Which private schools retain their teachers the most?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, the role model thing struck me as weird too. I tend to think parents discount experience for other reasons (it's a variant on the "anyone can teach" theme). And I think they value youth/energy/enthusiasm because those are qualities they find attractive and/or assume that their children will find attractive.

[Anonymous]

Energy and enthusiasm are important in every job, but it is important to qualify how important they are in each particular situation. A waitress needs to be energetic. A jet pilot needs to be experienced. Teaching is a complex endeavor so experience trumps other qualities. The role model competition is a well known point on psychology. Some mothers feel insecure when an experienced teacher plays a strong formative role in a kid's life - particularly with boys. Other mothers appreciate. However, subconsciously, parents may prefer a teacher with "fun" qualities rather than an educator with core values that is supported by school. This what still makes some public schools a strong place to send kids to.

[Anonymous]

[i]... Some mothers feel insecure when an experienced teacher plays a strong formative role in a kid's life - particularly with boys. Other mothers appreciate. However, subconsciously, parents may prefer a teacher with "fun" qualities rather than an educator with core values that is supported by school. This what still makes some public schools a strong place to send kids to. ...
[/i]


These are some of the most ignorant comments I have ever heard! (Mothers feeling insecure from experience teachers... particularly with boys --- Parents preferring fun teachers... that's why people send their kids to public schools.) I'm worried about PP, if his/her comments are not a joke.

[Anonymous]

How is it that some of the staff/administrators are also teachers at some of the top private schools?

[Anonymous]

You like to call others ignorant, but you would benefit from some studying yourself to understand nuances of parents' behavior. If you disagree with people, say so in a civil way and explain why. My point is simple: many parents downplay retention stats by stressing the need to have energetic and young teachers. I am simply saying that there is something more to it. Cheers and peace! Life is great!

[Anonymous]

The schools with the best tuition remission policy w/ a teacher’s kids enrolled in the school. I love it when teachers tell me they took the job because of the tuition remission policy – meaning to me that they aren’t interested at all in the school. Reversely, I love it when teachers tell me they are quitting because their kid is graduating. I understand that tuition remission is huge with teachers. It would be for me too. However, I think the teachers should watch what they say to parents and not share so much.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]How is it that some of the staff/administrators are also teachers at some of the top private schools? [/quote]

Alot of times this is an admissions / management strategy designed to keep staff / administrators connected with the kids and into the day to day workings of the school.

It's also a way of filling up contracts with duties to avoid hiring an additional person and covering extra salary or benefits.

[Anonymous]

Education isn't too much different an any other profession. You need a combination of experienced professionals who can practically recite the content and also know a few tricks of the trade. You also need some young professionals who are full of energy and enthusiasm. There are some great young professionals coming out of Ed. Schools today who are more in tuned with FB, social networking, and lessons that kids may enjoy more than lectures and term papers.

There's a place for both old and young in just about any profession.

[Anonymous]

I agree that tenure of high performing teachers at a school is a key indication of school quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best tuition remission policy w/ a teacher’s kids enrolled in the school. I love it when teachers tell me they took the job because of the tuition remission policy – meaning to me that they aren’t interested at all in the school. Reversely, I love it when teachers tell me they are quitting because their kid is graduating. I understand that tuition remission is huge with teachers. It would be for me too. However, I think the teachers should watch what they say to parents and not share so much.

If a great teacher is attracted to the school because of tuition remission, how in the world is that a bad thing? That's the primary objective of remission policies! Look at the longevity of STA teachers. They stick around forever because by the time they and their sons have been there for all those years, they're completely endoctrinated. It should the goal of every school to permit its faculty's children to attend.

[Anonymous]

I believe teacher retention is important, but is most useful as a negative indicator. In other words, if a school has an unusual amount of turnover, that's a sign that the teachers aren't happy working there. I don't want my child going to a school where the teachers are unhappy, even if they may be great teachers in a different environment. It's a sign of bigger problems. I was warned off of a school by a teacher there (who happened to be a friend), who pointed out the high level of teacher turnover. The Head of the school was gone within a year.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the real answer that teacher turnover is fairly neutral, and it's really the reasons behind the turnover that are important? I could easily envision a school facing regular teacher turnover because the administration and/or parents are toxic, so good teachers look to get out within a couple years of arriving. But I also could easily envision another school with regular teacher turnover, where middling teachers are weeded out aggressively to ensure the school can offer its students the best education. Same result to the outside observer, but entirely different subtext.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree re:experience. We have encountered some amazing, energetic, creative and innovative teachers who are newbies.

Yes absolutely. We have some teachers at our school that are downright terrible but the school keeps them because they are across to fire them. Duds duds duds. Best teachers at our school are the energetic teachers.

In my experience people do not care about faculty at all, especially the admins.

[Anonymous]

A topic that I find so frustrating. If good teachers are valued, then why aren't they rewarded financially and with praise? Those who teach the younger students are valued the least. Most infuriating? You could be the best teacher in the world, but if a male teacher does one excellent lesson or coordinates one event, he is immediately valued more than a female teacher. Male teachers are valued more at every single school. A good fourth grade teacher is given a pat on the back, but a good male teacher is asked to move into administration. Last but not least, tell me how many young teaching mothers out there are valued? My head recently told me how she was so impressed with how much energy on of the male teachers at our school had, that he could be at school early, coordinate a ton of events, teach his heart out and still have tons of energy. I just nodded. What I wanted to say was Yes, it is incredible how much energy you have when you have someone else, say a wife, getting the kids up in the morning, getting them dressed, making lunches, and making dinner for everyone while still working full time.

Love my job. Wish more good teachers were recognized, wish more bad teachers were fired, wish my school would ask these questions.

[Anonymous]

St Pats entire staff seems very happy. A lot of teachers go on interesting trips in the summer related to their subject areas. This impressed me and shows that they really care about "honing their subject areas."