Do private school teachers get free tuition for their kids?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Speaking with some experience in this area, it is much easier to be enthusiastically on board with the school's mission and community when your family can be part of it as well. Alternatively, it can be disheartening to be part of providing a much better education to the children in your school than you can provide for your own children. The former is good for the school and the latter is bad.

I agree with this. Seems to beg the question why more don't. How can you not strive to offer your service to your own employees? I personally found it a selling point when visiting schools and learning that the teachers kids also attended. That tells me they believe in what the school is doing. I could imagine teachers being resentful that they have to teach other people's kids this great curriculum and can't provide it for their own kids. If a school can offer FA to outsiders, why not one of their own? I can't imagine every teacher would even need the assistance because all aren't going to have school aged children at the same time.

Oh but there's an amazing coincidence of teachers moving on once their last child graduates! It really is effectively part of the compensation package.

This is true, however teaching at a private school is really not a career choice that anyone plans for. This is obvious by the fact that certified teacher never choose to work there because the pay and benefits are so low. It really ends up being liberal arts grads who pi don't have better paying options that work there.

I chose to teach private, even though I am fully certified in a high demand field. I left public because I wanted a job with more freedom and reasonable hours.


ETA, the only exceptions to this that I am familiar with are some teachers who chose to teach in religious schools due to their own deep religious convictions. And even they had bread winner husbands.


Those are the talking points that private schools use to try to assure parents that yes, their teachers really want to work there despite horrendous pay and benefits; but I work in education and this is absolutely not true. Private school teachers overwhelmingly are not certified teachers and for various reasons fell into teaching for lack of better options. Although yes, it's quite possible that once they started teaching the enjoyed the work and decided to make a career out of it.

Lack of better options, like being senior partner at a law firm? You give off this official air, like your opinion is unquestionable, but your view has too many holes to count.

Why do private schools generally not have certified teachers working there? The very people who actually choose to go into teaching as a career? And believe me, the private schools want them. They do recruit at education schools, but teacher graduates will generally only consider it as a temporary option if they haven't gotten a contract with a school district. Why do private schools generally not list their teacher bios on their web pages? Probably because they don't want to publicly highlight the fact that they do not have certified teachers working there.

Private schools try to play it off like they don't have certified teachers because they have the "freedom" to hire whoever they want, but the truth is they can't attract the very people who make a deliberate choice to go into education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking with some experience in this area, it is much easier to be enthusiastically on board with the school's mission and community when your family can be part of it as well. Alternatively, it can be disheartening to be part of providing a much better education to the children in your school than you can provide for your own children. The former is good for the school and the latter is bad.

I agree with this. Seems to beg the question why more don't. How can you not strive to offer your service to your own employees? I personally found it a selling point when visiting schools and learning that the teachers kids also attended. That tells me they believe in what the school is doing. I could imagine teachers being resentful that they have to teach other people's kids this great curriculum and can't provide it for their own kids. If a school can offer FA to outsiders, why not one of their own? I can't imagine every teacher would even need the assistance because all aren't going to have school aged children at the same time.

Oh but there's an amazing coincidence of teachers moving on once their last child graduates! It really is effectively part of the compensation package.

This is true, however teaching at a private school is really not a career choice that anyone plans for. This is obvious by the fact that certified teacher never choose to work there because the pay and benefits are so low. It really ends up being liberal arts grads who pi don't have better paying options that work there.

I chose to teach private, even though I am fully certified in a high demand field. I left public because I wanted a job with more freedom and reasonable hours.


ETA, the only exceptions to this that I am familiar with are some teachers who chose to teach in religious schools due to their own deep religious convictions. And even they had bread winner husbands.


Those are the talking points that private schools use to try to assure parents that yes, their teachers really want to work there despite horrendous pay and benefits; but I work in education and this is absolutely not true. Private school teachers overwhelmingly are not certified teachers and for various reasons fell into teaching for lack of better options. Although yes, it's quite possible that once they started teaching the enjoyed the work and decided to make a career out of it.

