Scores of stories surrounding teacher layoffs from California to Charlotte, and now in Guilford County, is getting all of you off the arm-chair and over to the computer. You're angry and frustrated. I feel your pain.What's more shocking is this local job ad from Yahoo's Hot Jobs:
THIRD LARGEST DISTRICT IN N.C.
More than 70,000 Students
nationally recognized, award winning public school district
committed to high achievement for all students
120 schools
great location-three hours to beach or the mountains
urban,suburban and small community schools
44 magnet schools featuring 50 programs
YOU"RE INVITED TO JOIN THE TEAM AT GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS
We are Looking for:
Teachers, Administrators and
Support Personnel
for 2009-10!
Guilford County Schools
712 N. Eugene St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336)370-8318
STRIVING.ACHIEVING.EXCELLING
You may remember me briefly mentioning my sister in law a few months ago; she's fully math-certified with two math degrees from Greensboro College and has a full teaching licensure. She's been looking for a math teaching job for almost three years. Her student-teaching record, squeaky-clean. Her Faberman screening, solid. And yet, she ponders and questions the motives of GCS, and questions the professionalism among administrators from both Central Office and in the field. One administrator even told her to send resumes to other counties in order to land employment.
Again, I'm intervening on her behalf.
Here's a letter she sent to GCS Supt. Mo Green recently:
Mr. Green,
My name is _______ and for the last year and a half I have been trying to obtain a position with Guilford County Schools. I am a graduate of Greensboro College with a degree in Mathematics/Math Education and earned my teaching license through the college, as well. I am licensed to teach at the high school and middle school levels. I have a current application on file and my personnel file is complete and in good standing.
I have applied to every math position posted but have had only a few interviews. I understand it is the principals who make the decision to follow-up on applications. What concerns me is the lack of professionalism I have found among the principals to whom I have sent letters of interest. The majority of the time I receive no response at all to any of my emails. I am frustrated and at a loss as to how I can begin my career helping the students of my community. I have recieved NO help from the central office. Instead, I am given excuses and the run around.
I find it extremely disappointing to hear those associated with GCS complaining about a lack of teachers when there are teachers trying to work in the county. Imagine my dismay when I discovered a Yahoo hot jobs ad created by GCS in an effort to recruit teachers! The teachers are already here, Mr. Green. We are willing, ready and able but we must first have the opportunity extended to us.
If it is the case that GCS does NOT want new teachers then this needs to be made clear to every university and college in the county. Hundreds enroll in their teaching programs and work hard just for the privilege of serving the students in this community. Had I known that GCS is resistent to hiring new teachers, I would have gone elsewhere to earn my teaching license, as would many of others. However, I have lived in Guilford County for 25 years and was led to believe that a teaching license would provide me a chance to work within the area I call home.
Any advice or comments from you would be most welcome and appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your response.
It is preposterous that we can even ponder layoffs or run job ads (pardon the mass confusion, I don't know what the heck GCS is doing, hiring or laying off) when we have out-of-work teachers, ready to go into the classroom.
There are even schools now asking parents to make contributions in order to SAVE TEACHING JOBS! Where have we gone wrong? See this incredible story from the Orlando Sentinel, where an elementary school principal has asked for donations in order to save teaching jobs.
And when we have governors allegedly promising the world for education while schools are laying off teachers, taxes are on the rise, and tax refunds are delayed, I question our so-called leaders and their motives.
No math teacher should be out of work in this county. Not one.
My sister in law also said this morning:
...there are plenty of newly licensed teacher from area schools but if GCS and others don't want to hire them it would be smarter to go to another state and earn the degree...
...I know it's not just me having issues. I went to school with some good people who really care and want to be a part of the process to help the children...
Principals, administrators, GCS; you have the power. And you know this blog has power. Please contact me if you're interested in hiring this math teacher: guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com
E.C. :)
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9 comments:
My best advice to ANYONE looking for a job ANYWHERE would be to stay positive and always, always concentrate one what you can do for the employer. It's not easy to get a job anywhere these days and to write basically a whiney letter criticizing principals and send it to the Superintendent, in my opinion pretty much sealed the deal for your sister-in-law to never get hired in Guilford county.
