First Steps in Learning to Read...

[Haven]

That's so interesting, Zoe. My reading degree is an MEd in Reading and Literacy. I have a friend in Texas who wanted to earn her MEd in reading and lit, but went for a doctorate instead because they had similar restrictions as my state. I don't recall the details, but she doesn't have a teaching cert because she's a college prof, so she wanted a program that didn't require one.

I agree with you--teaching literacy is so much fun! Speaking of literacy--I'm so excited for the first ever World Book Night here in the US on the 23rd! I volunteered and was chosen to hand out WINTERGIRLS by Anderson. I can't wait!

 

[jazzoboe]

Just looked up World Book Night and it sounds awesome; great idea and great books on their list. Sadly (well, kind of...) I'll be on vacation, so I can't volunteer or anything, but I will definitely be reading!

Also, I'm looking at some graduate programs now to see what options we have around here. I'm really curious about what restrictions we have her and what kinds of programs are available.

 

[Haven]

Just looked up World Book Night and it sounds awesome; great idea and great books on their list. Sadly (well, kind of...) I'll be on vacation, so I can't volunteer or anything, but I will definitely be reading!

Also, I'm looking at some graduate programs now to see what options we have around here. I'm really curious about what restrictions we have her and what kinds of programs are available.

DO IT!!!! Come to the reading side!

The greatest thing about being a reading specialist is that there are SO MANY different things you can do with the degree. Teach K-12, teach adults, consult, lit coach . . . the list goes on.

I wish I could share my Twitter name with you because I follow a gazillion amazing literacy educators. It would be a nice intro into our world.

I can't wait to hear how you like teaching this summer!

 

[zoebartlett]

Haven's right, there are so many opportunities you can do with a reading degree. I'm SO glad I have an M.Ed. in Reading because if I wanted to go into private practice and do testing and private consultation, I could. If I wanted to teach reading and literacy at a different level other than elementary, I could. I'm really happy in the classroom though. I love the variety.

Haven, just curious, do you still have your textbooks from grad school? I went to grad school from '00-'03, and I still have all my notebooks, notes, and textbooks. I also have a ton of elementary teacher books, which I'm currently weeding out. I can't decide if I should keep my reading textbooks though. On one hand, they're a great resource. On the other hand, they take up so much space and some may be considered outdated someday. It depends which way the pendulum swings. Actually though, since we went to school in the days of a balanced literacy approach, I HOPE that doesn't go away. Damn, I guess I have to keep my books.

 

[zoebartlett]

Speaking of variety, a friend and I met during our first course in grad school. Here's the route she took once completing her internship.

1. Taught first grade for a few years.
2. Taught second grade for a few years.
3. Left teaching to open a children's bookstore that also offered tutoring. Her business partner (also a former teacher) ran the store and led craft classes for kids and baby sign language for parents. My friend ran the store as well but she also used her reading specialist degree to tutor in the store. It was a fabulous place that was very creative and inspiring. Unfortunately, it didn't work out long-term and my friend and her business partner closed the store.
4. Became a literacy coach to a district with several elementary schools. She focused on teacher training.
5. Became a full time mom to her 2 beautiful kids.
6. After 6 years, is considering returning to teaching. She just got her teaching certification renewed, and she's looking forward to all the possibilities.

 

[Haven]

Zoe--I've kept most of my books, too. I gave away one that was pretty lame, it was filled with sample lesson plans for elementary school, but they weren't particularly inventive, and there wasn't much about the research behind their choices so I figured I'd never really use it.
I haven't even gotten rid of my book on the history of American reading instruction, which had to be the most tedious book I've ever read. But I HAVE gone back to it out of curiosity now and then, so . . .

I definitely agree with you--let's hope the pendulum doesn't swing too far one way or the other! I'm definitely a fan of the balanced approach.

Can you bring your books to your classroom? I brought most of mine to work because we don't have room for them in our tiny house!

 

[jazzoboe]

Haven- Sorry to get a bit off topic from this thread, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about your education and current job. You said you have a BA in English, but your state requires a degree in Education before you get the Masters in Reading and Literacy; did you get a second degree or otherwise get licensed as a teacher before you began the masters program? I've looked into some in my area, but the requirements seem to vary from school to school. And how long did it take to get through these degrees/requirements? Also, I'd like to hear more about the kinds of classes you teach. I am already hoping to teach some writing classes, probably at a community college, when I finish my MFA, but I wonder if also getting a degree in reading and literacy would open up a much wider range of courses I would be qualified to teach.

Thanks for all the info and encouragement!

 

[Haven]

JazzOboe--Of course!

I earned a BA in English and technical theatre and then an MA in teaching secondary English education. The MA took me two years part-time, I attended class two nights a week--one night was a three hour class and the second night was a five hour class. At the end of the program I took a series of state exams that led to my Type 09 (6-12) initial secondary teaching certificate. I'm endorsed to teach English and theatre arts on this certificate.

