Anonymous wrote:I left to teach at private and it changed my life. Total creativity, no paperwork, one meeting a week, 97% direct services, parents who care about education, tons of professional development and respect for the work I do. I get paid the same. If your current environment isn’t working, look around.

Good to hear! Congrats!

I looked years ago and never found anything that was close in pay and benefits. How many years did you teach in public schools before switching? I found the more years one has the tougher it is to make the switch financially.

I left to teach at private and it changed my life. Total creativity, no paperwork, one meeting a week, 97% direct services, parents who care about education, tons of professional development and respect for the work I do. I get paid the same. If your current environment isn’t working, look around.

What grade/subject do you teach?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your approach to your own happiness sounds like you are shorting your students. I bring work home and think of ideas to motivate people who want to learn. Please retire or give more effort.

I agree. Part of what I like about my job is my interactions with kids. Although I went into administration, I know I don't want to go up any higher as I will have very limited interactions with kids.

As an administrator do you feel expectations exceed available time to accomplish them?

Worksheets are great if they help a child practice a skill before incorporating into a project or to complement a project. People who are completely against worksheets are just being reactionary. From my experience these are the worst teachers because they are not confident in their own teaching. Confident teachers realize worksheets enhance rather than replace them and have enough of an engaging curriculum that keeps students interested.

Anonymous wrote:

my hours are 7-3:30. I no longer work through lunch
I am putting in 43 hours a week.

How are you working 43 hours per week if your hours are 7-3:30 and you don't work through lunch? I hope you're not a math teacher.

Not the OP
It's 42.5. You can't give a bit of slack for rounding to the hour?

Where did he/she say no work was done during lunch? I read they avoid the staff lunch room.

Worksheets get a bad rap, not sure why. If the teacher gives a good, well thought out lesson, using several different ways of presenting the material, then a worksheet to practice or evaluate is fine. That's how school works. Throw in a project or two here and there, maybe some math around the room and a science experiment and you've got some learnin goin on!

Anonymous wrote:I'd like you as my teacher. You can drop the meetings for all I care.
But try to do less worksheets. I don't know how old the kids are, but what about letting them answer essay style. Don't need to plan much for that. Few questions about WW2 and let them write away.

No essay style. Not all kids are strong writers. Mine would be happy with worksheets. The structure of them work better.

my hours are 7-3:30. I no longer work through lunch
I am putting in 43 hours a week.

How are you working 43 hours per week if your hours are 7-3:30 and you don't work through lunch? I hope you're not a math teacher.

I'd like you as my teacher. You can drop the meetings for all I care.
But try to do less worksheets. I don't know how old the kids are, but what about letting them answer essay style. Don't need to plan much for that. Few questions about WW2 and let them write away.

Just make sure that none of you teachers on this thread ever complain about pay and respect. People that do the very minimum expected of them in their job will receive the very minimum in pay necessary to keep the job filled, and will receive none of the respect that they wish from their customers.

It is so sad but I do understand
Parent of a middle class student at a title 1 school.
I often want to do so much for my child’s classmates but I keep myself in check.

Even many of the students come from cultures in which there is a clear boundary between student and teacher and it is strange that we feel the need to act like their parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your approach to your own happiness sounds like you are shorting your students. I bring work home and think of ideas to motivate people who want to learn. Please retire or give more effort.

- 20+ year vet

Amen, that is a recipe for burnout. We are not their parents. We are their content instructors. School system want thereapists and social workers? Let them put money in the budget for it.

Anonymous wrote:Your approach to your own happiness sounds like you are shorting your students. I bring work home and think of ideas to motivate people who want to learn. Please retire or give more effort.

I disagree. The OP is working at minimum 8.5 hours a day and I bet there isn't much down time in those 8.5. Why is it a bad thing to start and leave work on time?