mpalmer1

I am certified (via my BA and additional Praxis exams) to teach elementary K-6 all core subjects, middle grades 6-9 Math+ELA+Science, and all grades special ed. I am completing a graduate MA in Leadership in Teaching for STEM post-grad in Gifted and Talented Ed. I am considering an EdD in Instruction Technology, specializing in either Digital Learning or Instructional Design. There is a university with that EdD in my county that I could attend. I'm mostly wondering if people usually maintain employment in grade school classroom instruction or, if not, what options are usually available or advisable (or required, for that matter). I am still about two years away from completing both MA programs, so I do have time and this is a very new exploration/inquiry for me.

I currently teach in one of the most difficult positions in what is unanimously deemed the most difficult middle school in my very large school district (not by choice--being new to the district at the end of last Summer meant accepting what was left after most positions had already been filled). Unless I leave my district, I am ineligible for voluntary transfer for at least four more years, which means remaining in my current school. I am pursuing concurrent graduate and post-graduate degrees at this time and anticipate completing both in May 2020 barring unforeseen obstacles. With that said, I am considering applying to begin a doctoral program thereafter and am unsure if this is an unwise idea. How reasonable or common is it for active grade school teachers to pursue a phD or edD? Is it even possible given the requirements of such a program, or is it necessary to seek employment as an assistant or similar for those few years?