THEN, I earned an MEd in reading and literacy, which took two years part-time. I attended class two nights a week for four hours a night during two school years, and then three to four days a week for eight hours a day for the summer in-between. The program required 100 hours of practicum work as well, which meant doing observations in schools as well as action research projects in my own classroom. At the end of the program I took another series of state exams that led to my Type 10 special teaching certificate as a K-12 reading specialist. As I said earlier, in my state (Illinois) you cannot earn an RS cert until you have already taught full-time for two years, preferably on an initial teaching certificate, although I do think they have some alternative certifying procedures for non-certified teachers people who have taught full-time for many years in a private K-12 institution.

Just last summer, my current employer sent me to Appalachian State in Boone, NC to earn a certificate as a higher ed developmental education specialist. I took nine hours of graduate credit in a month-long intensive program last summer, and I'm currently wrapping up the year-long practicum project that follows the intensive. In June, I will hopefully earn that certificate.

As for professional experience, I began teaching part-time as an adjunct in a local CC while I was in school earning my first master's. So at that point I only had a BA in English and theatre. I taught developmental reading and writing courses, and loved it. I loved it so much that I continued to teach between six and nine hours a semester part-time even after I got my full-time job as a high school English teacher. I taught as a CC adjunct in that first CC for six years total.

I also taught in Northwestern University's gifted K-8 program on Saturdays for those six years. And, I occasionally teach a graduate reading course at the university from which I earned my MEd. I typically only do this in the summers and falls if I feel like it, but lately I've been feeling lazy and this summer I'm not teaching anything at all!

After teaching high school for three years I realized that I preferred teaching college, so I quit my HS teaching job to pursue a FT TT position in a CC. I was VERY lucky that I actually got a FT TT position that very year, and now I'm in my second year teaching CC FT. I love love love love love it.

In my current position I teach developmental reading and writing classes, as well English 101, a college-level critical reading elective, and a 200-level education course that is an introduction to reading instruction for students pursuing their initial elementary ed teaching certificates. The developmental reading courses are my specialty, so I prefer to teach more of those than anything else.

As for working in a CC, I was pretty shocked to learn that colleges don't typically require reading instructors to have any formal education in the teaching of reading. (High schools don't even let you walk into a reading class without a degree in reading! ) Most of our adjunct instructors have MAs in English, which is of course not ideal. I think this is because it is rare for someone who teaches college to have a MA in reading, and far more common for people to have an MA in English or an MFA.

I can tell you that I just served on this year's search committee. We hoped to hire three new FT TT faculty--a generalist, a developmental specialist, and a technical writer. Of the nearly 300 applicants, only four had formal degrees in reading and literacy. We called all four of them in to interview for the developmental specialist position. I'd say 85% of the rest of the pool held PhDs, 10% held MFAs, and 5% held MAs in English. I think it is more difficult, but not impossible, to get a FT position with an MFA simply because most CCs don't have large creative writing programs. I have a friend with an MFA who is currently a FT faculty member at another CC, but she is not on a tenure-track. She says this is what often happens to FT creative writing positions, but I have no experience other than what she told me to back that up. I do know that of the 18 FT faculty members in my college, none of them hold MFAs. I am the only FT faculty member in our department without a PhD. All FT faculty in my college are on a tenure-track, the only non-TT positions we have are one-year positions that are filled internally, and those are very rare.

I hope this is the kind of info you're looking for. I highly recommend teaching a class at your local CC if you think you might be interested in teaching college. Some colleges hire developmental adjuncts without a master's, so if that's the case, you could start working this fall if you wanted to.

Also, check out profology.com. It's fairly new, so it isn't huge, but there are some great groups on there, and they discuss interesting issues facing CC adjuncts and faculty members. The biggest negative to this field is that the vast majority of CC instructors are adjuncts, and that is simply a function of cost. Colleges simply cannot afford to hire enough FT faculty to teach all of their courses. I feel very, very lucky to have gotten my FT position, and I don't want to mislead you into thinking it might be an easy thing to do. We have adjuncts who have been adjuncting for ten, fifteen, and even twenty years in the hopes that they would get a FT position. They are just so rare, that it really is a tough position to get. I seriously lucked out. Ooh, also check out The Chronicle of Higher Ed's forums, they're great.

 

[Haven]

I am SO SORRY for the novel I just posted! Sheesh. And I tell my 101 students that concision is key.

 

[jazzoboe]

Thank you, that was exactly the kind of info I was looking for. At this point I really think I would like to teach college, as opposed to K-12, and I of course realize that it is difficult to get any position, and certainly FT, without a PhD, but I don't want to commit to that amount of study before I'm sure that's really what I want to do. It has been my intention to apply for adjunct positions once I finish my degree, which will be next Spring, but maybe having a little experience in the reading development area will open up some more doors, and I should start applying for positions for this Fall?

