Reply to Award Winning Teacher Looking for Transition Advice

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Maryland is trying to put a career ladder in place for excellent teachers, to keep them in the classroom but yet advance their careers in a way that is more sustainable. It's called the "Blueprint for Education" and it has many components, but one of them is this career ladder. Ideally, teachers can move up the ranks, still teaching classes but maybe only 20-40% of the time, while providing mentoring to other teachers or working on district initiatives. It's a way to keep excellent teachers who don't wish to move into administration, and the salary increases are supposed to be commensurate with becoming a principal. I'm a little skeptical of what it is going to look like, but it might be something for you to consider. However, no school in Maryland would be likely to match your current salary, with all the DC IMPACT bonuses, and you would lose your retirement credits. [/quote]

Thanks, I looked into the MD Blueprint for Education after you mentioned it and it looks like an impressive plan. I found a 182 final draft plan which lays everything out. It includes initiatives such as universal preK, better teacher recruitment/training, increasing starting and overall salaries for teachers, implementing a teacher/admin career ladder, etc. It will roll-out in phases, with the plan set to conclude by 2032. The teacher ladder is discussed and there seems to be 3 levels: lead, distinguished, and professor distinguished. Advancing through these levels comes with salary bumps and a reduced workload of classroom instruction (50%-80% reduction). I must mention that most of this seems to be focused on NBCT (National Board Certified Teachers) which I wouldn't be opposed to.

However in my situation, it appears the full roll-out won't occur until 2032 (close to my retirement date). Also, my career credits won't transfer over, which would delay my retirement. I appreciate your recommendation, as it seems like a robust plan for Maryland that has the potential to greatly benefit MD educators in the future.[/quote]

Yeah, the NBCT certification is the first hurdle to advancing to Lead Teacher status, but it does also come with salary enhancements. But you need to recertify every 5 years. Don't know about the full roll out timeline but the NBCT salary bonuses have already started, and my school district is implementing the lead teacher pathway in the next two years.

Still, for pension purposes it would not make sense to move to MD. You are kind of stuck in DC.

I think your best course of action may be to look critically at your teaching practices, and try to identify a few things that make your day to day life exhausting. And try to find small but sustainable ways to change that. I mean, it sounds like you already have managed to optimize your teaching schedule and work flow so you aren't bringing work home or needing to stay late. A few small tweaks over time could add up.[/quote]

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