Maggie's Web Page
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| Things that a Prospective Teacher Should
Look for When Choosing a School or a School District in Georgia to Work
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| Salary
Administration School Performance Teacher
to Student Ratio Works Cited |
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| Salary Probably the largest factor for someone when considering a job offer is the annual salary, because very often money is the bottom line, the deciding factor. But for educators, probably more so than in any other occupation, money is not always the first thing that is considered. It is a widely known fact that teachers are some of the most underpaid workers in the workforce today. Most people do not choose to pursue a career in education because of its monetary rewards; most people become educatiors for other reasons. However, no matter what the reason might be for choosing the education profession, the issue of salary is one that must be confronted. For those of us who plan on teaching in Georgia, our salaries will not even be at the national average. As the Georgia Association of Educators reports, "Georgia's average teacher salary still continues to lead all southeastern states, [however] it still has yet to reach the national average teacher salary." As reported by the Georgia Department of Education, the average salary for an entry level teacher in Georgia, as of 2006, is $30, 441.00, and that averages out to about $2,400 a month.  Click here to see a complete
table detailing Georgia's state salary as compiled by the Georgia
Department of Education
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| Administration When choosing a school or a school district to work for it is also very important to take time to evaluate the type of administration and character of the administrators that you will be working with and for. As a teacher, the administration works as your buffer between your classroom and the parents of your students. It is imperative that the school administrators are working for you, on your side, and that they have your best interest in mind. Being stuck at a school where the administrators are not pro-teachers is an extreamly difficult situation, and is one that a new teacher should steer clear of at all costs. Here are a few things that you should look for in an administation/ administrative staff. Good schools have a strong administrator who:
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| School
Performance Another important factor when choosing a school or district is its report card score, which measure how well the school and/or district is doing according to the performance standards. "Performance standards provide clear expectations for assessment, instruction, and student work. They define the level of work that demonstrates achievement of the standards enabling a teacher to know 'how good is good enough.' The performance standards isolate and identify the skills needed to use the knowledge and skills to problem-solve, reason, communicate, and make connections with other information. Performance standards also tell the teacher how to assess the extent to which the student knows the material or can manipulate and apply the information." (G.A. Standards) These standards are graded each year on a state report card. "These report cards are the State's yearly report to the people of Georgia summarizing a variety of educational accomplishments during the previous year and outlining the directions and goals for the education in the coming year." (G.A. Dept. of Edu.)  Click here to see a Georgia' s
complete 2006 Report Card
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| Teacher
to
Student Ratio As a teacher, you are the one that will be held responsible for what your students learn. There are many components that combine to create the the ideal classroom setting, however, one of the most important factors is the teacher to student ratio. Having only one teacher in the classroom at any given time might seem overwhealming in itself, but imagine having only one teacher for a group of students totaling thirty-five or more! The more students in a classroom, the harder the teacher has to work to make sure that the students are learning. In addition to the number of students, the teacher also has to deal with the fact that not all students will be functioning at the same scholastic level. Because of that fact, a teacher often has to utilize many different teaching techniques and present the lesson of the day using many different approaches. When making the call about where to work, it will definetly serve you well to ask about the teacher to student ratio before agreeing to anything. The last thing that a new teacher needs is to go into a new situtation without knowing all of the pertinant information. And in the education field, this ratio is crucial to a teachers' success.  Click here to see how Georgia
measures up in the Teacher to Student Ratio
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| Works
Cited "Georgia Standards- Curriculum Frequently Asked Questions." <http://www.georgiastandards.org/faqs.aspx> "Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) Georgia teacher salaries." <http://neageorgia.org/content.asp?ContentId=1071> "Georgia Department of Education- Educators." <http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/educators.aspx> "National Education Association Education Statistics: Rankings & Estimates 2006." <http://www.nea.org/edstats/index.html> "WHAT MAKES A GOOD SCHOOL? A Guide for Parents Seeking Excellence in Education." The Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards & Student Testing (CRESST). <http://www.cse.ucla.edu/files/goodschool.pdf> Back to top |
