<p>Hi, I am not a parent… but I might as well be in this situation.</p>
<p>my boyfriend is in academic probation, and he foresees another F coming along.
he had many personal issues for the past 2 years and the counseling program at his school only made it worse instead of helping him. he’s really stubborn but he finally decided to take a semester break last year. it did him wonders, but he go W’s in all his classes.
now his gpa is still really bad and he is finishing his fifth year in college (because he changed majors late). i know he wants to be a teacher, but because of his nature he is not great with planning and he doesn’t tell me stuff.
is there anything or anyplace that would accept him as a teacher? or what can he do to make his application look better? he’s already trying really hard to raise his grades and he is doing well on the rest of his classes (with the exception of one).
i want the best for him, but he’s so proud and stubborn. he tries to avoid his problems until the last minute (which invariably is a problem on its own). </p>
<p>what can he do at this point?? have any of your kids gone through this?
do any of you know where could he possibly apply with grades around 1.5-1.8 overall? he wants to be a teacher, and i know he’s good at it. he has just been having crappy years in a row…</p>
<p>thank you</p>
<p>I do not think colleges and universities will award diplomas to students with a cummulative GPA of less than 2.0 and an F while on academic probation usually results in a suspension or academic dismissal from the school. He has got to get his grades up if he wants to get his degree let alone secure a position as a teacher.</p>
<p>No college gives diploma with less than a 2.0. Its illegal. Basically saying would you want someone teaching your child who has grades that demonstrate his “Academic knowledge” is below average? </p>
<p>Unless he is getting some type of teaching degree along with his undergrad degree he’ll need to go into a program to get his degree, and no program even if he graduates will accept him with a < 2.0.</p>
<p>He’ll be put on suspension and have to take a year off and do classes at another university. then following that, come back and finish up since most colleges require the last 15 credits at the home university.</p>
<p>Basically he’s looking at a min of 2 more years of college and a hard time after that for “teaching” licenses and such. A third year might be more helpful.</p>
<p>thank you for your input! he might actually not get an F and pass that particular class (thank goodness!)
i was wondering, he’s about to graduate soon… and it would be definitely wonderful if he could raise his gpa to at least 2.5 when he applies. </p>
<p>does the school gpa only count for the time he spent enrolled as an undergraduate or can he add points/grades to his overall gpa after he graduates and takes cc classes? i think cc classes are more flexible in terms of class time, so it would be easier for him to take cc classes instead of remain enrolled in a university (possibly going over the unit cap limit)</p>
<p>He can’t take CC classes to fulfill his degree requirements for a teaching degree. CC courses are lower level courses. He will need to complete his upper level courses AT the program he is enrolled in.</p>
<p>I’m confused, however. Is your boyfriend looking for a college program to GET teacher certificaton? Or is he already completing that with a less than stellar GPA and is worried about jobs?</p>
<p>If he’s looking for a college program to GET certification, I would suggest he get his bachelors degree first and then try to get a job as a paraeducator in a school system. Then he should enroll in evening classes to fulfill the course requirements to get certification in the state in which you reside. That way, he will get some practical school experience while also being able to take his certification courses. Perhaps he will be able to demonstrate his competencies at the school where he is a paraeducator.</p>
<p>If he is looking for a teaching job, I would suggest something similar. The reality is that there are 150 or so applicants for most teaching jobs in our area (YMMV depending on where you live or the subject area in which the bf wants to teach). I will say, that for new teachers…the only thing they really have is their college transcript and their letters of recommendation. If the transcript is subpar, it might keep him from getting job interviews.</p>
<p>SO…again…he would be smart to get his masters degree and get EXCELLENT grades…then pursue his job hunt. Again, he could get a para job during the day and take courses for his masters in evenings.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation to get a job as a pareducator in a school system, primarily to see if teaching is a job he really wants to do. </p>
<p>You mentioned that your boyfriend is not a planner. Teaching is a job that requires a tremendous amount of planning and organization. If he wants to teach at a secondary (high school) level he needs to demonstrate that he knows his particular subject matter, either through a degree/coursework, or in some states, by examination. What is it that appeals to him about teaching? If it is that he likes working with kids, which, of course, is the most important quality of any teacher, it would be helpful for him to figure out if he would like and could handle all of the planning/paperwork/communication with parents, etc. that are an integral part if the profession.</p>
<p>He might want to contact credential programs at the local universities to find out their minimum gpa requirements.</p>
<p>In addition, for many states your bf will have to get a masters to keep his job as a teacher. It will be a challenge getting in to grad school with a low gpa.</p>
<p>This sounds like a really bad situation. With the state of teaching jobs right now, students with outstanding GPA’s, heck even teachers with experience that have been laid off, can’t find jobs. I have no suggestions but a big hug to the OP for looking for help.</p>
<p>some real advice: dump him. he sounds like someone who can only bring u down to his level. drop him like he’s hot (to the touch, not to the eye), and don’t look back!</p>
<p>Quotes from OP’s post:</p>
<p>“I am not a parent… but I might as well be in this situation.
…he had many personal issues for the past 2 years and the counseling program at his school only made it worse instead of helping him. he’s really stubborn…
…because of his nature he is not great with planning and he doesn’t tell me stuff.
…he tries to avoid his problems until the last minute (which invariably is a problem on its own).”</p>
<p>…sigh…If my D were asking these questions, I would ask her to ponder the following:</p>
<p>When you want to predict the future, look to the past.</p>
<p>Your boyfriend should be the one asking the questions and finding solutions.</p>
<p>You want to be this guy’s “parent” your whole life? Not a good potential mate. What do you get out of this relationship? </p>
<p>You want to be with a guy who is stubborn, does not own up to his problems, is unable to plan ahead, he does not communicate with you (“tell you stuff”), has a lot of personal issues, blames other people for his troubles (“the counseling program made it worse”)…?</p>
<p>Once you’ve completed your rescue mission, the new improved version of him is likely to move on to someone else (you’ll remind him of his former inadequacies, and he won’t want you as his parent).</p>
<p>It’s very kind of you to try to help him out. But he needs to help himself before he has much to offer you. </p>
<p>We women often do have this failing, of trying to rescue people from themselves, just like I have done with the OP…</p>
<p>haha!!! xposted with calimama…can’t believe we’re the only ones thinking like this…</p>
<p>You are kind to try to help your BF, but I really wonder if teaching is the right career path for him. I say that especially because of his time management issues. Every lesson needs planning. Every lesson is set under a specific time frame. That’s true if you’re talking elementary, middle, or high school levels. In elementary, for instance, there are 10 minute lessons, and 3-5-minute “mini-lessons”. (This impacts not only him, but his whole class. If he is unaware of time, his kids really struggle.) The job is far from a 9-5 job. More like 7:30am-11:30pm, and that’s if you are very efficient. If he is a “people-person”, he may be better off in sales.</p>