I would prefer that my child's teacher not give me these reasons for working in private school:

[Anonymous]

I would prefer private school teachers not:
-Tell me the reason they are working at the school is because of the tuition remission policy;
-tell me how much more money they could be making working at a public school or for a company; and
-complain about how little their raise was compared to the tuition increase (don’t they realize it affected me more?).
And yes, all of these things have happened to me multiple times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer private school teachers not:
-Tell me the reason they are working at the school is because of the tuition remission policy;
-tell me how much more money they could be making working at a public school or for a company; and
-complain about how little their raise was compared to the tuition increase (don’t they realize it affected me more?).
And yes, all of these things have happened to me multiple times.

NP, decidedly not wealthy, who struggles to pay full tuition for private school, and I would never dream of making such an entitled, out-of-touch-with-reality comment as the above. I mean wow. DC's teachers are outstanding teachers, and private school salaries are extremely low. Sorry, but the tuition increase doesn't affect us parents more than a tiny raise affects the teachers.

[Anonymous]

You sound really entitled. By this logic you should prefer er doctors to internists, criminal defense attorneys to real estate lawyers, etc etc. You should be worried about whether people do the jobs you hire them for, not wheher they are fit to do some other job.

And I am pretty sure you have not chosen the absolutely most challenging career available to you ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP what reason would you like a private school teacher to give you?

I like to teach, I like the school.

[Anonymous]

I'd also prefer that a lawyer I know not tell me he is in it for the money and because he likes to fight and doesn't care what is right or wrong but only cares about who can win.

This is a stupid thread.

Teachers are members of one of the least appreciated of workers. Go ahead. Google it. Teachers are also most under fire from reformers, parents, reporters, basically anyone who went to school and think they know anything about teaching because they once sat in a classroom.

But, hey, since you thought enough to complain about the reasons your child's teacher gave, let's break it down.

"The class sizes are smaller, making work easier.
Less test pressure, making it easier.
Better behaved children, easier to work with.
Children who have been tested and are above average, making it easier to teach. "


Smaller class size has been associated again and again with more effective learning and more enthusiasm for learning. Go ahead, Google it. If a teacher wants to teach, and to see his/her students reach their fullest potential, they will want the best conditions for that to happen.

Less test pressure. High stakes standardized tests demand a drill and kill approach to address. Teachers are forced to succumb to this demand because teacher evaluation systems depend on those test results. Good teachers care about learning, not drilling. A teacher who would choose a private for less pressure is telling you, no, screaming to you, that she wants to teach in a creative, effective manner.

Better behaved children. Ok, this one makes me uncomfortable. I want a teacher who can make good learning happen no matter what baggage the student brings in. I also want a good teacher to get to the source of bad behavior and to turn it around to create students who are good citizens. Is that the teacher's responsibility? No, but when parents send their badly behaved children to school, a good teacher rises to the challenge of trying to repair the damage inadequate parenting has done.

Children who have been tested and are above average, making it easier to teach. This one is hard to believe. I know dozens of teachers, and not a single one has ever said this. So I think this is a BS response. Yet, let's go with it. You like to work with engaged, invested, talented people in your job, right? Teachers do too. That said, I don't respect a teacher who only wants to work with such a population. While they may allow a flexible teaching environment, so does the class full of students from every walk of life, facing all sorts of challenges.

But, really, OP, the reason your thread is stupid is because it is a very thinly veiled attempt to paint teachers as lazy. They aren't.

[Anonymous]

@14:22 & 14:26 14:14’s post seams entitled? Clearly neither of you understands professional behavior. It’s unprofessional, in any work environment, to criticize an employer, a job, or discuss salary to a customer. @14:22 – you’re very naïve if you think the HHI of all private school teachers is low. A lot of private school teachers have spouses that make a lot of money, so their HHI is high. My OB/GYN’s wife teaches at my DCs’ school and two of my bosses wives work at the school. The constant DCUM assumption that private school teacher have low HHI is false.

[Anonymous]

Kind of a double standard on your part. You claim teachers aren't acting like professionals yet you seem to envision their salaries as "pin money" and assume that they aren't the breadwinners in their families.

And, FWIW, the logic of professionalism assumes a very different model of work relationships than those involving "customers" and "employers." Your vision is essentially a corporate, rather than a professional one.

