Do private school teachers get free tuition for their kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

M
Wow, uncanny. That describes exactly none of the teachers at my daughter's school. You missed the bullseye, the board, and the whole friggin wall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Think more of roles like "Communications Director" "Administrative Assistant" or "Librarian." These less prestigious tasks are relatively underpaid when compared to similar gigs in associations/non-profits downtown. A key attraction for qualified folks in this geographic area is tuition remission.

[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.

No ALL public school teachers are paid more. Significantly more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There are plenty of good suburban choices nearby.

[Anonymous]

I would like to know why schools that charge $40,000 a year in tuition pay their teachers such shamefully low salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

M
Wow, uncanny. That describes exactly none of the teachers at my daughter's school. You missed the bullseye, the board, and the whole friggin wall.

Agree. Some posters are so nasty about absolutely everyone. They must be unhappy people themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Think more of roles like "Communications Director" "Administrative Assistant" or "Librarian." These less prestigious tasks are relatively underpaid when compared to similar gigs in associations/non-profits downtown. A key attraction for qualified folks in this geographic area is tuition remission.

I think librarians are paid like teachers because they teach. Administrative assistants are not the level I meant. Communications Director jobs pay well, I think...probably at least $100k.

[Anonymous]

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.

Not really. 90% of all the teachers at my DC's school have Master's degrees.


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 don't have better paying options that work there.

[Anonymous]

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.

Being certified does not make one a better teacher. It simply means you passed a state test. After all look at the load of crappy teachers DCPS and PGCS have. Give me a break. Teaching and certification have very little do with each other. There is a reason teacher certification is not a required professional certification to hold yourself out as a teacher as is being a doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc.

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.


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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I don't know too many public school teachers who find teaching in an overcrowded underfunded public school appealing either. Last time I checked most teachers (regardless where they teach are full of complaints).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:True for staff, too? I am guessing staff make more than teachers. Begs the questions...what are the going salaries for teachers and staff at privates these days?

Percentage off for me. On the one hand, I am grateful as I love the school and our two salary family is doing well. I do think the percentage off for non FA teachers/staff should be staggered in some way. The Head (assuming the Head is doing pretty well salary wise) and other high earning staff should not have the same percentage off as employees making quite a bit less. I guess the complication would be if higher earners are married to non earners and lower earners to millionaires. Better financial minds can prevail here, but I do see opportunity for more remission equity. We have employees scraping by just above the FA line getting the same remission as "1 percent" employees - all love the school and are loyal, but that does not seem quite fair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:True for staff, too? I am guessing staff make more than teachers. Begs the questions...what are the going salaries for teachers and staff at privates these days?

Percentage off for me. On the one hand, I am grateful as I love the school and our two salary family is doing well. I do think the percentage off for non FA teachers/staff should be staggered in some way. The Head (assuming the Head is doing pretty well salary wise) and other high earning staff should not have the same percentage off as employees making quite a bit less. I guess the complication would be if higher earners are married to non earners and lower earners to millionaires. Better financial minds can prevail here, but I do see opportunity for more remission equity. We have employees scraping by just above the FA line getting the same remission as "1 percent" employees - all love the school and are loyal, but that does not seem quite fair.

This is why most schools rely on financial aid for teachers/staff, rather than remission.

[Anonymous]

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.

Being certified does not make one a better teacher. It simply means you passed a state test. After all look at the load of crappy teachers DCPS and PGCS have. Give me a break. Teaching and certification have very little do with each other. There is a reason teacher certification is not a required professional certification to hold yourself out as a teacher as is being a doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc.

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.


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.

Oh, you "work in education" do you? Do you have this much contempt for all educators, or only those at independent schools?

I not only "work in education", I actually teach in a private school, so I feel quite qualified to say that your little screed is a whole lotta bullshit.

[Anonymous]

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.

Being certified does not make one a better teacher. It simply means you passed a state test. After all look at the load of crappy teachers DCPS and PGCS have. Give me a break. Teaching and certification have very little do with each other. There is a reason teacher certification is not a required professional certification to hold yourself out as a teacher as is being a doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc.

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.


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.

Oh, you "work in education" do you? Do you have this much contempt for all educators, or only those at independent schools?

I not only "work in education", I actually teach in a private school, so I feel quite qualified to say that your little screed is a whole lotta bullshit.

I do not have contempt for private school teachers, nor do I think that a great many of them aren't good at what they do regardless of not having teaching credentials. I do find it laughable that certain private school parents such as yourself (sorry, I don't believe for a second you teach at a private) have bought hook, line, and sinker the private school claim that teaching there is so appealing that their staff is willingly choosing to do so instead of making 25-50% more at a public

[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.

Being certified does not make one a better teacher. It simply means you passed a state test. After all look at the load of crappy teachers DCPS and PGCS have. Give me a break. Teaching and certification have very little do with each other. There is a reason teacher certification is not a required professional certification to hold yourself out as a teacher as is being a doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc.

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.


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.

Oh, you "work in education" do you? Do you have this much contempt for all educators, or only those at independent schools?

I not only "work in education", I actually teach in a private school, so I feel quite qualified to say that your little screed is a whole lotta bullshit.

I do not have contempt for private school teachers, nor do I think that a great many of them aren't good at what they do regardless of not having teaching credentials. I do find it laughable that certain private school parents such as yourself (sorry, I don't believe for a second you teach at a private) have bought hook, line, and sinker the private school claim that teaching there is so appealing that their staff is willingly choosing to do so instead of making 25-50% more at a public

Get in a room with kids in private and kids in public and ask them what they think of their teachers. The responses speak volumes.