Which year? Specifically Future/Current Teachers?

AlmostMrsStrong

I finish my student teaching and graduate in Spring of 2012. Our initial plan was to get my first year of teaching out of the way, and then get married in November of 2013. As I was driving to school today, I was wondering if it would just be easier to get married in November of 2012 and then start teaching in January of 2013?

The way I see it, I'll start off as Ms. Married, and not Ms. Maiden, so my students won't have to learn a name change (which was something I dealt with at all grade levels, and I still think of those teachers by their maiden names...). In addition, I won't have to worry about asking for time off for the honeymoon. How hard is it to start at a school in the middle of the school year?

Any thoughts/suggestions/insight would be greatly appreciated.

AlmostMrsStrong

Well, I will be student teaching in Spring of 12 before getting married (as per my father's wish that I have a degree before I get married). I was just wondering if there are schools that hire in the middle of the year, or if I should look for some sort of tutoring job until the next school year starts.

jcbender0

I know it is different in different parts of the country, but I know it can be difficult to find a full time job in the middle of the school year.  Most jobs in my area are posted after the budget vote (in May) through the summer.  Usually middle of the year jobs are maternity leaves (which can be a good place to start).  Good luck with your student teaching!

MrsMLRB

Why wouldn't you get married the summer after you graduate? You'll have your degree and the time to get married. I really wouldn't worry about the names the kids will call you- we had a teacher get married mid year and everyone called her by her new name within a week.

Taking time of during the school year does not happen. Teachers who get married during the year take their honeymoons on vacations.

Most schools don't hire midyear but sometimes a teacher quits and there are maternity leave positions often available. In teaching markets like this one, work your wedding around being able to work.

brilibby4

Why don't you just get married in the summer?  My fi and I are both graduating with education degrees and are getting married July 2012 after our first year teaching.

DramaGeek

It's rare that we hire mid year, unless someone leaves unexpectedly (illness, family emergency, etc).  Maternity leave may or may not be hired - many places simply use a long term sub, and it's generally someone known to the school already.

That said, if you were to start teaching prior to getting married and you're that worried about the name change, why not just go ahead and use your married name with your students?

If you're graduating in Spring 2012, won't you be looking for a job for Fall 2012? If you're teaching, getting married in November will be a nightmare.  My suggestion is to plan it for a break (Winter, spring or summer, not one of the three day holidays) and either go for a honeymoon right away or, if you got married over winter or spring break, wait for summer for a honeymoon.  In some districts you could actually be fired for taking a vacation.

Beads921

I don't know about the situation where you live, but up here in Canada, it's virtually unheard of to get a teaching job your first year out of school. And if you were looking to start in January, you'd probably just be covering a mat leave or something. But, that's just the situation here and it's probably different for you.

It's also very frowned upon to take time off for things like vacations during the school year (here). As in, you'd be better off getting married around Christmas or summer (or even spring break), and take your honeymoon then. 

I think in your situation, I'd be trying to get married the summer right after graduation. You'll have a few months to get settled in as a married couple, and you won't have to worry about trying to plan a wedding while you're at work.

aleighk1

I'm doing the same thing. We're getting married May of 2012 and I'll graduate May 2013. I want to go into my career with my new last name. 

singingjessi14

The teacher job situation around here as been pretty bleak lately so, I'm spending the next year subbing and the next semester finishing by masters degree. If I had gotten a full-time job this year, my fiance and I would have gotten married in the summer of 2011, but since I'm subbing, we moved the wedding up to February to stay in the cheaper wedding season, and stay closer to our current anniversary. I had thought about my name change, and how it would affect my students if I had a full time job, but I don't think it's that big a deal if you start the year with one name and finish with another. Just be patient with the kids, they'll figure it out!
If I were you, I'd go ahead and get married summer of 2012 as to not have a wedding in the middle of the school year.