[Anonymous]

PP, your post makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:@14:22 & 14:26 14:14’s post seams entitled? Clearly neither of you understands professional behavior. It’s unprofessional, in any work environment, to criticize an employer, a job, or discuss salary to a customer. @14:22 – you’re very naïve if you think the HHI of all private school teachers is low. A lot of private school teachers have spouses that make a lot of money, so their HHI is high. My OB/GYN’s wife teaches at my DCs’ school and two of my bosses wives work at the school. The constant DCUM assumption that private school teacher have low HHI is false.

I kinda sorta agree w/ you. Looking at their incomes alone w/o the spouse, they are low.
But a low income is no excuse to unprofessional behavior.
It is unprofessional to tell a customer (parent) that you wanted and easier job, even if it is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, your post makes no sense.

No, you're just not willing to think critically or to ask intelligent questions.

[Anonymous]

Private school kids are not always better behaved than public school Kids. Signed...a teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer private school teachers not:
-Tell me the reason they are working at the school is because of the tuition remission policy;
-tell me how much more money they could be making working at a public school or for a company; and
-complain about how little their raise was compared to the tuition increase (don’t they realize it affected me more?).
And yes, all of these things have happened to me multiple times.

Really? Multiple times? I'm a private school teacher and I can't even imagine a context in which this would come up in conversation with a parent, and even if it did, it's hard to believe that a teacher would say this to a parent.

[Anonymous]

I agree pp. I think OP is really trying to do the "private/public school" debate in a new context. OP sounds like helicopter mommy. The only conversations I had with teachers related to my child...not my own philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer private school teachers not:
-Tell me the reason they are working at the school is because of the tuition remission policy;
-tell me how much more money they could be making working at a public school or for a company; and
-complain about how little their raise was compared to the tuition increase (don’t they realize it affected me more?).
And yes, all of these things have happened to me multiple times.

Really? Multiple times? I'm a private school teacher and I can't even imagine a context in which this would come up in conversation with a parent, and even if it did, it's hard to believe that a teacher would say this to a parent.

I’m the PP and not the OP and sadly, it’s true. My oldest is out of college, so we’ve been in private school for years. In addition to the comments I identified, I’ve had teachers complain to me about other teachers, parents, and what’s worse, other kids. It’s the culture of the schools. The teachers are either very professional or they aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer that a lawyer I know not tell me he is in it for the money and because he likes to fight and doesn't care what is right or wrong but only cares about who can win.

This is a stupid thread.

Teachers are members of one of the least appreciated of workers. Go ahead. Google it. Teachers are also most under fire from reformers, parents, reporters, basically anyone who went to school and think they know anything about teaching because they once sat in a classroom.

But, hey, since you thought enough to complain about the reasons your child's teacher gave, let's break it down.

"The class sizes are smaller, making work easier.
Less test pressure, making it easier.
Better behaved children, easier to work with.
Children who have been tested and are above average, making it easier to teach. "


Smaller class size has been associated again and again with more effective learning and more enthusiasm for learning. Go ahead, Google it. If a teacher wants to teach, and to see his/her students reach their fullest potential, they will want the best conditions for that to happen.

Less test pressure. High stakes standardized tests demand a drill and kill approach to address. Teachers are forced to succumb to this demand because teacher evaluation systems depend on those test results. Good teachers care about learning, not drilling. A teacher who would choose a private for less pressure is telling you, no, screaming to you, that she wants to teach in a creative, effective manner.

Better behaved children. Ok, this one makes me uncomfortable. I want a teacher who can make good learning happen no matter what baggage the student brings in. I also want a good teacher to get to the source of bad behavior and to turn it around to create students who are good citizens. Is that the teacher's responsibility? No, but when parents send their badly behaved children to school, a good teacher rises to the challenge of trying to repair the damage inadequate parenting has done.

Children who have been tested and are above average, making it easier to teach. This one is hard to believe. I know dozens of teachers, and not a single one has ever said this. So I think this is a BS response. Yet, let's go with it. You like to work with engaged, invested, talented people in your job, right? Teachers do too. That said, I don't respect a teacher who only wants to work with such a population. While they may allow a flexible teaching environment, so does the class full of students from every walk of life, facing all sorts of challenges.

But, really, OP, the reason your thread is stupid is because it is a very thinly veiled attempt to paint teachers as lazy. They aren't.

Amen! Thank you for this response!

Signed,
A public school teacher