Anonymous wrote:We are having the same issue at our K-8 with teachers leaving mid year.

Are teachers hired as at will employees where they could resign anytime?

Shouldn't they have contracts for each school year? I understand family and health emergencies happen but the changes have been way too frequent at our school this year.

Anonymous wrote:I have noticed that the academic background of the recent hires is very weak. On the contrary older teachers are much better at teaching and dealing with kids at school.

For instance the recent math teacher in my kid school comes from a public school where none the kids are proficient in math according to state evaluations. Also every month 1 teacher is leaving. So the shortage is very disruptive and it seems that the school is not raising salaries to retain top talent. This in spite of setting the tuition at 50+k. Do you experience something similar?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new batch of teachers are really mediocre. They complain about the workload, teach with videos and computer quizzes, and are not really knowledgeable. The more experienced teachers are way better.

Any of our teachers who joined since 2020 seem to be in it for the lifestyle, not the career. Post-Covid, our school brought in a lot of teachers who are American but had been teaching abroad at international schools (they returned due to long COVID shutdowns or legitimate worries about getting stuck in certain countries) to backfill retirements.

Originally I was excited because I thought they might teach with more rigor and could bring different perspectives to our pretty homogenous community. Unfortunately, I can now see that we got stuck with a bunch of people who pursued international school roles as a way to prolong travel in their 20s or because they aren’t suited to more intense jobs. Our school also gives teachers tons of independence to make the curriculum their own, which is not great for teachers used to working off a very specific, standard curriculum.

My child has spent most of the past two years bringing home teachers pay teachers nonsense worksheets and watching videos. They are not staying at their school for another year.

Until you start paying the true cost of your kid’s education, you’ll get what you pay for. Actually, I’m sure you’re currently getting much more than you pay for. Yeah, I’m sure they’re in it for “the lifestyle” of getting paid near-poverty wages to work in insecure at-will environments with no protection against bad bosses, ever-changing workloads, and angry parents who have no appreciation for what goes into educating their children. Here’s an idea: get rid of idiotic administrators, “brand communicators,” “associate directors,” “division coordinators,” etc…, push teacher salaries up 100 percent, invest in their long-term development and appreciate that they get 6-8 weeks off in the summer to make up for their insane workload during the year. Ask any teacher, they’ll tell you that they get to school at 7:00 am, don’t even have time to scarf down a banana during the day, are made to attend pointless meetings that distract from grading and planning, have to go home only to do said grading and planning there, take care of their own families, and often lose sleep at night thinking about their students’ challenges.

I hear what you’re saying.

To answer that from my perspective, which is very different from what you’re describing, we’ve given over $275k to support financial aid and professional development over the past 5 years at my child’s school. It has a very lean administration, so I feel ok about that but on the other hand, I know some teachers probably have insufficient support. To answer the “lifestyle” counter argument: I regularly see teachers arriving after I drop my kid off and walking out of the building at the same time that I am walking out with my kid. I serve in multiple volunteer roles at school and am frequently one of the last to leave the building after meetings.

Every school probably has different expectations and culture, but ours doesn’t or can’t hold teachers to a very high standard and it shows. My child is on their third teacher in 3 years who will be leaving after a lengthy PIP process. This year’s teacher has my kid “tutoring” her classmates while she plans travel on her laptop within full view of the classroom.

I won’t go on because my situation and our school is hopefully the exception.

I’m a private school teacher. I’m also a parent.

I have to drop my own children off at their school before I can get to work. That means I may not arrive as early as you want me to. I also have to pick up my own children and take them to appointments, practices, etc. Therefore, I may not stay as late as you want me to.

Here’s what you don’t see:

You don’t see me waking up at 4am and working at my dining room table. You don’t see me grading papers in the car at their sporting events or ortho appts. You don’t see me staying in pajamas all day Sunday, spending 8-10 hours prepping for the upcoming week. All those things are happening, but you don’t see them.

This expectation (demand?) from some parents that I live and breathe for THEIR children is too much.

I get paid a fraction of what I’m worth and I put up with disrespect far too often.

Yes, teachers are leaving. Frankly, it’s because we aren’t valued or appreciated. Want to help fix that, PP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new batch of teachers are really mediocre. They complain about the workload, teach with videos and computer quizzes, and are not really knowledgeable. The more experienced teachers are way better.

Any of our teachers who joined since 2020 seem to be in it for the lifestyle, not the career. Post-Covid, our school brought in a lot of teachers who are American but had been teaching abroad at international schools (they returned due to long COVID shutdowns or legitimate worries about getting stuck in certain countries) to backfill retirements.

