Teachers: Why do you choose to teach at private vs. public?

[Anonymous]

Teachers, why have you chosen to teach in private school vs. public school? I have heard public school teachers make more money (in Baltimore, at least) and private school parents can be very difficult. So why choose private over public?

[Anonymous]

You take a job based on specific experience with a specific school, not stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Less bureaucracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers, why have you chosen to teach in private school vs. public school? I have heard public school teachers make more money (in Baltimore, at least) and private school parents can be very difficult. So why choose private over public?

I teach in Baltimore City. I chose it so I can send my DD to a private school. Baltimore City pays more than any other district in MD. If money wasn't an issue, I'd choose to teach in a private school. Why? Let me count the ways. 1) more involved parents 2) students who come prepared to learn 3) more freedom to be creative because of a lot less testing. 4) more resources.

[Anonymous]

Public pays more - I did teach in private internationally and it was easier work. More planning time - very few struggling kids so you didn’t really feel like a failure or not able to reach certain kids. I didn’t have to deal with parent issues too much because all the parents loved me being a native English speaker.

[Anonymous]

I taught in a public high school for many years and took a pay cut to teach in a private school. I traded a higher salary for much better treatment. I’m considered the expert in my classroom. Administrators don’t micromanage, nor do they push district-wide, poorly-designed initiatives into my classroom. I have more autonomy so I can truly teach my students instead of being forced to deliver packaged curricula that doesn’t fit my students’ needs. I’m happier now and I feel more successful.

I worked with some great teachers in the public high schools. Unfortunately, many have left to pursue other careers. It’s a shame because the students were amazing at the public school. The problem was the system.

[Anonymous]

Public pays more because it’s basically hazard pay. Not everyone wants hazard pay.

[Anonymous]

Public does NOT always pay more. My salary went up 10% when I moved to private. My student load went down by 60%. There are more reasons but this is a good start.

[Anonymous]

I have teacher friends and they say that at a private school you can pretty much plan out each day of teaching as you see best, but in the public school you have to follow the curriculum to the letter each day. Some teachers like to have a lot of autonomy and some don't. My local public school has seven first grade teachers and each one does the exact same thing each day right down to the hour. The public school pay is much higher where I live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have teacher friends and they say that at a private school you can pretty much plan out each day of teaching as you see best, but in the public school you have to follow the curriculum to the letter each day. Some teachers like to have a lot of autonomy and some don't. My local public school has seven first grade teachers and each one does the exact same thing each day right down to the hour. The public school pay is much higher where I live.

Not necessarily. It depends on the private school. Many in the DC area have very competitive salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public pays more because it’s basically hazard pay. Not everyone wants hazard pay.

BS. One of my kids teaches public and, believe me, it's not hazard pay. And she makes more money than a private school teacher does too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have teacher friends and they say that at a private school you can pretty much plan out each day of teaching as you see best, but in the public school you have to follow the curriculum to the letter each day. Some teachers like to have a lot of autonomy and some don't. My local public school has seven first grade teachers and each one does the exact same thing each day right down to the hour. The public school pay is much higher where I live.

Not necessarily. It depends on the private school. Many in the DC area have very competitive salaries.

Here we go again. BS thrown out with nothing to back it up. Name the "many" private schools in the DC area that pay better than DC, Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery public school systems, all of which all among the highest paying public schools in the country. Go ahead. Name the "many."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public does NOT always pay more. My salary went up 10% when I moved to private. My student load went down by 60%. There are more reasons but this is a good start.

Are you in the DC area? Name the public school. Why should you care about naming it? You've already left it.

[Anonymous]

Parents are more supportive in private in many ways.

[Anonymous]

Many private schools don't require that their teachers be certified in education, for one thing -- so they can't get hired by public schools. You can debate whether being certified makes you a better, worse, or more qualified educator, of course -- but that's beside the point. The point is that if you're not certified you can't get hired by a public school, so you go private.