scenes.
I was going to pursue teaching because a BA could get me a job. And I really need a steady career at this point. Plus I love working with kids. But then heard the adverse affects of a degree like no jobs.
I still want my psychology degree and figured maybe down the way going alternate route for teaching but not quite sure.
What is your perspective to this very giving yet unthanked field. :o

***AWESOME***

[zake38]

It might not be a record based on the output of this board, but it feels good!

Just passed Macroeconomics today.

I already have an MS, so the credits aren't for a degree, but they are allowing me to earn additional teaching licenses in record time...for next to nothing.

AND...just got me a $6K raise without my realizing it when I started taking these exams.

Just unbelievable. Thanks for all the great advice!

Next up...Human Cultural Geography DSST

Hi first of all congrats, that was an amazing feat, I am just beginning my journey, I do not have lots of credits but I do have the time to attempt something like this, do you mind tellings us what exams you did and what strategy you employed so that I can get a rough idea on how to plot out my path. thanks in advance.

[Jason86]

I've found chatting up nice people I meet while waiting in line in places like schools or libraries...where those *in the know* tend to hang often pays unexpected dividends!

Congratulations, teacher.

Strangely enough, while waiting to take a CLEP I got into a conversation with a woman who happened to be a teacher in my area. She told me 30 credits above a Master's Degree in our system gets you a $6k pay raise. At that point I had already banged out 24, but did so simply for the teaching license. So, I went and grabbed 6 more. What I had calculated to be to be a $1000 loss ended up becoming a $5000 gain!

Someone asked how many credits you need for a teaching license. That's a very complicated question and varies from state to state. In NY, once you already have a teaching license in one area, you need a total of 30 credits of content specific courses to get a license in another area. In other words, if you have a K-6 license, and you want a High School English license, you need 30 English credits, in addition to passing a state English test.

I'm now getting two additional licenses in a matter of a couple months, when otherwise ONE would have taken a couple years! (and THOUSANDS of dollars)

Gotta love it.

[TeeitupTom]

I've wondered about this too.

My Pop was a 12th grade Chemistry teacher; he was able to support 3 kids and my Mother on his salary. Pop was well respected in the community and growing up I never felt we had less than my peers whose fathers worked middle managment and professional sales jobs. :confused:

I say follow your passion. Teachers are always respected because they are well informed with breath and depth of knowledge. Teaching is also an appealing profession if you want to raise a family because of the hours and summers off. If you decide you really do want to teach a BA in Psychology seems like a great foundation.

Also cougrats to you Clep Pro! Awesome.

Heres a question for all you teachers out there in the forum.
I hear that teachers dont get alot of money. Yet, i grew up next to a hhigh schoolmath teacher as a kid who made close to 100k a year. Granted she was with them already 10 years + in at the time of telling me this.
Now she is retired. None the less, I hear teachers saying they dont make alot.
Is this true ? Was this just a fluke?
What about principals? What does it take now in days to become that status?
And what about a superintendent of schools? I would imagine that is a political thing on who you know to get that position.
Where i live the superintendent is pretty powerful. They have their names plastered on schools they live in mansions and even control some of the government behind the scenes.
I was going to pursue teaching because a BA could get me a job. And I really need a steady career at this point. Plus I love working with kids. But then heard the adverse affects of a degree like no jobs.
I still want my psychology degree and figured maybe down the way going alternate route for teaching but not quite sure.
What is your perspective to this very giving yet unthanked field. :o

[nj593]

The summers off is what sold me to be honest.

I've wondered about this too.

My Pop was a 12th grade Chemistry teacher; he was able to support 3 kids and my Mother on his salary. Pop was well respected in the community and growing up I never felt we had less than my peers whose fathers worked middle managment and professional sales jobs. :confused:

I say follow your passion. Teachers are always respected because they are well informed with breath and depth of knowledge. Teaching is also an appealing profession if you want to raise a family because of the hours and summers off. If you decide you really do want to teach a BA in Psychology seems like a great foundation.

