Teacher needing a job!

It would help, Mandy, for you to search for and read the plethora of older posts about trying to get a job secured before you are on island. There's much wisdom in those threads from which you can learn.

--HC

Not trying to be rude, but truly curious, but isn't the first week of August quite late to start seeking a teaching job for the 2006-2007 school year, and impossibly late for someone who would still need to make the move down here, get a place to live, transportation and such? We pulled off our move in about seven weeks, starting that count on day one of a week-long house hunting trip to STX. It was incredible luck and a ton of early research and planning that made it work out, but it's not something I'd recommend due to the compounded stress it adds to an already exhausting and challenging undertaking. Doing it in less than four weeks and having to start a new job in a new culture the day you arrive would leave me insurable insane.

Are you a different Mandy than the Mandy who was asking about speech jobs? I am confused! Anyway, I agree that you may be a bit late for the fall semester, although, if there are vacancies, they may sweep you right in. Do you have the phone numbers for the Department of Education? One thing, if you do not have enough to move down and keep yourself afloat for several months, you may be looking in the wrong place for work. It often takes the government a couple of months to start paying due to the very slow NOPA process.

There is an ad in the Virgin Islands Daily News for an Early Childhood Education teacher at the New Covenant Academy for the 2006 -2007 school year.

If you go to www.virginislandsdailynews.com and click on the employment link, you'll find the ad. There is a name and contact number, Mrs. Felix at (340) 714-2747.

Which island?

Mandy, STOP!
Before you even remotely consider a public school position anywhere in the USVI, please read the attached August 4, 2006 article from the St. Thomas Source entitled, "Crumbling Neglected Schools a Major Concern in Board of Education Report." http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1153541544
Deplorable conditions of facilities, low test scores, vandalism, unqualified paraprofessionals that can't pass a basic skills exam, one nurse serving an entire population of disabled students, students being attacked by people residing in abandoned buildings, teacher absenteeism AT 10 TO 20%, a staff that "can't handle" the block system, etc., etc...Unless you are related to Mother Teresa, save yourself the heartache of working in a third-world school system that has "given up the ghost" long ago.
P.S. IMO, as a public service, operators of this forum should archive this article and provide it to anyone considering moving to the USVI and placing their children in the public school system.

WH,

You wrote, "Unless you are related to Mother Teresa, save yourself the heartache of working in a third-world school system that has "given up the ghost" long ago."

Many teachers enter the teaching profession in order to serve the most vulnerable and needy in a population, its children. It would seem to me that the places that need the most help, like the USVI, might very well be the places some teachers might wish to serve. I think full disclosure is important and encourage everyone who is considering moving here to read everything they can about living here. However, I see no useful purpose in your recommendation that anyone contemplating serving here as a teacher give up the thought of doing so because that is tantamount to giving up on the islands' children! :X

Dnt, am I right in thinking that your children are not in the PS system? If not, why not? Just interested.

jane,

I'm glad you're just interested and not suggesting that my answer matters in the context of this thread.

My spouse and I have always opted to teach our offspring ourselves. This was the case when we lived in a top ten in the nation public school system as well as on island now. Our reasons are because all of us enjoy it, because all of us are good at it, and because doing so has served all of us well.

I home schooled my daughter in Colorado and there was a "part time funded pupil " status available in the Public School system.
It meant that I could pick and choose classes, PE, music etc and take Tash to the Public School for those and do the bulk of the Schooling at home. I used it for the specialist lessons. I was wondering if this was an option in the VI. Some parents might find that a less intimidating way to ease into homeschooling.

I've actually spent quite a bit of the summer there, so I am familiar with the area. I just decided about moving full time, so yes it is short notice, but I'm not jumping in totally blind.

Even though I don't live in "third world country" now, I still experience many of the same problems teaching in a small, poor rural community in Kentucky. I've not had the privilege of teaching in a private, rich school, so I think I can handle some obstacles.

Preferably I'd like to work on St. Thomas or St. John.

Jane,

States and territories vary in their attitudes about home schooling. There is nothing like Colorado's "part time funded pupil " status here. In fact few states or territories, Colorado and Alaska being notable exceptions, do anything to encourage home schooling because they lose per pupil expenditure tax dollars when students don't attend public schools.

Puerto Rico falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Constitution so the right to home school there is a constitutionally protected right guaranteed to parents by the 14th Amendment. (Liberty Clause.) Puerto Rico treats home schools as non-governmental schools as defined by the Puerto Rico Constitution in Article 2, section 5 so there are no requirements to notify or obtain permission to home school from the Department of Education or any other official entity.

The USVI does not enjoy the protections of the U.S. Constitution but Title 17, Section 84 of the Virgin Islands Code allows parents to educate children at home in compliance with the Virgin Islands Code and regulations of the Virgin Islands Board of Education. Parents must file a Notice of Intent Home Instruction of Student At Home form each year with the Commissioner of Education within ten days of the start of the home instruction program. The Commissioner provides copies of the completed Notice of Intent to the Division of Curriculum and Assessment of the Department, the appropriate District Superintendent of Education and the Board of Education. Parents must seek the Commissioner of Education’s approval of the qualifications of the tutor and the proposed courses of study and the Commissioner of Education requires that a representative of the Department of Education examine the pupils and conduct a semi-annual Portfolio Review.

We have lived in more restrictive home schooling environments and less restrictive home schooling environments but we have always ignored all legal mandates and other "well-meaning" forms of interference and educated our off spring ourselves.

Mandy, check out this latest posting on STT Source Open Forum.

http://new.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=Commentary:Open+Forum&p=1153541622

Cheers!

Mandy, try calling All Saints (340) 774-0231. They might have a last-minute opening in their elementary division. Good luck.