Lack of better options, like being senior partner at a law firm? You give off this official air, like your opinion is unquestionable, but your view has too many holes to count.

This makes no sense whatsoever.

It would if you were familiar with some of my kid's teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking with some experience in this area, it is much easier to be enthusiastically on board with the school's mission and community when your family can be part of it as well. Alternatively, it can be disheartening to be part of providing a much better education to the children in your school than you can provide for your own children. The former is good for the school and the latter is bad.

I agree with this. Seems to beg the question why more don't. How can you not strive to offer your service to your own employees? I personally found it a selling point when visiting schools and learning that the teachers kids also attended. That tells me they believe in what the school is doing. I could imagine teachers being resentful that they have to teach other people's kids this great curriculum and can't provide it for their own kids. If a school can offer FA to outsiders, why not one of their own? I can't imagine every teacher would even need the assistance because all aren't going to have school aged children at the same time.

Oh but there's an amazing coincidence of teachers moving on once their last child graduates! It really is effectively part of the compensation package.

This is true, however teaching at a private school is really not a career choice that anyone plans for. This is obvious by the fact that certified teacher never choose to work there because the pay and benefits are so low. It really ends up being liberal arts grads who pi don't have better paying options that work there.

I chose to teach private, even though I am fully certified in a high demand field. I left public because I wanted a job with more freedom and reasonable hours.


ETA, the only exceptions to this that I am familiar with are some teachers who chose to teach in religious schools due to their own deep religious convictions. And even they had bread winner husbands.


Those are the talking points that private schools use to try to assure parents that yes, their teachers really want to work there despite horrendous pay and benefits; but I work in education and this is absolutely not true. Private school teachers overwhelmingly are not certified teachers and for various reasons fell into teaching for lack of better options. Although yes, it's quite possible that once they started teaching the enjoyed the work and decided to make a career out of it.

Lack of better options, like being senior partner at a law firm? You give off this official air, like your opinion is unquestionable, but your view has too many holes to count.

This makes no sense whatsoever.

It would if you were familiar with some of my kid's teachers.

Really? Care to name the school that has a teacher on staff who was a senior partner at a big law firm?

[Anonymous]

I chose to teach in a private school because I don't have to deal with the discipline problems at public. I can focus on teaching. I am certified, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking with some experience in this area, it is much easier to be enthusiastically on board with the school's mission and community when your family can be part of it as well. Alternatively, it can be disheartening to be part of providing a much better education to the children in your school than you can provide for your own children. The former is good for the school and the latter is bad.

I agree with this. Seems to beg the question why more don't. How can you not strive to offer your service to your own employees? I personally found it a selling point when visiting schools and learning that the teachers kids also attended. That tells me they believe in what the school is doing. I could imagine teachers being resentful that they have to teach other people's kids this great curriculum and can't provide it for their own kids. If a school can offer FA to outsiders, why not one of their own? I can't imagine every teacher would even need the assistance because all aren't going to have school aged children at the same time.

Oh but there's an amazing coincidence of teachers moving on once their last child graduates! It really is effectively part of the compensation package.

This is true, however teaching at a private school is really not a career choice that anyone plans for. This is obvious by the fact that certified teacher never choose to work there because the pay and benefits are so low. It really ends up being liberal arts grads who pi don't have better paying options that work there.

I chose to teach private, even though I am fully certified in a high demand field. I left public because I wanted a job with more freedom and reasonable hours.


ETA, the only exceptions to this that I am familiar with are some teachers who chose to teach in religious schools due to their own deep religious convictions. And even they had bread winner husbands.


Those are the talking points that private schools use to try to assure parents that yes, their teachers really want to work there despite horrendous pay and benefits; but I work in education and this is absolutely not true. Private school teachers overwhelmingly are not certified teachers and for various reasons fell into teaching for lack of better options. Although yes, it's quite possible that once they started teaching the enjoyed the work and decided to make a career out of it.