Originally I was excited because I thought they might teach with more rigor and could bring different perspectives to our pretty homogenous community. Unfortunately, I can now see that we got stuck with a bunch of people who pursued international school roles as a way to prolong travel in their 20s or because they aren’t suited to more intense jobs. Our school also gives teachers tons of independence to make the curriculum their own, which is not great for teachers used to working off a very specific, standard curriculum.

My child has spent most of the past two years bringing home teachers pay teachers nonsense worksheets and watching videos. They are not staying at their school for another year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new batch of teachers are really mediocre. They complain about the workload, teach with videos and computer quizzes, and are not really knowledgeable. The more experienced teachers are way better.

Any of our teachers who joined since 2020 seem to be in it for the lifestyle, not the career. Post-Covid, our school brought in a lot of teachers who are American but had been teaching abroad at international schools (they returned due to long COVID shutdowns or legitimate worries about getting stuck in certain countries) to backfill retirements.

Originally I was excited because I thought they might teach with more rigor and could bring different perspectives to our pretty homogenous community. Unfortunately, I can now see that we got stuck with a bunch of people who pursued international school roles as a way to prolong travel in their 20s or because they aren’t suited to more intense jobs. Our school also gives teachers tons of independence to make the curriculum their own, which is not great for teachers used to working off a very specific, standard curriculum.

My child has spent most of the past two years bringing home teachers pay teachers nonsense worksheets and watching videos. They are not staying at their school for another year.

Until you start paying the true cost of your kid’s education, you’ll get what you pay for. Actually, I’m sure you’re currently getting much more than you pay for. Yeah, I’m sure they’re in it for “the lifestyle” of getting paid near-poverty wages to work in insecure at-will environments with no protection against bad bosses, ever-changing workloads, and angry parents who have no appreciation for what goes into educating their children. Here’s an idea: get rid of idiotic administrators, “brand communicators,” “associate directors,” “division coordinators,” etc…, push teacher salaries up 100 percent, invest in their long-term development and appreciate that they get 6-8 weeks off in the summer to make up for their insane workload during the year. Ask any teacher, they’ll tell you that they get to school at 7:00 am, don’t even have time to scarf down a banana during the day, are made to attend pointless meetings that distract from grading and planning, have to go home only to do said grading and planning there, take care of their own families, and often lose sleep at night thinking about their students’ challenges.

I hear what you’re saying.

To answer that from my perspective, which is very different from what you’re describing, we’ve given over $275k to support financial aid and professional development over the past 5 years at my child’s school. It has a very lean administration, so I feel ok about that but on the other hand, I know some teachers probably have insufficient support. To answer the “lifestyle” counter argument: I regularly see teachers arriving after I drop my kid off and walking out of the building at the same time that I am walking out with my kid. I serve in multiple volunteer roles at school and am frequently one of the last to leave the building after meetings.

Every school probably has different expectations and culture, but ours doesn’t or can’t hold teachers to a very high standard and it shows. My child is on their third teacher in 3 years who will be leaving after a lengthy PIP process. This year’s teacher has my kid “tutoring” her classmates while she plans travel on her laptop within full view of the classroom.

I won’t go on because my situation and our school is hopefully the exception.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay is so bad at privates compared to publics. Seems like the only people who stick with it 5+ years have family money or a spouse who makes good money.

Or a child enrolled at the school.
Or they’re kind of mediocre but have a lot of social capital among families and fellow teachers.
Lots of possibilities.

Social capital doesn’t pay the bills.

Plenty of people have been teaching for 15-20 years, bought a house at a relatively low price, and would rather be comfortable than rich.

None of those people did it as single teachers working for private schools, though, because those people are not making "comfortable" salaries. They are truly poor.

Some teachers are married to wealthy spouses or have trust funds, and they are able to buy houses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay is so bad at privates compared to publics. Seems like the only people who stick with it 5+ years have family money or a spouse who makes good money.

Or a child enrolled at the school.
Or they’re kind of mediocre but have a lot of social capital among families and fellow teachers.
Lots of possibilities.

Social capital doesn’t pay the bills.

Plenty of people have been teaching for 15-20 years, bought a house at a relatively low price, and would rather be comfortable than rich.

Anonymous wrote:“The lifestyle” Where is the crying laughing emoji?

I worked in independent schools, was NOT independently wealthy, and was overworked/underappreciated for peanuts compared to public school teachers’ salaries. I have a BA and MA in my field. I love my subject and love seeing students have that “Aha” moment. At one point I did the math and figured out I get paid less than $18/hour. Trust me, it’s not “the lifestyle.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new batch of teachers are really mediocre. They complain about the workload, teach with videos and computer quizzes, and are not really knowledgeable. The more experienced teachers are way better.