One of the things holding me back from jumping into another degree program at this point is also my husband's job. He is an engineer, and obviously bringing in the majority of our income right now. I know that he will likely want to look for a new position in 2 years, when he's done with the Master's program he is doing through his current company, and also that he will have better career options (and possibly better $$) if he is able to relocate from time to time, so it could be hard for me to commit to ~5 years or more of PhD study when I don't know if we'll want to stay in the same city. Truth be told, I know his career is more important to him than mine is to me (and I know that sounds a little sad and anti-feminist), but really what I'm most excited about is spending time on my writing, and hopefully having kids in a few years. And I don't think I want to work full-tim once I have kids... but that might change if I find something I really love doing. But for now I couldn't ask him to turn down opportunities for me to pursue something I'm not 100% sure I want to do.

Sorry, that was long winded and not very related to the original topic here. Just clearing my head a bit

 

[zoebartlett]

Haven, I could bring all my stuff to my classroom but there will be layoffs beginning next spring, and I have no idea what will happen with my position. (Plus, I don't have much storage space at school as it is.) Our enrollment is going way down, so there won't be need for as many teachers. If my job is cut, I'll have to lug all those books back home. I think I'll just keep them here at home for now.

 

[Haven]

JazzOboe--I hear you on not wanting to commit to a doctoral program. You and me both, friend! I would definitely recommend trying to find an adjunct position for the fall if you think you might be interested in teaching college. I don't know where you're located, but in my area there are a lot of adjunct positions available, and it's a great way to get some experience without having to make a large commitment.

It took me a long time to figure out where exactly my *place* was in the teaching world. I cannot tell you how I longed for my own high school classroom when I was working on that first master's. Oh, the dreams I had! And it was wonderful, it really was. But . . . CC was just a bit *more* wonderful, and it took me some time to realize that. But I wouldn't have realized that if I hadn't tried teaching in both situations. I also really loved my K-8 experience. It really made me appreciate our elementary teachers, who I believe have the most difficult jobs in education. And it also helped keep me feeling fresh and excited about teaching--there's something really amazing about showing up to a classroom on a Saturday morning to be greeted by 15 overly eager gifted kids who cannot wait to tell you all about the research and projects and investigations they did since your last class. I used to call it my happy place. And I still think about those classes when I find myself facing a room full of less than motivated students.

Zoe--I'm so sorry to hear that. My mom's school is facing a similar situation, and she's constantly worrying about losing her position. I wish you weren't going through the same thing. She works in a private school, and two years ago the board decided to stop recognizing the union. They lost their contracts and everything else they had worked so hard to get. It was pretty awful. Now they want to make my mom's position a 12-month position, too. Gah.

I wish you were in the area. I think you'd be really wonderful at teaching our intro to reading instruction course. It focuses on K-8. I'm the only one on faculty who is qualified to teach it, and while I love doing it, I think we should have someone who is actually in a K-8 classroom as the instructor.

 

[jazzoboe]

I'm in a suburb of a large city in Ohio, and there are a fair number of community colleges around here, so I'm definitely putting some feelers out for this Fall. I'm always intimidated when I read job postings and they are asking for a Master's plus at least __ years teaching experience and I wonder if they'll either bother giving me a second look since I don't really meet that yet, but I guess I just need to apply a lot and hope someone gives me a chance. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?

 

[Haven]

I'm in a suburb of a large city in Ohio, and there are a fair number of community colleges around here, so I'm definitely putting some feelers out for this Fall. I'm always intimidated when I read job postings and they are asking for a Master's plus at least __ years teaching experience and I wonder if they'll either bother giving me a second look since I don't really meet that yet, but I guess I just need to apply a lot and hope someone gives me a chance. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?

Definitely. Keep an eye out for adjunct positions for developmental courses. Around here, those courses typically start with a 0 instead of a 1--English 094, 092, etc. However, not always. My first developmental teaching experience was different, the courses were English 108, etc.

If the website says a master's is required, then they probably don't accept people without one. But keep looking, and it doesn't hurt to apply.

I feel like I'm luring you to the dark side . . . Really though, I love teaching in a CC. Best teaching job I've ever had.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Haven. I'm so sorry to hear that your mom's position might be cut.

Next year and subsequent years will be nail-biters, that's for sure. My school (and the town it's in) is very small, and there are only two teachers per grade level. While the average class size now is about 17, it will go down drastically. This year's first grade only has 11-12 kids in each class, so it could easily be combined into one. Luckily for me, it won't, though. After that, all bets are off and anyone's job could be in jeopardy. (I can't remember how our district handles RiF but it's mentioned in our contract. I'll check it out.) That in itself is bad, but with budget cuts everywhere and certain teachers being "too expensive," (HA!) in districts that may be hiring, it doesn't look good. Anyway...

Hmmm, I've never taught at the CC level. Think they'd pay my commuting expenses? It would be really interesting work.