I teach in Montgomery County, MD, public schools, not that far away.
I am well-supported in my job by my school system, principal, union, and PTA. I would like to earn more money , but...
this has been good for me.
I also teach in an fairly affluent area, though there are kids brought into our schools from poorer neighborhoods. MCPS is big, 140,000 students, 11,000 teachers, which allows them to offer many specialized services. The teacher's union is politically powerful here, and their endorsement critical at election time, so we work in a very pro-education environment. We also rank #1 for narrowing the achievement gap between whites and Hispanic and black students in the entire country.
Maryland as a state is rated number one in the country for public schools. The top-rated county is Howard, and we are right behind them. Baltimore city schools will be a entirely different situation, and I agree with previous posters that great teaching alone is completely inadequate to overcoming poverty. I think as a science teacher it would be relatively easy to find a job in any school system in Maryland. It depends on what you want to do.
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