Reply to Area Private School Teacher Shortage?

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Reply to "Area Private School Teacher Shortage?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time,  approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not  certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory,  or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards,  certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not,  particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really  just a business model.  
In the end, this is a whole  career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift. 
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I think that you are raising an excellent point.   The paths to teaching seem to vary wildly. Our private school doesn't really highlight staff credentials so I have no idea what is typical, but I certainly have observed big variances amongst my children over the years in taking the same subjects with different teachers.   I agree with some PPs that parents can be a nightmare (entitled and neurotic) and are a big part of the exodus problem, but I do think that you are illustrating a nuance of the model that stymies and erodes parent trust and confidence in private school teachers and schools.

From a parent's perspective, a child's experience is so teacher-dependent. Communication home and with the student is variable.  Teacher training and philosophies are variable.  Curriculum is variable.  Grading is variable.

Therefore, quality (or at least, perceived quality) is variable.

This isn't the case in most professional service environments.  Typically a customer has some influence in choosing an accountant or a lawyer based on skills and reputation. And parents are paying big $$$ to a school with the brand premise that its teachers are highly skilled overall.  Many, many are.  But there are also quite a few inexperienced ones (or much worse, apathetic duds) too.

And current trends suggest that a higher percentage of the duds are going to be teaching as the stars exit the field.

There doesn't seem to be a particularly robust system to reward excellence in teaching financially, and likely accolades are tied to admin noticing or prioritizing funding for salary bumps.  That is a real problem with the business model.  If the duds are getting paid as much as the stars, that is an issue. If stars aren't noticed and financially rewarded, that is an issue. Pay being low overall is a known issue.  If admin is weak and mainly focused on flash and short-term accomplishments (buildings, sports, etc) for fundraising and admissions vs academic excellence, that is an issue.

Parents will be willing to endure paying for duds only to a point. There is certainly value to small class sizes, but IMO the schools that will be the most successful in the long run are those that attract the stars and keep them happy.  
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