Any of our teachers who joined since 2020 seem to be in it for the lifestyle, not the career. Post-Covid, our school brought in a lot of teachers who are American but had been teaching abroad at international schools (they returned due to long COVID shutdowns or legitimate worries about getting stuck in certain countries) to backfill retirements.

Originally I was excited because I thought they might teach with more rigor and could bring different perspectives to our pretty homogenous community. Unfortunately, I can now see that we got stuck with a bunch of people who pursued international school roles as a way to prolong travel in their 20s or because they aren’t suited to more intense jobs. Our school also gives teachers tons of independence to make the curriculum their own, which is not great for teachers used to working off a very specific, standard curriculum.

My child has spent most of the past two years bringing home teachers pay teachers nonsense worksheets and watching videos. They are not staying at their school for another year.

Until you start paying the true cost of your kid’s education, you’ll get what you pay for. Actually, I’m sure you’re currently getting much more than you pay for. Yeah, I’m sure they’re in it for “the lifestyle” of getting paid near-poverty wages to work in insecure at-will environments with no protection against bad bosses, ever-changing workloads, and angry parents who have no appreciation for what goes into educating their children. Here’s an idea: get rid of idiotic administrators, “brand communicators,” “associate directors,” “division coordinators,” etc…, push teacher salaries up 100 percent, invest in their long-term development and appreciate that they get 6-8 weeks off in the summer to make up for their insane workload during the year. Ask any teacher, they’ll tell you that they get to school at 7:00 am, don’t even have time to scarf down a banana during the day, are made to attend pointless meetings that distract from grading and planning, have to go home only to do said grading and planning there, take care of their own families, and often lose sleep at night thinking about their students’ challenges.

I hear what you’re saying.

To answer that from my perspective, which is very different from what you’re describing, we’ve given over $275k to support financial aid and professional development over the past 5 years at my child’s school. It has a very lean administration, so I feel ok about that but on the other hand, I know some teachers probably have insufficient support. To answer the “lifestyle” counter argument: I regularly see teachers arriving after I drop my kid off and walking out of the building at the same time that I am walking out with my kid. I serve in multiple volunteer roles at school and am frequently one of the last to leave the building after meetings.

Every school probably has different expectations and culture, but ours doesn’t or can’t hold teachers to a very high standard and it shows. My child is on their third teacher in 3 years who will be leaving after a lengthy PIP process. This year’s teacher has my kid “tutoring” her classmates while she plans travel on her laptop within full view of the classroom.

I won’t go on because my situation and our school is hopefully the exception.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new batch of teachers are really mediocre. They complain about the workload, teach with videos and computer quizzes, and are not really knowledgeable. The more experienced teachers are way better.

Any of our teachers who joined since 2020 seem to be in it for the lifestyle, not the career. Post-Covid, our school brought in a lot of teachers who are American but had been teaching abroad at international schools (they returned due to long COVID shutdowns or legitimate worries about getting stuck in certain countries) to backfill retirements.

Originally I was excited because I thought they might teach with more rigor and could bring different perspectives to our pretty homogenous community. Unfortunately, I can now see that we got stuck with a bunch of people who pursued international school roles as a way to prolong travel in their 20s or because they aren’t suited to more intense jobs. Our school also gives teachers tons of independence to make the curriculum their own, which is not great for teachers used to working off a very specific, standard curriculum.

My child has spent most of the past two years bringing home teachers pay teachers nonsense worksheets and watching videos. They are not staying at their school for another year.

Until you start paying the true cost of your kid’s education, you’ll get what you pay for. Actually, I’m sure you’re currently getting much more than you pay for. Yeah, I’m sure they’re in it for “the lifestyle” of getting paid near-poverty wages to work in insecure at-will environments with no protection against bad bosses, ever-changing workloads, and angry parents who have no appreciation for what goes into educating their children. Here’s an idea: get rid of idiotic administrators, “brand communicators,” “associate directors,” “division coordinators,” etc…, push teacher salaries up 100 percent, invest in their long-term development and appreciate that they get 6-8 weeks off in the summer to make up for their insane workload during the year. Ask any teacher, they’ll tell you that they get to school at 7:00 am, don’t even have time to scarf down a banana during the day, are made to attend pointless meetings that distract from grading and planning, have to go home only to do said grading and planning there, take care of their own families, and often lose sleep at night thinking about their students’ challenges.

Anonymous wrote:We are having the same issue at our K-8 with teachers leaving mid year.

Are teachers hired as at will employees where they could resign anytime?

Shouldn't they have contracts for each school year? I understand family and health emergencies happen but the changes have been way too frequent at our school this year.