AlmostMrsStrong

RE: Summer weddings - You guys must live up north or something, because summer weddings do not happen in the South. We'd like to have an outdoor wedding, and I'd never subject my guests to the New Orleans heat. I've always been in love with the idea of a fall wedding, so I'm going to have a hard time budging on that one.

If I get married in fall of '12, I wouldn't want to start teaching in August of '12. If I did start teaching in fall of '12, I'd wait until Nov '13 (I just really don't want to wait an extra year). During my observations leading up to my student teaching, I think I'll ask what the hiring situation is like. After graduation, if it's not looking good, I'd try to work at a place like Kaplan or Kumon that does tutoring until I can get hired on somewhere.

MrsMLRB

So you would put off teaching full time for a year to get married? A wedding is a day- a weekend at most and a full time teaching position is important for supporting you and your new husband. Get married in the fall if you wish but try and get a full time teaching position which is more important in the long run.

I am getting married on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. I will probably take Friday off as there are some religious ceremonies on Saturday but then will be back at school on Tuesday. We are going on our honeymoon in December over winter break. Another teacher on my club board is doing the same thing. Get married in the fall if you wish and go back to teaching right after the wedding.

ciaraman

Perhaps it's different in New Orleans...but here in FL, people get married in the summer all the time. Generally they'll just hold the events inside so that the heat isn't such an issue.  If you MUST have a fall wedding, maybe you could schedule it over Thanksgiving?

I don't understand why you'd put off teaching for a year to get married.  And as a first-year teacher, I can't imagine dealing with a wedding in a month or two. I really thing your best option would be a summer or winter break wedding, which at least gives you some time to breathe before/after the wedding.

MrsMLRB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_year-specifically-futurecurrent-teachers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:7d970da7-fb47-4f56-98da-20c59924cbbfPost:5b9c19c6-8813-472f-8c6d-117c63dc8cc0">Re: Which year? Specifically Future/Current Teachers?</a>:
[QUOTE]I really thing your best option would be a summer or winter break wedding, which at least gives you some time to breathe before/after the wedding.
Posted by ciaraman[/QUOTE]

Oooh, since I'm from the north I wasn't thinking about this but yes, a winter wedding outside would be lovely if the weather is nice that time of year. So would a Thanksgiving day weekend wedding.

AlmostMrsStrong

Thanksgiving won't work because his mother works for a job that absolutely, positively, for no reason whatsoever, allows you to take off on holidays. December might work, I just hope it's not too chilly for an outdoor ceremony. No one warns you beforehand that getting married is one giant logistical nightmare. >_<

[Deleted User]

I landed on this board my accident and saw this post.  

I have to add that student teaching is NOT just like a teaching job.  In a lot of ways it much harder.  I did WAY more work when I was student teaching then I do now.  There are a few reasons for this, but most teachers would agree with me that student teaching is very demanding.  

I think you are over thinking the name change thing for sure.  Mind you most of my kids don't speak, they have severe autism, the ones who do call me by my first name.  However it's not a big deal.  I would just go with your maiden name for the rest of the year and then change then next year.  

I live in England and it's really easy to get work part way through the year.  HOWEVER if I was still in the US I would look for a job before Sept not after my Nov wedding.  

Oh course I am taking a week off for my wedding, which I asked for before I was hired.  My wedding is in Philadelphia and I live in London.  They really wanted me :-)

Just my 2 cents.

Now I have to finish my planning.  

morganle

I am in the middle of my student teaching year right now. I will be getting married next November 2011 after graduating in May 2011. I don't understand either why you would take all that time off just to get married. I have started doing most of the planning far ahead of time and will finish most details by summer. I also have a wedding planner who will be helping me out a lot.

We will get married the 18th of November, which is the Friday before Thanksgiving. I will miss Wednesday-Friday (or so) of that week and then, since we don't have any classes over Thanksgiving week, I will leave for my honeymoon the Saturday before Thanksgiving and come back Thanksgiving day. I think this or a winter break wedding, or getting married before the school year starts.

