teachers leaving MCPS for private schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any issues teaching evidence-based science?

I teach in a Catholic high school. We have AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Bio, etc. Catholicism is not at odds with science. Our school does not teach things like creationism, etc. Is that what you’re asking?

Yes, thanks! I have had public school families that have gotten upset when I have taught convergent evolution but we are protected because it's in the standards. I refuse to teach anything that is not based in evidence (i.e. creationism or the like), so as a science teacher that has always given me pause before jumping ship to private. And FYI, there are Catholics and Christians that believe in Creationism (I taught science with one!)

You’d be perfectly fine teaching in a Catholic school. (I can’t speak for other Christian denominations.) It was a Catholic priest who came up with the idea of the Big Bang.

You don’t have to be a Catholic, either. I’d say about 50% of our staff is Catholic? I couldn’t tell you for sure since we don’t talk about that much. I do know the teacher in the room next to me is Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Agree.
Teachers and students aren’t safe anymore in public schools.

This statement hit me hard. Not a teacher but a parent who got the “Mom they think there is someone with a gun in the school. I love you.”
It scares me every day and what our society asks of teachers, staff and kids is horrific. (Not just guns I know. Kids can hurt teachers without guns.)
The problem is that it’s not MCPS. They have their own issues but the safety issue can be fixed very quickly if we elect representatives who do not put donations from the NRA above school safety.
But for some reason, private schools don’t have the gun issue so they would be safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? Some of our most industrious teachers are from local public schools. They’re so grateful and are used to having to deal with bigger classes and less planning time. Also, they know they are at will employees and will need to get their contract renewed annually. You can’t coast in the same way as a tenured teacher in Mcps.

+1 Very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any issues teaching evidence-based science?

I teach in a Catholic high school. We have AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Bio, etc. Catholicism is not at odds with science. Our school does not teach things like creationism, etc. Is that what you’re asking?

Yes, thanks! I have had public school families that have gotten upset when I have taught convergent evolution but we are protected because it's in the standards. I refuse to teach anything that is not based in evidence (i.e. creationism or the like), so as a science teacher that has always given me pause before jumping ship to private. And FYI, there are Catholics and Christians that believe in Creationism (I taught science with one!)

You’d be perfectly fine teaching in a Catholic school. (I can’t speak for other Christian denominations.) It was a Catholic priest who came up with the idea of the Big Bang.

You don’t have to be a Catholic, either. I’d say about 50% of our staff is Catholic? I couldn’t tell you for sure since we don’t talk about that much. I do know the teacher in the room next to me is Jewish.

Do Catholic schools still have Mass?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any issues teaching evidence-based science?

I teach in a Catholic high school. We have AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Bio, etc. Catholicism is not at odds with science. Our school does not teach things like creationism, etc. Is that what you’re asking?

Yes, thanks! I have had public school families that have gotten upset when I have taught convergent evolution but we are protected because it's in the standards. I refuse to teach anything that is not based in evidence (i.e. creationism or the like), so as a science teacher that has always given me pause before jumping ship to private. And FYI, there are Catholics and Christians that believe in Creationism (I taught science with one!)

You’d be perfectly fine teaching in a Catholic school. (I can’t speak for other Christian denominations.) It was a Catholic priest who came up with the idea of the Big Bang.

You don’t have to be a Catholic, either. I’d say about 50% of our staff is Catholic? I couldn’t tell you for sure since we don’t talk about that much. I do know the teacher in the room next to me is Jewish.

Do Catholic schools still have Mass?

Ours has Mass once a month, maybe 8 times a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just reading about a thread from earlier this year about MCPS teachers leaving for private schools.
How does one go about finding these jobs?
Do you just go to the private school websites and search?
What schools are know for supporting teachers?
Thanks for any insights

Some probably do while some private school teachers leave private for MCPS because the benefits are so much better.

[Anonymous]

Do any privates pay better than 80k for special education teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just reading about a thread from earlier this year about MCPS teachers leaving for private schools.
How does one go about finding these jobs?
Do you just go to the private school websites and search?
What schools are know for supporting teachers?
Thanks for any insights

Some probably do while some private school teachers leave private for MCPS because the benefits are so much better.

Perhaps that’s true, but less likely. Teachers talk. We know the conditions are deteriorating in MCPS and neighboring counties. Many of us came from public, and more are coming each year as public school teaching becomes unbearable. General consensus is we’re very happy we left.

