Considering leaving MCPS employment for private

[Anonymous]

Meant:
*will it interfere with the teachers personal lives

[Anonymous]

Have you considered transferring schools within mcps?

Some students and staffs are better than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi- not a private school teacher but I have come from industry. Just some food for thought. If you have an employer who values their employees, there is NO need for any union. The fact that we have to ‘rely’ on the crappy one we have is a huge red flag IMO. True professionals understand the importance of mutual respect and collaboration. Best of luck. I hope you find happiness and a positive, welcoming work environment!

No employer values their employees that much.

Sure there is. But there are always trade-offs. For instance, I work in a public sector job where people are significantly underpaid compared to their private sector counterparts. We don’t have any flexibility on pay, so you better believe we do everything else we can to retain our employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you considering leaving, what are the specific things about MCPS that make you want to consider private?
Non-teacher

Op here: I have friends who teach in independent and several who send their kids to independent schools. This is what I’ve been told that makes me want to leave:

- autonomy. Teachers can teach what they want and are trusted in independent schools whereas in mcps we are micromanaged and scolded by admin

- respect and support. Teachers in independent are backed up by their admin whereas in mcps the parent is always right and admin are quick to throw teachers under the bus. The entire community views us as overpaid babysitters rather than qualified professionals

- time and resources . It sounds like most independent schools don’t require teachers to run after school events, to choose a club to run, or to make materials at home. It sounds like there are permanent subs on call ready to fill in when a teacher is sick as opposed to mcps broken sub system that doesn’t have enough subs

A lot of these will depend on the specific public and private schools. High-performing private schools can have a great deal of oversight over teachers. There might be less bureaucracy in some of these cases, but not any more autonomy.

The idea that private admins are more likely to support teachers than parents is a… surprising… claim. Perhaps if you’re going from a W school to a small independent, but in general you should expect more “engaged” parents that will not hesitate to come to you or the admin with complaints. You’re usually trading up to better behaving students while accepting poorly behaving parents.

Money is definitely worse in almost all cases, and there isn’t a significant difference on time. Classroom resources will, again, vary significantly by school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if any MCPS employees are here and willing to share their experiences leaving MCPS for private schools. Any regrets? Happier, the same, or is it worse? I’m with MCPS and really tired of the BS and looking for a change but not sure if this is the way to go

Expect to work 50 hrs per week plus commute around 49-50 wks per year.
Do NOT expect automatic raises or cost of living increases. Most people in the private sector have to change jobs for that.
People tend to not really appreciate what they have until it's gone.

Not OP, but I already work 60 hours a week for MCPS and none of my friends teaching in private schools are commuting 49-50 weeks a year. They work fewer days than public school teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered transferring schools within mcps?

Some students and staffs are better than others.

I’ve taught in 5 schools in MCPS. There’s no “better” —just different. You trade one set of problems for a different set. My last transfer, it was worth the increase in petty theft to get away from entitled kids and parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if any MCPS employees are here and willing to share their experiences leaving MCPS for private schools. Any regrets? Happier, the same, or is it worse? I’m with MCPS and really tired of the BS and looking for a change but not sure if this is the way to go

I’m the reverse - been in private for over a decade and switching to MCPS this year. Two biggest reasons are the surprise out-of-hours weekend/after school requirements (make sure to ask about those when interviewing) and lack of salary equity/no ability to get a large enough raise to become paid commensurately with new hires with equivalent/less experience. I probably could have switched to a different private to address the latter, but truly wanted a job where I could leave the students at the end of the school day or get paid additional for that time.

Benefits to private: small class sizes. What a joy to truly know all my students! Supportive admin. Curriculum flexibility - if I could justify and standards align it, I could teach it. This meant that when I knew a lesson or project or text wouldn’t engage my students, I could pivot to teach the same standards in a way that better served their needs (and thus was more fun for me because the students were engaged!). A real community with the families and teachers. A culture of collaboration. More flexibility with teaching hours to have all school community events or academic projects.

A good private that matches your teaching style is worth its weight in happiness. Do your research, talk to current teachers and students, and best of luck!!!

I feel like you are making a bad move here. You should really consider another private.