As for the name...I wouldn't worry about that. I'm only sad about my name changing halfway through the year because I want to purchase personalized decorations for my room. Meh. I'll just wait to buy these things.

TheLordsCanary

If you live in/near an urban area you might be more likely to get a job mid-year since teachers are generally more in demand in such areas. At least that's what they've been telling us in my teaching program. I'll be student teaching next fall, but we won't be getting married for another year and a half after that because he'll be finishing a masters. Masters = yay, waiting = not yay.

Kristin789

>>You guys must live up north or something, because summer weddings do not happen in the South.

I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, which is further south that you are, and all the teachers get married in the summer.  I only know one teacher who has a wedding anniversary any time other than the summer, and hers is in March which was spring break the year she got married.

DH and I are both teachers and we were married in the summer, went on our HM, returned on Sunday, and DH went to his first in-service day on Monday - and mine was on Friday.

ks3pink

I am currently student teaching and am getting married on Sunday.  I am missing 2 days of school, 1 of which is a teacher work day.  There is no way I would put off getting a job to get married, it doesn't take forever!  Don't take this the wrong way but you need to get your priorities straight before you get married, a job is much more important as you will need to be able to support your new family.

BerrierBride

I agree with NCV2 about the student teaching part and name change...couldn't have stated it better!

AlmostMrsStrong

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_year-specifically-futurecurrent-teachers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:684Discussion:7d970da7-fb47-4f56-98da-20c59924cbbfPost:e031f24a-e05f-4348-b714-1c3174efeb68">Re: Which year? Specifically Future/Current Teachers?</a>:
[QUOTE]I am currently student teaching and am getting married on Sunday.  I am missing 2 days of school, 1 of which is a teacher work day.  There is no way I would put off getting a job to get married, it doesn't take forever!  Don't take this the wrong way but you need to get your priorities straight before you get married, a job is much more important as you will need to be able to support your new family.
Posted by ks3pink[/QUOTE]

For the record, no, I do not need to be worried about supporting my new family, but that is between for me and my FI.

Upon further consideration, I decided to scrap student teaching all together and just pursue a degree in Math. I'll graduate in Fall '11, start teaching either January '12 or August '12 (depending on when I get hired), and get married November '12. This way, I'll have the entire summer to nail down the bulk of the planning. We are going to wait until summer 2013 to go on our honeymoon. This will also give me incentive to go to grad school and pursue my Masters in Education. 

Thanks to the Knotties who actually gave me advice instead of condescending comments.

MrsMLRB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_year-specifically-futurecurrent-teachers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:7d970da7-fb47-4f56-98da-20c59924cbbfPost:8554d01d-9477-473a-991f-792c37d16f04">Re: Which year? Specifically Future/Current Teachers?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Which year? Specifically Future/Current Teachers? : For the record, no, I do not need to be worried about supporting my new family, but that is between for me and my FI. Upon further consideration, I decided to scrap student teaching all together and just pursue a degree in Math. I'll graduate in Fall '11, start teaching either January '12 or August '12 (depending on when I get hired), and get married November '12. This way, I'll have the entire summer to nail down the bulk of the planning. We are going to wait until summer 2013 to go on our honeymoon. This will also give me incentive to go to grad school and pursue my Masters in Education.  Thanks to the Knotties who actually gave me advice instead of condescending comments.
Posted by AlmostMrsStrong[/QUOTE]

Um.... how are you going to start teaching without a teaching degree? Or are you just planning on working as a paraprofessional (one on one aide, etc) in a school setting and then completing your teaching credentials while working?

Also, assuming things are the same in the north and south, a masters in education right now is more likely to cost you a job than get you one since they have to pay you more and there are so many cheaper teachers available.

AlmostMrsStrong

I don't planning on teaching in public schools. Private schools in my area allow you to begin teaching with a bachelors degree as long as you enroll in an alternate certification program (either stand alone or through grad school). Also, I would like to eventually teach at a magnet school, where the teachers are required to have at least a masters degree in education.