If you can get benefits through a spouse, then private schools have the clear edge. And depending on the private school, the benefits are actually quite competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any privates pay better than 80k for special education teachers?

We have special Ed teachers at our school that likely make more than 80K since our pay scale goes well above that. (Yes, we have a special Ed department.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Agree.
Teachers and students aren’t safe anymore in public schools.

There was a horrible shooting in a private school recently. Switching to private is a false sense of security

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Agree.
Teachers and students aren’t safe anymore in public schools.

There was a horrible shooting in a private school recently. Switching to private is a false sense of security

Very true, but I’ll be honest here: I feel my private school is more on top of building security than my former public. I went to my old administration about concerns I had about back stairwells, outside doors, and other specific classroom concerns. I was met with apathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Which benefits and which school? We use my MCPS insurance because the highest Cigna plan covers way more than my spouse’s private school Aetna plan for less $$ annually.

The best part about working in private school will be getting paid year round and not filling out time sheets. You will feel so modern!

My wife is in year 12 at MCPS, has Masters +60 and earns over $100k. I don’t think you’re gonna find that in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Which benefits and which school? We use my MCPS insurance because the highest Cigna plan covers way more than my spouse’s private school Aetna plan for less $$ annually.

The best part about working in private school will be getting paid year round and not filling out time sheets. You will feel so modern!

My wife is in year 12 at MCPS, has Masters +60 and earns over $100k. I don’t think you’re gonna find that in private.

Perhaps not, but you can find close. Plus, it’s not always about the money. It’s about working conditions and respect.

I often cried on my way to my old public school job. I hated every moment of it. The atmosphere was toxic, caused by a hostile administration that didn’t hold the students to any standards at all. I lost weight and my hair fell out.

I haven’t felt that way once since transferring to private. I make just a little less, but I feel light years better. I’m much healthier. I can also stay in this field for the rest of my career now instead of leaving it for something else. I’m meant to teach, and now I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Which benefits and which school? We use my MCPS insurance because the highest Cigna plan covers way more than my spouse’s private school Aetna plan for less $$ annually.

The best part about working in private school will be getting paid year round and not filling out time sheets. You will feel so modern!

My wife is in year 12 at MCPS, has Masters +60 and earns over $100k. I don’t think you’re gonna find that in private.

Perhaps not, but you can find close. Plus, it’s not always about the money. It’s about working conditions and respect.

I often cried on my way to my old public school job. I hated every moment of it. The atmosphere was toxic, caused by a hostile administration that didn’t hold the students to any standards at all. I lost weight and my hair fell out.

I haven’t felt that way once since transferring to private. I make just a little less, but I feel light years better. I’m much healthier. I can also stay in this field for the rest of my career now instead of leaving it for something else. I’m meant to teach, and now I can.

I love this. Very happy for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The benefits are better, actually. It’s just that they may cost more. Highly recommend the switch. Changed my life. I also don’t make less than I did in Mcps. You can negotiate, remember. It’s not lockstep the way it is with Mcps.

Which benefits and which school? We use my MCPS insurance because the highest Cigna plan covers way more than my spouse’s private school Aetna plan for less $$ annually.

The best part about working in private school will be getting paid year round and not filling out time sheets. You will feel so modern!

My wife is in year 12 at MCPS, has Masters +60 and earns over $100k. I don’t think you’re gonna find that in private.

Perhaps not, but you can find close. Plus, it’s not always about the money. It’s about working conditions and respect.

I often cried on my way to my old public school job. I hated every moment of it. The atmosphere was toxic, caused by a hostile administration that didn’t hold the students to any standards at all. I lost weight and my hair fell out.

I haven’t felt that way once since transferring to private. I make just a little less, but I feel light years better. I’m much healthier. I can also stay in this field for the rest of my career now instead of leaving it for something else. I’m meant to teach, and now I can.

I love this. Very happy for you!

Thank you! I wish I could have stayed. I would have like to continue working with the students at that school. They deserve so much more than what they are getting. Unfortunately, I had to put myself first.

A cruddy administration and central office can destroy schools. The school environment should be warm, encouraging, and have high standards that students know they can meet. I didn’t find any of that to be true in my old public school. It was a race to the bottom.