Lack of better options, like being senior partner at a law firm? You give off this official air, like your opinion is unquestionable, but your view has too many holes to count.

Why do private schools generally not have certified teachers working there? The very people who actually choose to go into teaching as a career? And believe me, the private schools want them. They do recruit at education schools, but teacher graduates will generally only consider it as a temporary option if they haven't gotten a contract with a school district. Why do private schools generally not list their teacher bios on their web pages? Probably because they don't want to publicly highlight the fact that they do not have certified teachers working there.

Why do you assume that the parent populations at these schools are complete rubes? Most of the parents at our school are capable at distinguishing between good teachers and those simply with a certificate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I chose to teach in a private school because I don't have to deal with the discipline problems at public. I can focus on teaching. I am certified, FWIW.

And are you independently wealthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose to teach in a private school because I don't have to deal with the discipline problems at public. I can focus on teaching. I am certified, FWIW.

And are you independently wealthy?

No. We are middle class. Real middle class, not "DC Urban Mom middle class."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking with some experience in this area, it is much easier to be enthusiastically on board with the school's mission and community when your family can be part of it as well. Alternatively, it can be disheartening to be part of providing a much better education to the children in your school than you can provide for your own children. The former is good for the school and the latter is bad.

I agree with this. Seems to beg the question why more don't. How can you not strive to offer your service to your own employees? I personally found it a selling point when visiting schools and learning that the teachers kids also attended. That tells me they believe in what the school is doing. I could imagine teachers being resentful that they have to teach other people's kids this great curriculum and can't provide it for their own kids. If a school can offer FA to outsiders, why not one of their own? I can't imagine every teacher would even need the assistance because all aren't going to have school aged children at the same time.

Oh but there's an amazing coincidence of teachers moving on once their last child graduates! It really is effectively part of the compensation package.

This is true, however teaching at a private school is really not a career choice that anyone plans for. This is obvious by the fact that certified teacher never choose to work there because the pay and benefits are so low. It really ends up being liberal arts grads who pi don't have better paying options that work there.

I chose to teach private, even though I am fully certified in a high demand field. I left public because I wanted a job with more freedom and reasonable hours.


ETA, the only exceptions to this that I am familiar with are some teachers who chose to teach in religious schools due to their own deep religious convictions. And even they had bread winner husbands.


Those are the talking points that private schools use to try to assure parents that yes, their teachers really want to work there despite horrendous pay and benefits; but I work in education and this is absolutely not true. Private school teachers overwhelmingly are not certified teachers and for various reasons fell into teaching for lack of better options. Although yes, it's quite possible that once they started teaching the enjoyed the work and decided to make a career out of it.

Lack of better options, like being senior partner at a law firm? You give off this official air, like your opinion is unquestionable, but your view has too many holes to count.

Why do private schools generally not have certified teachers working there? The very people who actually choose to go into teaching as a career? And believe me, the private schools want them. They do recruit at education schools, but teacher graduates will generally only consider it as a temporary option if they haven't gotten a contract with a school district. Why do private schools generally not list their teacher bios on their web pages? Probably because they don't want to publicly highlight the fact that they do not have certified teachers working there.

Why do you assume that the parent populations at these schools are complete rubes? Most of the parents at our school are capable at distinguishing between good teachers and those simply with a certificate.

I don't think they are complete rubes. Nor do I think that one can't be a good teacher without a teaching certificate. I am simply saying, in the majority of cases, people do not generally plan to teach at private schools as a first option career choice. The pay is just too horrendous. Way below that of public school teachers. For various reasons, due to life circumstances, often transitional periods people end up working there. I personally know of people with liberal arts degrees who took jobs in private schools to see if they like teaching before making the choice to get a teaching certification. In a few cases, they became comfortable in their jobs, married someone who could support them, and just simply decided to remain teaching in private as opposed to going back to school to become certified to teach in a public. My own sister actually fits that bill and I would consider her an excellent teacher. I just think people are fooling themselves to think that there are really that many people who find the idea of teaching in a private school so appealing that they are willing to live on practically poverty wages to do so.