I thought about it because I truly loved my private. But I’m almost at the max entry step for MCPS, so if I took another private job now and then went public I’d lose income. Since that’s one of my main drivers, I’m going to try public for three years and see. I figure I can always do what the kids do and apply back out if I’m miserable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi- not a private school teacher but I have come from industry. Just some food for thought. If you have an employer who values their employees, there is NO need for any union. The fact that we have to ‘rely’ on the crappy one we have is a huge red flag IMO. True professionals understand the importance of mutual respect and collaboration. Best of luck. I hope you find happiness and a positive, welcoming work environment!

You can find that but there’s no way to guarantee that lasts going forward.

1998-mid 2001, I worked for a mid-sizes women-owned tech company that felt like a dream come true. Pay was competitive. We got fabulous benefits. Work-life balance was respected. Non-toxic work environment. Then, the owners decided to expand. One brought in her husband as a VP. He brought in his own people and, boy, were they toxic! Within eight weeks, people were resigning. A union would have resolved the worst issues by giving us collective bargaining power.

A friend and her DH both taught math at the same private school. No union. No tenure. Her DH was not given a new contract because he also was the baseball coach and had a losing season. Some alum with deep pockets wanted him gone. After she wrote a FB post about how broken-hearted they were over it, the school cut her teaching load by two classes so that she was part-time for the upcoming year and wouldn’t get benefits. She had to leave, too. Both ended up teaching public for the next decade. A union would have prevented this. MCPS can’t fire a coach from a teaching job or switch a teacher from 1.0 to 0.6 status. A school could lose two sections of math, but MCPS has to find you full time work somehow (sometimes at two schools) or pay you full time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi- not a private school teacher but I have come from industry. Just some food for thought. If you have an employer who values their employees, there is NO need for any union. The fact that we have to ‘rely’ on the crappy one we have is a huge red flag IMO. True professionals understand the importance of mutual respect and collaboration. Best of luck. I hope you find happiness and a positive, welcoming work environment!

You can find that but there’s no way to guarantee that lasts going forward.

1998-mid 2001, I worked for a mid-sizes women-owned tech company that felt like a dream come true. Pay was competitive. We got fabulous benefits. Work-life balance was respected. Non-toxic work environment. Then, the owners decided to expand. One brought in her husband as a VP. He brought in his own people and, boy, were they toxic! Within eight weeks, people were resigning. A union would have resolved the worst issues by giving us collective bargaining power.

A friend and her DH both taught math at the same private school. No union. No tenure. Her DH was not given a new contract because he also was the baseball coach and had a losing season. Some alum with deep pockets wanted him gone. After she wrote a FB post about how broken-hearted they were over it, the school cut her teaching load by two classes so that she was part-time for the upcoming year and wouldn’t get benefits. She had to leave, too. Both ended up teaching public for the next decade. A union would have prevented this. MCPS can’t fire a coach from a teaching job or switch a teacher from 1.0 to 0.6 status. A school could lose two sections of math, but MCPS has to find you full time work somehow (sometimes at two schools) or pay you full time.

I don't think a union can do anything to save company culture after the company is sold. And why are you brining up something from 20 years ago? I mean...things have definitely changed since then. See..when you are locked into a yearly contract and you have an absolute NIGHTMARE of a boss, you are stuck. The union won't do anything about the toxic admin at MCPS. Public school teachers have a very small window of time to secure a new job - if they want to leave with their teaching certification untarnished. If I see a union, I see a red flag. Unions only exist because the company is too damn big and doesn't listen to their employee's needs. What would be better would be to strength labor laws federally.

[Anonymous]

This scare tactic of discouraging public school teachers from leaving because they'll lack union protection or encounter toxic parents in private schools strikes me as manipulative. I've taught in both and parents on the whole are more respectful in private by a mile. That coach story is such an outlier in my experience. A teacher in MCPS can get screwed in various ways that the Union can't prevent. It's really not as big a risk to leave as some make it out to be. I'd never return to public. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This scare tactic of discouraging public school teachers from leaving because they'll lack union protection or encounter toxic parents in private schools strikes me as manipulative. I've taught in both and parents on the whole are more respectful in private by a mile. That coach story is such an outlier in my experience. A teacher in MCPS can get screwed in various ways that the Union can't prevent. It's really not as big a risk to leave as some make it out to be. I'd never return to public. YMMV.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi- not a private school teacher but I have come from industry. Just some food for thought. If you have an employer who values their employees, there is NO need for any union. The fact that we have to ‘rely’ on the crappy one we have is a huge red flag IMO. True professionals understand the importance of mutual respect and collaboration. Best of luck. I hope you find happiness and a positive, welcoming work environment!