I'm sure she's a wonderful person but she sounds very negative and bitter in the letter. It would have been in her best interest to talk about her positives and solicit her abilities. Her letter reminded me of all the negative ads during the election. Honestly, she needs to take a hard look at herself and see what she is NOT offering the system. She HAS had a "few" interviews. You've made it sound like they have totally ignored her applications for employment. At this point it would behove her to investigate WHY she is not getting hired. Could it be she's a little bitter? Honestly, I would NOT hire a person after a letter like that.
Sorry, but in the long run maybe a little constructive criticism could help her in the job search.
Good luck to her.
I wish your sister-in-law the best. I disagree with the anonymous person who wrote in above. Your sister-in-law would not have written that letter, I'm sure, unless she was at her wit's end.
It's deplorable that the GCS is talking about laying off teachers and at the same time advertising for new hires. Does Mo Green know what he's doing? Is this what his four month "listening tour" leads to?
Exactly John, she sounds in the letter as if she is indeed at "her wits end". Thanks for making my point. That is no attitude to take into the job search. If she had questions about the hiring process, she should have asked just that in a letter or phone call to the superintendent. To whine about not getting hired (after several interviews), in the same letter that asks about hiring practices, is unprofessional.
Also, using email to follow up with principals is tacky. Real letters via real mail, or a phone call is still the way to correspond to potential employers. The BEST way to correspond is face to face. Put a suit on and drive over to the school that is considering your application. It's good to be proactive, it's not good to whine. If she has something that would be good for our system, then let that show in interviews and letters. Our system doesn't need anymore bitter, whiners. We have plenty of those already.
John, I appreciate the comments. Green walked into a mine-field and I suspect he didn't realize the circus he was signing up for.
Anonymous, you make a lot of harsh conclusions without looking at the bigger picture. If I was interviewing and interviewing and putting on a good face for potential employers and ultimately feeling as though you're getting nowhere; it is discouraging. Add to the fact that in one breath, we have a teacher shortage--we need teachers with ads and billboards...and simultaneously, being told that layoffs are imminent, no one knows what to think. I've seen her in action, she substituted my classes when I taught at Andrews, she's tutored in our schools, she's tutored many of our high-risk children. While some would shy away from a student-teaching assignment at some of our highly-impacted schools, she asked for directions to her room.
What's unprofessional, anonymous, is how probably not only her, but others who are out of school, attempting to start their careers with the best intentions of teaching your children, being given the run-around from downtown.
I don't believe you are helping your sister-in-laws cause. When she had the interviews, there was not a hiring freeze. I believe you are the one making harsh conclusions about our system without looking at the bigger picture.
For some reason these principals did not hire her. That is the bigger question. If it were me, I would want to know what I could do to be a more competitive applicant. Maybe she could find out who WAS hired for those positions, and see what their resume had that hers did not. It's easy to blame the system. GCS is good for that but in this case, you cannot damn them to hell becaue your family member is unemployed. Many people are unemployed right now and many employers are implementing hiring freezes while they still have job ads out here and there. That's not really false advertisement. It's not easy to go yank every ad, commercial and media posting when the economy falls.
Good luck to your sister-in-law. If she's a really great teacher as you say, then I hope she gets hired. Our kids need great teachers. Though, if I were going to display publicly my letter to the system, I would want it to be a postive display of my abilities, not a whiney rant.
How do you know when the sister in law had interviews?
Because EC has talked about it before, and supposedly she's been job-seeking with Guilford county schools for the last several years. The hiring freeze was JUST implemented so it's only common sense.
I'm sorry some don't want to hear what I have to say. The truth usually is hard to hear. I was raised that if you want something you put on your happy ambitious face, and you go get it. You do NOT go about getting it by bringing others down. As I said in every post, good luck to the sister-in-law...but it's really not about luck. It's about being good at something and then convincing others you are good. This publicly displayed letter does nothing to convince me of that. Good thing I'm not the one doing any hiring. In a nutshell, suck it up and keep trying. That's what we are all doing.
I Donot see a responce from Mo Green i HOPE HE IS NOT UNDER HIS DESK
If your sister is a single woman, she might want to try teaching at an international school. I make $4000 a month, I don't pay taxes or housing. and I teach good children who do their homework
try http://www.iss.edu/edustaff/jobs.html
or she could type in google "international school of _______"
It is the worlds best kept secret
Ken Adler
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