I am a miserable teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a HS teacher in MCPS. Going into year 15. This job becomes less and less desirable every year. I can retire before age 60 is the only thing keeping me going. I have a Masters +60 and I make considerably less than just about everyone I know, and many of these people don’t have a college degree at all, and they work remote or hybrid.
Before anyone points out that I have summers off, I actually don’t. I work in the summer and the weeks I’m not working, I don’t get paid. It’s like everyone else’s annual leave but other jobs get paid year round.
I like my school and our Admin for most part, but lately I’m questioning why I spent so much time and money to become an educator. Yes, I love working with kids, but I’m also tired of struggling financially. I live in Moco and I’m a single parent.

Your problem is that you're a single parent living in MoCo. Teaching is not the problem.

No..
Teaching is the problem. Many of the mcps educators are miserable and there are terrible morale issues. You are not alone OP I'm just not sure what you can do about it...you may be stuck due to finances

Right, because other jobs are going to pay less. The OP is delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many people with Master's degree only make $80-90k after 15 yrs?

Social workers and other county employees.

[Anonymous]

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/ersc/employees/pay/schedules/salary_schedule_current.pdf

OP, are you a step 15? Idk if that’s equivalent to 15 years experience. According to this, someone with a MA+60 at a step 15 should be making $111,832 in 10 months.

I don’t know alot of people that make that much without college degrees working from home. You certainly make more than me in that timeframe, and I am a CPA.

[Anonymous]

OP,

I understand and I’m sorry. DCUM is a very anti-teacher place, so you can expect more of the “you have it so good” posts like the ones above. I know that’s not what you needed to hear, but that’s what you’ll get from people who don’t understand.

Teaching is ROUGH and teacher-tired is a particular brand of tired. I know how you feel because I’m there, too. It’s hard to be “on” for 7.5 hours a day, responsible for 150 other humans with no real break. Then you head home to prep for the next day and do all the paperwork you didn’t get a chance to do at work. I know how you feel — the compensation isn’t enough for the toll this job takes.

Hang in there and know you aren’t alone! Your feelings are shared by many of us. I’m coping by sticking to my boundaries this year. I’m no longer putting in weekend work, and I’m not volunteering for a single club or activity. This job will take and take, so we have to say no more often than we do.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a HS teacher in MCPS. Going into year 15. This job becomes less and less desirable every year. I can retire before age 60 is the only thing keeping me going. I have a Masters +60 and I make considerably less than just about everyone I know, and many of these people don’t have a college degree at all, and they work remote or hybrid.
Before anyone points out that I have summers off, I actually don’t. I work in the summer and the weeks I’m not working, I don’t get paid. It’s like everyone else’s annual leave but other jobs get paid year round.
I like my school and our Admin for most part, but lately I’m questioning why I spent so much time and money to become an educator. Yes, I love working with kids, but I’m also tired of struggling financially. I live in Moco and I’m a single parent.

Your problem is that you're a single parent living in MoCo. Teaching is not the problem.

Teaching IS the problem in many cases, too. However, OP states that she likes her job, which is a plus. Several of my friends left at year 15. One went into real estate and is still struggling. The other made it big by moving across the country and opening up a restaurant! Yes, a restaurant! She's sitting pretty right now. A third retired and is now double dipping (salary only, as she's receiving retirement) in another system. d

OP, cost of living is brutal in Mo Co. What are the chances of moving out of Mo Co and making the commute? Frederick isn't much cheaper, but it's still an option. And depending upon where you move - if you select Frederick - the schools are safer for the most part. Commute can be a bear, however.

Trust me when I say you can't give up the pension and health insurance. Being self-insured is a b*^ch! FCPS has competitive health insurance, although the pay cannot compare.

Use this year to look at options. But don't be hasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Envy is the thief of joy.

Most Americans earn less income than you.

and live in areas where COLA is low and benefits suck

Give it up. Everything is relative. There's no reason why OP can't air grievances about pay and being a single mom.