You can find that but there’s no way to guarantee that lasts going forward.

1998-mid 2001, I worked for a mid-sizes women-owned tech company that felt like a dream come true. Pay was competitive. We got fabulous benefits. Work-life balance was respected. Non-toxic work environment. Then, the owners decided to expand. One brought in her husband as a VP. He brought in his own people and, boy, were they toxic! Within eight weeks, people were resigning. A union would have resolved the worst issues by giving us collective bargaining power.

A friend and her DH both taught math at the same private school. No union. No tenure. Her DH was not given a new contract because he also was the baseball coach and had a losing season. Some alum with deep pockets wanted him gone. After she wrote a FB post about how broken-hearted they were over it, the school cut her teaching load by two classes so that she was part-time for the upcoming year and wouldn’t get benefits. She had to leave, too. Both ended up teaching public for the next decade. A union would have prevented this. MCPS can’t fire a coach from a teaching job or switch a teacher from 1.0 to 0.6 status. A school could lose two sections of math, but MCPS has to find you full time work somehow (sometimes at two schools) or pay you full time.

I don't think a union can do anything to save company culture after the company is sold. And why are you brining up something from 20 years ago? I mean...things have definitely changed since then. See..when you are locked into a yearly contract and you have an absolute NIGHTMARE of a boss, you are stuck. The union won't do anything about the toxic admin at MCPS. Public school teachers have a very small window of time to secure a new job - if they want to leave with their teaching certification untarnished. If I see a union, I see a red flag. Unions only exist because the company is too damn big and doesn't listen to their employee's needs. What would be better would be to strength labor laws federally.

This is only true if you need to work in the same state. Plenty of teachers know the trick of resigning “for health reasons”, waiting a bit and then hiring on elsewhere. You don’t need medical documentation to resign for health reasons and with the teacher shortage, it’s easy to find a slot elsewhere.

Unions negotiate things like paid maternity leave, family medical crisis leave, and other benefits that our federal government doesn’t mandate. I don’t trust them to do so any time in my remaining work life or my kids’ early careers.

I’ve seen friends and relatives suffer at small privates where the argument is that we’re like a family and it’s such a privilege to work here that the salary doesn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi- not a private school teacher but I have come from industry. Just some food for thought. If you have an employer who values their employees, there is NO need for any union. The fact that we have to ‘rely’ on the crappy one we have is a huge red flag IMO. True professionals understand the importance of mutual respect and collaboration. Best of luck. I hope you find happiness and a positive, welcoming work environment!

You can find that but there’s no way to guarantee that lasts going forward.

1998-mid 2001, I worked for a mid-sizes women-owned tech company that felt like a dream come true. Pay was competitive. We got fabulous benefits. Work-life balance was respected. Non-toxic work environment. Then, the owners decided to expand. One brought in her husband as a VP. He brought in his own people and, boy, were they toxic! Within eight weeks, people were resigning. A union would have resolved the worst issues by giving us collective bargaining power.

A friend and her DH both taught math at the same private school. No union. No tenure. Her DH was not given a new contract because he also was the baseball coach and had a losing season. Some alum with deep pockets wanted him gone. After she wrote a FB post about how broken-hearted they were over it, the school cut her teaching load by two classes so that she was part-time for the upcoming year and wouldn’t get benefits. She had to leave, too. Both ended up teaching public for the next decade. A union would have prevented this. MCPS can’t fire a coach from a teaching job or switch a teacher from 1.0 to 0.6 status. A school could lose two sections of math, but MCPS has to find you full time work somehow (sometimes at two schools) or pay you full time.

I don't think a union can do anything to save company culture after the company is sold. And why are you brining up something from 20 years ago? I mean...things have definitely changed since then. See..when you are locked into a yearly contract and you have an absolute NIGHTMARE of a boss, you are stuck. The union won't do anything about the toxic admin at MCPS. Public school teachers have a very small window of time to secure a new job - if they want to leave with their teaching certification untarnished. If I see a union, I see a red flag. Unions only exist because the company is too damn big and doesn't listen to their employee's needs. What would be better would be to strength labor laws federally.

This is only true if you need to work in the same state. Plenty of teachers know the trick of resigning “for health reasons”, waiting a bit and then hiring on elsewhere. You don’t need medical documentation to resign for health reasons and with the teacher shortage, it’s easy to find a slot elsewhere.

