Teaching and money question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it okay to be money motivated as a teacher? I'm finding a disconnect at times. I entered later in life and I'm married to a high earner. Some of my co workers are not.
I brought up the fact that I like to lesson plan at home because I have 2 monitors. This was apparently offensive and there were all these emotional comments made to ease the pain of me stating that fact towards my co workers. This is just a small example.

There are times that I regret not pursuing teaching as a career, then I read things like this and I know I could not have survived a work environment where my colleagues get emotional over the fact that I might have two monitors at home.

There are great reasons to avoid teaching. It has a terrible work/life balance, especially during the early years. Disrespect from children and adults is an everyday occurrence.

But colleagues’ jealousy over an $80 monitor? That’s not a thing. I’m guessing the OP is misreading her colleagues.

I’m a teacher and I’m definitely not wealthy. I have two monitors. I’ve never thought of that as a sign of wealth.

[Anonymous]

Almost every teacher I know well enough to know what their spouse does is married to a high earner. A handful of teachers at my kids' schools that I don't know well do live in our general area ($1M+ houses) so they either have family money or are married to high earners. This is not uncommon at all.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher and a single parent. Before I had my kid, I worked multiple extra jobs, which enabled me to be in the financial position I am in today (which is middle class at best). Over my whole career, colleagues have been struck by 1) how efficiently I manage my job work and 2) how quickly I completed all of my graduate credits for salary advancement. The reality is that I have never had the luxury of spending huge amounts of time on lesson planning or grading. The job, which I love, had to be contained precisely so I could make it financially. I used to be at school 7-3 and then work other jobs 4-8, which would get me home at 9 ready to work efficiently on the teaching stuff. I regularly worked 13-15 hours a day during that era. Not complaining, as I liked the intensity of this and the financial goals I met, and I am definitely not alone. I have sometimes seen colleagues who have a high-earning spouses spend crazy numbers of hours on teaching stuff because they don't have to worry about the salary. Those of us who are living on the salary do talk amongst ourselves sometimes as our work/life balance is very different. My kid has a teacher who is a server Thursday-Sunday nights each week.

[Anonymous]

I’m also a single parent teacher with two jobs. I am like the young teachers at my school in that I need two jobs to survive. Once they get married and hit 10+ years, they tend to stop the second job. Many have no idea how expensive college is now so they’re out spending on vacations, etc. They don’t talk about saving for college do I hope they have rich relatives ready to foot the bill.

[Anonymous]

You gave a small example. What are your bigger ones? IME plenty of teachers in this area have higher paying spouses and I never got grief for having a 5%er spouse. But I also never showed off any signs of wealth in the school setting or talked up anything like my home office set up or home renovations. Wore “normal” teaching outfits from brands like Ann Taylor, LOFT, GAP, and shoes from Nine West and Target. No jewelry apart from my wedding set. Never brought up specific vacation spots when asked about what I did over break, just said that it was great to see parents or lovely to recharge.

I did trade up to a Benz (lower mid range, not like a G Wagon or AMG) and when coworkers happened to see me park I did get some good natured ribbing like “Ooh Larla you drive a Mercedes??” But a car isn’t something you can hide.

Maybe you’re thoughtlessly bringing up ways that you’re “living the good life,” and that’s why you’re getting a negative reception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Monitors are not expensive. They must know about your husband and financial position and don't want to hear anything money related.

Yeah. I’m a teacher and no one I work with would think having two monitors at home was a big deal.

[Anonymous]

I work half time at a school and I definitely hide/downplay the fact that I work entirely by choice. Several times I has been asked if I would consider full time and I have to make up lame excuses why not that sound better than “no thanks I don’t want to work full time.”

[Anonymous]

I’m leaving the education in this country and pursuing an international job in a country with no taxation. I wonder if I’ll bring back that cash to purchase here or in a European country. USA is in severe decline socially, morally and financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it okay to be money motivated as a teacher? I'm finding a disconnect at times. I entered later in life and I'm married to a high earner. Some of my co workers are not.
I brought up the fact that I like to lesson plan at home because I have 2 monitors. This was apparently offensive and there were all these emotional comments made to ease the pain of me stating that fact towards my co workers. This is just a small example.

There are times that I regret not pursuing teaching as a career, then I read things like this and I know I could not have survived a work environment where my colleagues get emotional over the fact that I might have two monitors at home.

I’m 99% positive they were upset because PP is lacking a work/life balance…not over 2 monitors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work half time at a school and I definitely hide/downplay the fact that I work entirely by choice. Several times I has been asked if I would consider full time and I have to make up lame excuses why not that sound better than “no thanks I don’t want to work full time.”

I’m with you! I quit teaching because I didn’t want to do it anymore. I don’t need the money. I have a trust fund. I can’t tell that to other teachers. I had to lie to everyone including admin when I left, especially when I didn’t have another job lined up.

[Anonymous]

2 monitors is financial excess? You can get them for free or nearly free on facebook marketplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work half time at a school and I definitely hide/downplay the fact that I work entirely by choice. Several times I has been asked if I would consider full time and I have to make up lame excuses why not that sound better than “no thanks I don’t want to work full time.”

I’m with you! I quit teaching because I didn’t want to do it anymore. I don’t need the money. I have a trust fund. I can’t tell that to other teachers. I had to lie to everyone including admin when I left, especially when I didn’t have another job lined up.

I don’t understand why the two of you feel the need to lie.

I know some of my colleagues are wealthy and choose to teach. Why should that bother me?

You’re making a lot of assumptions about other teachers here. I’d mostly be upset that you’re dishonest, not that you have money.

[Anonymous]

+1 This didn’t happen the way OP said or at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it okay to be money motivated as a teacher? I'm finding a disconnect at times. I entered later in life and I'm married to a high earner. Some of my co workers are not.
I brought up the fact that I like to lesson plan at home because I have 2 monitors. This was apparently offensive and there were all these emotional comments made to ease the pain of me stating that fact towards my co workers. This is just a small example.

There are times that I regret not pursuing teaching as a career, then I read things like this and I know I could not have survived a work environment where my colleagues get emotional over the fact that I might have two monitors at home.

There are great reasons to avoid teaching. It has a terrible work/life balance, especially during the early years. Disrespect from children and adults is an everyday occurrence.

But colleagues’ jealousy over an $80 monitor? That’s not a thing. I’m guessing the OP is misreading her colleagues.

I’m a teacher and I’m definitely not wealthy. I have two monitors. I’ve never thought of that as a sign of wealth.

[Anonymous]

DD teacher is openly bragging about not retuning next SY to teach in the ME to make non-taxable income. That’s the current state of education affairs right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: DD teacher is openly bragging about not retuning next SY to teach in the ME to make non-taxable income. That’s the current state of education affairs right now.

Hey, if she can make more money doing her job, she should do it. I would add that disrespect from students in the ME is reportedly pretty bad in private schools. But hey, disrespect is awful here too. Why not make more? Good for her.