Your life must be a cakewalk, eh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Envy is the thief of joy.

Most Americans earn less income than you.

Most Americans don’t have a Master’s degree either.

[Anonymous]

I am right there with you. MCPS really needs to do something to retain teachers. The salary schedule is nice to help young teachers 'get to the top' earlier, but I have been sitting at the top for years and there is no room for growth. I get a COLA but that is eaten up by inflation. I am in year 25 and it will probably be my last. It is not what I signed up for 25 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many people with Master's degree only make $80-90k after 15 yrs?

Are you kidding me? A large number of government employees and people at non-profits.

Also, don't compare a MEd to a MS in a STEM program.

Working a cushy non-profit job is not comparable to most teaching jobs.

[Anonymous]

Op. I go through this every couple of years. In the past I would just change schools or courses to get some freshness and challenge in my life.

Now though, some students can just suck the life out of a class. Admin does nothing that moves the needle. I feel ya.

Being a single parent makes it all much more challenging. Focus on getting enough sleep. Getting exercise. Make the effort to spend more time with friends. I have to remember that "teacher" is not my identity. It's a job. I still want to be the best teacher for my students, but at the end of the day they have to care more than I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a HS teacher in MCPS. Going into year 15. This job becomes less and less desirable every year. I can retire before age 60 is the only thing keeping me going. I have a Masters +60 and I make considerably less than just about everyone I know, and many of these people don’t have a college degree at all, and they work remote or hybrid.
Before anyone points out that I have summers off, I actually don’t. I work in the summer and the weeks I’m not working, I don’t get paid. It’s like everyone else’s annual leave but other jobs get paid year round.
I like my school and our Admin for most part, but lately I’m questioning why I spent so much time and money to become an educator. Yes, I love working with kids, but I’m also tired of struggling financially. I live in Moco and I’m a single parent.

Your problem is that you're a single parent living in MoCo. Teaching is not the problem.

College students beware! Don’t become a teacher because you may get divorced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a HS teacher in MCPS. Going into year 15. This job becomes less and less desirable every year. I can retire before age 60 is the only thing keeping me going. I have a Masters +60 and I make considerably less than just about everyone I know, and many of these people don’t have a college degree at all, and they work remote or hybrid.
Before anyone points out that I have summers off, I actually don’t. I work in the summer and the weeks I’m not working, I don’t get paid. It’s like everyone else’s annual leave but other jobs get paid year round.
I like my school and our Admin for most part, but lately I’m questioning why I spent so much time and money to become an educator. Yes, I love working with kids, but I’m also tired of struggling financially. I live in Moco and I’m a single parent.

Your problem is that you're a single parent living in MoCo. Teaching is not the problem.

College students beware! Don’t become a teacher because you may get divorced.

Being a single parent is always going to be tough. And the grass will always look greener on the other side. But the truth is not many people are earning more than $100k for not doing much work. The large majority of people earn less than that working hard in full time jobs with 10 days vacation…

[Anonymous]

I work in the summer and the weeks I’m not working, I don’t get paid. It’s like everyone else’s annual leave but other jobs get paid year round.

No, it's not like "everyone else's annual leave." I don't get 8 - 10 weeks of annual leave and I certainly couldn't take it all in one stretch and I couldn't get a second job to pay me while I did.

If you want to quit, quit. Or make a plan to quit at the end of the school year and start working toward that. Stop whining. Take ownership of your decisions.

[Anonymous]

Enjoy your daily or long term subs, PP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many people with Master's degree only make $80-90k after 15 yrs?

Are you kidding me? A large number of government employees and people at non-profits.

Also, don't compare a MEd to a MS in a STEM program.

Working a cushy non-profit job is not comparable to most teaching jobs.

That's going to depend on the non-profit.

But the discussion here isn't focused on the hours or workplace conditions. It has been focused on the claims made about pay. And teacher pay compares favorably to other liberal arts professions.