Unions negotiate things like paid maternity leave, family medical crisis leave, and other benefits that our federal government doesn’t mandate. I don’t trust them to do so any time in my remaining work life or my kids’ early careers.

I’ve seen friends and relatives suffer at small privates where the argument is that we’re like a family and it’s such a privilege to work here that the salary doesn’t matter.

My last public (MCPS) school was like that. Any place that says you are family is a HUGE RED flag. And most teachers that I know don't have the luxury of 'resigning' before they have another job lined up. I sure don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you considering leaving, what are the specific things about MCPS that make you want to consider private?
Non-teacher

Op here: I have friends who teach in independent and several who send their kids to independent schools. This is what I’ve been told that makes me want to leave:

- autonomy. Teachers can teach what they want and are trusted in independent schools whereas in mcps we are micromanaged and scolded by admin

- respect and support. Teachers in independent are backed up by their admin whereas in mcps the parent is always right and admin are quick to throw teachers under the bus. The entire community views us as overpaid babysitters rather than qualified professionals

- time and resources . It sounds like most independent schools don’t require teachers to run after school events, to choose a club to run, or to make materials at home. It sounds like there are permanent subs on call ready to fill in when a teacher is sick as opposed to mcps broken sub system that doesn’t have enough subs

A lot of these will depend on the specific public and private schools. High-performing private schools can have a great deal of oversight over teachers. There might be less bureaucracy in some of these cases, but not any more autonomy.

The idea that private admins are more likely to support teachers than parents is a… surprising… claim. Perhaps if you’re going from a W school to a small independent, but in general you should expect more “engaged” parents that will not hesitate to come to you or the admin with complaints. You’re usually trading up to better behaving students while accepting poorly behaving parents.

Money is definitely worse in almost all cases, and there isn’t a significant difference on time. Classroom resources will, again, vary significantly by school.

Private school teacher here. (I used to work in the public system for 15+ years.)

- My pay is about equal to my public school pay. I get a discount for my own children.

- Admin? LIGHTYEARS better in private. I’ll say that again: LIGHTYEARS. They work with us, and not against us. I never felt this level of support in my public school.

- Parents? Yes, I have more involved parents now. I get a lot more parent emails. However, I’ve never had a parent “come at me.” I have received a lot more parent appreciation in private than in public, actually.

Mileage will vary, of course. I will say I am beyond thankful that I switched to private school teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you considering leaving, what are the specific things about MCPS that make you want to consider private?
Non-teacher

Op here: I have friends who teach in independent and several who send their kids to independent schools. This is what I’ve been told that makes me want to leave:

- autonomy. Teachers can teach what they want and are trusted in independent schools whereas in mcps we are micromanaged and scolded by admin

- respect and support. Teachers in independent are backed up by their admin whereas in mcps the parent is always right and admin are quick to throw teachers under the bus. The entire community views us as overpaid babysitters rather than qualified professionals

- time and resources . It sounds like most independent schools don’t require teachers to run after school events, to choose a club to run, or to make materials at home. It sounds like there are permanent subs on call ready to fill in when a teacher is sick as opposed to mcps broken sub system that doesn’t have enough subs

A lot of these will depend on the specific public and private schools. High-performing private schools can have a great deal of oversight over teachers. There might be less bureaucracy in some of these cases, but not any more autonomy.

The idea that private admins are more likely to support teachers than parents is a… surprising… claim. Perhaps if you’re going from a W school to a small independent, but in general you should expect more “engaged” parents that will not hesitate to come to you or the admin with complaints. You’re usually trading up to better behaving students while accepting poorly behaving parents.

Money is definitely worse in almost all cases, and there isn’t a significant difference on time. Classroom resources will, again, vary significantly by school.

Private school teacher here. (I used to work in the public system for 15+ years.)

- My pay is about equal to my public school pay. I get a discount for my own children.

- Admin? LIGHTYEARS better in private. I’ll say that again: LIGHTYEARS. They work with us, and not against us. I never felt this level of support in my public school.

- Parents? Yes, I have more involved parents now. I get a lot more parent emails. However, I’ve never had a parent “come at me.” I have received a lot more parent appreciation in private than in public, actually.

Mileage will vary, of course. I will say I am beyond thankful that I switched to private school teaching.

I'm so glad to hear this. I left public after a terrible experience this past year. I'm starting at what appears to be a very nice private this fall. I'm trying to keep my expectations low but I'm hopeful it will be nice.