How Hard Is Teaching? Well...
I am sitting here on the verge of tears because I feel incredibly torn. I read an article this morning from the Washington Post entitled "How Hard is Teaching?" You can find it here. I probably should not have started my day with that, but alas, it is Monday and it caught my attention after my alarm went off.
I absolutely love teaching. It truly is a great profession. However, I am not feeling respected lately. I do love my school, my administrators, and my students; but, it seems as though society as a whole thinks we are a bunch of whiny know-it-alls who just need to be grateful that we have jobs and that we get our summers off. I guess I just want other people to understand where we are all coming from.
I am a teacher, but I have not had my summers "off" since I was a student myself. Even then (well, since I was 16), I worked multiple jobs to buy a car and pay for my insurance and my college education. I work a second job throughout the year and during the summer to supplement my income from my full time job. I also teach private art lessons weekly to several students. I do this, not only because I love art, but because if I didn't work a second job, there is no way that I could buy gas, groceries, or other unplanned weekly expenses. I am single. I own my own home, a car, and I live within my means; however, my salary has not changed much in the 9 years that I've been teaching. My responsibilities have exponentially increased and there are so many changes in the realm of education that it is hard to keep up with. This year alone, we have a new gradebook system, a new "cloud-like" storage space, technology that we are supposed to use in the classroom with our students (without regular access to the computers to facilitate its use), and a completely new curriculum and standards. We have not received enough training about our new gradebook system and the state has not even sent most teachers the curriculum or material that will be assessed. I am also teaching out of my content area this year for one period each day. Enough is enough.
I believe that in most other jobs, when you get a new system that your whole company is expected to use, you receive training and instructions on how to use it. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) I would also hope that if your company is mandating that you completely change your job expectations and requirements that they would discuss it with you and have these expectations clearly laid out. That does not seem to be the case in education. We, as teachers, have so many unanswered questions about the Common Core Standards, our new state assessments, and how data is going to be used to assess students and teachers when we do not have a baseline to go from. There is a lack of diagnostic testing in Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing...I could go on. The only content area that I know received an official diagnostic exam from the state/county is Language Art; and this exam was so drastically different (according to ELA teachers that I know) from anything our students have taken before. Our students and teachers are being asked to perform miracles in a matter of months on a salary that cannot support us through retirement at the rate we're going.
Last year, I finished my Masters degree and got a slight increase in salary; however, it still wasn't significant enough to quit my second job. When they are taking 2% more from your check for the pension system (which may or may not be available to you when you retire) AND your healthcare costs increased 13.7% in July, that small step up on the scale just can't compete.
It seems that what people don't see are all of the countless hours that we put in to plan, prepare, encourage, and foster a love of learning in our students. I truly do love my students like they were my own, but it doesn't seem like everyone sees it that way. I am seeing more and more negative feedback about how teachers are just "in it for the paycheck." That is a load of nonsense. If I just wanted a paycheck, I wouldn't take work home with me. I wouldn't conference with parents, I wouldn't constantly evaluate my lesson plans and reflect on what works with my students' needs and accommodations. I would've quit after my second year teaching! I devote a ton of time each week to grading, writing rubrics, providing constructive feedback on my students' projects, and mentoring our needier students. I do this because I love it, but I fear that love is going to be overshadowed by the negative image the media is sending out and the lack of compensation that we seem to just have to "deal with."
I think that unless you have worked in a school, taught in a classroom, or volunteered for a teacher on a regular basis, you really just don't understand the stress or the demand that is on school employees. Our custodians work many hours with meager pay to keep our buildings beautiful, our instructional assistants go above and beyond to help our students achieve a higher level of success, and our specialists (be it speech pathologists, guidance counselors, occupational therapists, deans, etc.) work so hard to support the learning goals of our kids.
I hope that if you are a parent, you understand that your child's teachers have his/her best interest in mind. I can't think of any teacher that I know who got into the profession "for the paycheck" or because they didn't like kids. Almost all of us do this job because we love it and WE had great teachers that inspired us to do our best.
I think I'm starting to ramble. My apologies. I am just starting to hunt for another job that will allow me to work with kids and actually compensate me appropriately for my years of experience AND my education. I want to use my passions for mentoring and art to change the world! I'm just not sure I can sustain myself in this state with this profession. Currently, I am stuck on step 6 as a 9 year teacher. I also did not get the raise that I was promised for earning my Advanced Professional Certificate until almost a year after I earned it because of "new language" in our contract that stated the Board would only make changes to our contract in July and January. I earned my APC in August and didn't compensated for it until March of the next year. There was no retroactive pay for those months either. (Didn't the government employees who were furloughed get their pay back??)
In addition to all of this, I received a letter this evening from the MHEC stating that I "have not fulfilled my obligation" for the HOPE scholarship I received for my undergraduate degree. This is yet another kink in the system of our state department. I filled out this exact same form in 2011 when I DID fulfill my 5th year of teaching in Maryland. I have gone ahead and filled it out again and will dutifully send it in. I only hope that the people at the state are "fulfilling their obligations" to process it correctly this time!
I don't mean to be negative, but I am really feeling discouraged this week...and it's only Monday! There are other things going on that I can't post publicly, but I am trying to look on the bright side. I WILL wake up tomorrow and do my best to inspire my students. I hope that you're appreciated in your profession and that you are able to pay your bills on time without having to worry about how to afford gas, groceries, or your mortgage. If you can't, you're in my prayers. I know God will help us get through all of this. I am just trying to find the strength, the patience, and the serenity to trust in him and focus on the good...