[Anonymous]

Well count me and a large portion of the independent school teachers I know in that category. I strategically mapped out my career with the idea that I wanted independent education for both myself and my children and I started thinking this way at age 21. 20 years later still going strong and my children are receiving the education I envisioned for them as well

[Anonymous]

Your comments clearly reflect your own personal experience. For many in the teaching field, achieving your coveted certificate standard, thereby allowing you to teach in the public schools, has very little currency. The fact that the person chose teaching in the first place is a major tell on their priorities; i.e. focused on things other than maximizing compensation. So, to assume that within this group of non primarily financially motivated individuals, that the cream rises to the top based upon just salary is a gross oversimplification. I agree that some public school teachers are paid more. However, there are many advantages to teaching in an independent school environment, especially as the public option has morphed into "teaching to the standardized test". To discount the other material differences does not serve you well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose to teach in a private school because I don't have to deal with the discipline problems at public. I can focus on teaching. I am certified, FWIW.

And are you independently wealthy?

No. We are middle class. Real middle class, not "DC Urban Mom middle class."

+1

Have taught in public and private. I have become a true believer in progressive education and would never go back to the testing culture of public schools. My husband works in a non-profit. We live in a community where most people on DCUM would never dream of living, but we like it. We send our children to the private school where I teach.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm living the dream.

[Anonymous]

I get the subsidy for teachers, but why do professional staff get remission too? Don't they make in the hundreds of thousands? I am talking principals and directors and heads or programs and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well count me and a large portion of the independent school teachers I know in that category. I strategically mapped out my career with the idea that I wanted independent education for both myself and my children and I started thinking this way at age 21. 20 years later still going strong and my children are receiving the education I envisioned for them as well

...and you are a tall, white woman with rich parents? mapping out your kid's education with your boyfriend (now husband) as you helped him study for the LSATs. He decided not to go into law, but you are so glad you decided to teach (when your kids
Reached elementary!) because it allowed you to surround yourself with people like you, who "value education" and spend the whole summer at the grandparents summer house.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry this has taken such a nasty turn. I love teaching and although I don't have children getting the tuition benefit I appreciate that it is offered as it builds community.

I work with some incredibly talented teachers, many of whom taught in the public schools but others with PhDs in their substantive areas who are well-qualified for the college level. Lots of classic middle class folks with two teachers (my own case), or a teacher and civil servant -- not so much with the rich spouse model. I live far out but I drive in and listen to audiobooks and generally don't mind the commute to get to teach at my school.

Our school has a great professional development/learning program and people really want to get better at teaching and are open to change if there's a better way. The students -- who are smart and motivated and fun to teach -- do really well on AP exams, in college admissions, and come back to say they were extremely well-prepared.

I'm a public school graduate myself and had the most wonderful teachers imaginable, some of whom have been mentors to me in my teaching career and were supportive of a decision to stay in independent education. There are great teachers at both public and private schools and I am disheartened that anyone would think otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your comments clearly reflect your own personal experience. For many in the teaching field, achieving your coveted certificate standard, thereby allowing you to teach in the public schools, has very little currency. The fact that the person chose teaching in the first place is a major tell on their priorities; i.e. focused on things other than maximizing compensation. So, to assume that within this group of non primarily financially motivated individuals, that the cream rises to the top based upon just salary is a gross oversimplification. I agree that some public school teachers are paid more. However, there are many advantages to teaching in an independent school environment, especially as the public option has morphed into "teaching to the standardized test". To discount the other material differences does not serve you well.

Well reasoned and well written. I am an independent school teacher and am pleased to see someone articulate this. I teach in the arts and was tired of the instability and budget cuts of public schools. I actively sought private school employment. Many people do. Don't let people tell you otherwise. Not to mention that when one of the alternatives is teaching for DCPS - the independent school life begins to look really, really good.