Also cougrats to you Clep Pro! Awesome.

[Clep Pro]

Heres a question for all you teachers out there in the forum.
I hear that teachers dont get alot of money. Yet, i grew up next to a highschool math teacher as a kid who made close to 100k a year. Granted she was with them already 10 years + in at the time of telling me this.
Now she is retired. None the less, I hear teachers saying they dont make alot.
Is this true ? Was this just a fluke?
What about principals? What does it take now in days to become that status?
And what about a superintendent of schools? I would imagine that is a political thing on who you know to get that position.
Where i live the superintendent is pretty powerful. They have their names plastered on schools they live in mansions and even control some of the government behind the scenes.
I was going to pursue teaching because a BA could get me a job. And I really need a steady career at this point. Plus I love working with kids. But then heard the adverse affects of a degree like no jobs.
I still want my psychology degree and figured maybe down the way going alternate route for teaching but not quite sure.
What is your perspective to this very giving yet unthanked field. :o

It depends on where you live. In most states teachers start out making little. However through a step process, teachers can make make upwards of $130K after about 18 years in certain areas of NY. Add to that a full pension, summers off, and you're looking at a nice life. Of course it takes time.

But to your point, in many areas of the country, teachers are very poorly paid throughout their careers, which is unfortunate.

[Clep Pro]

Hi first of all congrats, that was an amazing feat, I am just beginning my journey, I do not have lots of credits but I do have the time to attempt something like this, do you mind tellings us what exams you did and what strategy you employed so that I can get a rough idea on how to plot out my path. thanks in advance.

Thanks! Checkout the signature on the bottom of my post. Those are the grades I received, the resources I used, and the time spent studying. If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer!

[Clep Pro]

I've found chatting up nice people I meet while waiting in line in places like schools or libraries...where those *in the know* tend to hang often pays unexpected dividends!

Congratulations, teacher.

Thanks! You're right. This process has been a gold mine, and I am indebted to the generosity of strangers. People want to help. Just today, I was in the Department and told about 6 different strangers how they could achieve their certification requirements in a matter of weeks, when they were being told years, by the HR folks.

I honestly felt like Santa Clause. My heart got lighter sharing this option. One woman was all stressed about the daunting challenge of taking years of school to get the license she wanted. I opened up with "Today's your lucky day. In about 2 weeks you'll realize just how lucky you were to have met me today."

4 of the people seemed thrilled, and 2 seemed skeptical.

Hey, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink!

[P00057870]

nj593,

Just like the last poster about NY school teachers, here in Florida is similar but not as high a pay scale--just a Florida thing in general we get paid less but then from what I understand the cost of living is less.

New graduates first year don't get too much, but steps up as your experience grows AND you are in control from there, with added education and degrees the pay goes up. Retirement benefits not bad either but only good if you start young enough. Those of use who step up later can actually loose a small amount from our SS, but then again will it even be there. The school board pays about 9% of your income into retirement for you -- so that's a kind of a raise in my mind.

Main Broward County School Board site: Broward County Public Schools
Go to top and click around employment. Unfortunately they laid off a lot of people but then hired back and now have about 90+ teaching positions trying to fill but prior laid off teachers don't fit their needs. Kind of confusing these days. Anyway, they post the actual pay scales there for teachers and it may make more sense. I suspect other school districts also have this posted somewhere.

Just in case you don't find it, here is the page that shows the various pay scales based on years experience: Welcome to Instructional Staffing Department

Remember it goes up with each degree, not much but it adds up. From what I have figured out, people with many years and masters are making on average somewhere in the $80,000 range -- maybe more.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you are employed in the normal K-12 environment you have summers off but not if you work with tech centers or GED/ABE, ESOL that are affiliated with tech centers--they can run year round. Of course, there is still 2 weeks winter break and 1 in the spring.