I absolutely love teaching. It truly is a great profession. However, I am not feeling respected lately. I do love my school, my administrators, and my students; but, it seems as though society as a whole thinks we are a bunch of whiny know-it-alls who just need to be grateful that we have jobs and that we get our summers off. I guess I just want other people to understand where we are all coming from.
I am a teacher, but I have not had my summers "off" since I was a student myself. Even then (well, since I was 16), I worked multiple jobs to buy a car and pay for my insurance and my college education. I work a second job throughout the year and during the summer to supplement my income from my full time job. I also teach private art lessons weekly to several students. I do this, not only because I love art, but because if I didn't work a second job, there is no way that I could buy gas, groceries, or other unplanned weekly expenses. I am single. I own my own home, a car, and I live within my means; however, my salary has not changed much in the 9 years that I've been teaching. My responsibilities have exponentially increased and there are so many changes in the realm of education that it is hard to keep up with. This year alone, we have a new gradebook system, a new "cloud-like" storage space, technology that we are supposed to use in the classroom with our students (without regular access to the computers to facilitate its use), and a completely new curriculum and standards. We have not received enough training about our new gradebook system and the state has not even sent most teachers the curriculum or material that will be assessed. I am also teaching out of my content area this year for one period each day. Enough is enough.
I believe that in most other jobs, when you get a new system that your whole company is expected to use, you receive training and instructions on how to use it. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) I would also hope that if your company is mandating that you completely change your job expectations and requirements that they would discuss it with you and have these expectations clearly laid out. That does not seem to be the case in education. We, as teachers, have so many unanswered questions about the Common Core Standards, our new state assessments, and how data is going to be used to assess students and teachers when we do not have a baseline to go from. There is a lack of diagnostic testing in Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing...I could go on. The only content area that I know received an official diagnostic exam from the state/county is Language Art; and this exam was so drastically different (according to ELA teachers that I know) from anything our students have taken before. Our students and teachers are being asked to perform miracles in a matter of months on a salary that cannot support us through retirement at the rate we're going.
Last year, I finished my Masters degree and got a slight increase in salary; however, it still wasn't significant enough to quit my second job. When they are taking 2% more from your check for the pension system (which may or may not be available to you when you retire) AND your healthcare costs increased 13.7% in July, that small step up on the scale just can't compete.
It seems that what people don't see are all of the countless hours that we put in to plan, prepare, encourage, and foster a love of learning in our students. I truly do love my students like they were my own, but it doesn't seem like everyone sees it that way. I am seeing more and more negative feedback about how teachers are just "in it for the paycheck." That is a load of nonsense. If I just wanted a paycheck, I wouldn't take work home with me. I wouldn't conference with parents, I wouldn't constantly evaluate my lesson plans and reflect on what works with my students' needs and accommodations. I would've quit after my second year teaching! I devote a ton of time each week to grading, writing rubrics, providing constructive feedback on my students' projects, and mentoring our needier students. I do this because I love it, but I fear that love is going to be overshadowed by the negative image the media is sending out and the lack of compensation that we seem to just have to "deal with."
I think that unless you have worked in a school, taught in a classroom, or volunteered for a teacher on a regular basis, you really just don't understand the stress or the demand that is on school employees. Our custodians work many hours with meager pay to keep our buildings beautiful, our instructional assistants go above and beyond to help our students achieve a higher level of success, and our specialists (be it speech pathologists, guidance counselors, occupational therapists, deans, etc.) work so hard to support the learning goals of our kids.
I hope that if you are a parent, you understand that your child's teachers have his/her best interest in mind. I can't think of any teacher that I know who got into the profession "for the paycheck" or because they didn't like kids. Almost all of us do this job because we love it and WE had great teachers that inspired us to do our best.
I think I'm starting to ramble. My apologies. I am just starting to hunt for another job that will allow me to work with kids and actually compensate me appropriately for my years of experience AND my education. I want to use my passions for mentoring and art to change the world! I'm just not sure I can sustain myself in this state with this profession. Currently, I am stuck on step 6 as a 9 year teacher. I also did not get the raise that I was promised for earning my Advanced Professional Certificate until almost a year after I earned it because of "new language" in our contract that stated the Board would only make changes to our contract in July and January. I earned my APC in August and didn't compensated for it until March of the next year. There was no retroactive pay for those months either. (Didn't the government employees who were furloughed get their pay back??)
In addition to all of this, I received a letter this evening from the MHEC stating that I "have not fulfilled my obligation" for the HOPE scholarship I received for my undergraduate degree. This is yet another kink in the system of our state department. I filled out this exact same form in 2011 when I DID fulfill my 5th year of teaching in Maryland. I have gone ahead and filled it out again and will dutifully send it in. I only hope that the people at the state are "fulfilling their obligations" to process it correctly this time!
I don't mean to be negative, but I am really feeling discouraged this week...and it's only Monday! There are other things going on that I can't post publicly, but I am trying to look on the bright side. I WILL wake up tomorrow and do my best to inspire my students. I hope that you're appreciated in your profession and that you are able to pay your bills on time without having to worry about how to afford gas, groceries, or your mortgage. If you can't, you're in my prayers. I know God will help us get through all of this. I am just trying to find the strength, the patience, and the serenity to trust in him and focus on the good...
Comments
Post a Comment