Reply to Area Private School Teacher Shortage?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some of the posters on this board have an overinflated sense of the use of state-mandated credentials. I've taught at a Big 3 school now for almost twenty years' before that, I taught at a major university as a fulltime adjunct where, funilly enough, I often taught a summer class taken by public school teachers to become credentialed. I have a PhD in my field and regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals in my field. (I like that my job isn't contingent on publishing a certain number of essays or even a monograph. I also like that my school supports me when I choose to do so.)  I am not credentialed, at least as far as most states are concerned. While my salary pales in comparison to those who work in more lucrative fields (e.g., lawyers, medical doctors), I make six figures; in fact, I make the same amount as my friends who are tenured at major universities around the country, both private and public (professors in the Humanities are also criminally underpaid considering their qualifications, etc.). Should my salary be higher? Absolutely. My teaching day begins at 7:30 and ends at 3:45. I might have one or two prep periods during the day, but I usually respond to parent or school-related emails, finish committee work, meet with students, etc., during that time. Then, I go home, spend time with my family, only to then  spend two or so hours grading and prepping for class the next day. During the summer, I am required to complete professional development training, as well as DEI work. I know I could make more teaching at a public or charter school, but I also know doing so would mean bigger classes, more disciplinary issues, and less teaching. I also know I would be limited when it comes to material I can teach. At the private school where I teach, my sections have usually around 15 students, allowing me to cultivate more meaningful relationships with them. In turn, this helps me better track their development. Also, I have never had to deal with disciplinary issues in my classes. At the end of all my classes, my students thank me as they walk out the door. My school allows me to teach any class I propose that fills a gap in the curriculum, including more controversial courses you will not find in public schools, especially in this current political climate. Most of my former colleagues who left for charter or public schools did so solely for the paycheck, and they were mostly younger teachers just starting out in the profession who found DC to be impossibly expensive to live in on a teacher's salary. But most of my colleagues started in public and migrated to private because of many of the reasons I explain above. I'm fortunate enough to have family money, so I can afford to make these kinds of choices.[/quote]

You don't each in any one of hundreds of parochial settings, small privates,  etc. Your experience is not universal. Your argument here is kind of pointless. Meanwhile,  could  you even teach at a public high school where there is a diverse population of needs and socioeconomic levels? I doubt it.

I can! It took a lot of training and when you decide  to try  it, we'll talk. [/quote]

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