What are you doing now?
Any teachers out there who left the profession?
- Thread starter natenaaron
- Start date
One of my managers in IT used to teach. He went back to adjunct teaching after he retired. One of my kids just finished his student teaching and is looking at positions in corporate training as teaching positions seem rather scarce right now.
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Our daughter was an Elementary Ed major. She was a permanent sub for two years, was recruited to teach in Hawaii and spent two years in Honolulu. She returned to the mainland and taught in a rural district for a year. She is a natural and loves teaching but couldn’t make a decent living. She went to Navy OCS and is now a lieutenant in the Navy and at sea on a destroyer. Fortunately, she has been able to use her teaching skills as a naval officer.
My wife hasn't left the profession...yet. Almost.
She was working as a long-term sub when COVID hit. It ended her job immediately without notice. An immediate loss of income. She doesn't qualify for unemployment, because she wasn't working during the period that is used to calculate it--which was caused by another teaching profession issue.
She had signed a contract to work as a regular teacher with a different district. But when she showed up for work on the first day, she was told to go home by the superintendent's staff. They said that they hired someone else. But then the superintendent reported her to the Teaching Credential Commission for "contract abandonment" and "unprofessional conduct"!
There are many state laws that govern teaching employment where we live. They're quite different than regular employment laws. They're very involved, and quite convoluted. For example, one law says regular "employment" for a teacher doesn't begin until the teacher actually works in exchange for payment. Yet case law has ruled that it begins at the moment an employment contract is signed.
She had to appear for a hearing with the Teaching Credential Commission, and then before an administrative law judge where the state attorney general chose to prosecute her. They were pushing for the maximum of 1 year suspension because, they claimed, she "harmed the education system by abandoning an employment contract". Yet she showed up and was told to leave. The Teacher's Union wouldn't represent her or assign her a lawyer because they viewed her as not employed. We couldn't afford our own lawyer, let alone even find one that knew the Education Code, so she had to represent herself. What a nightmare. We had to write hundreds upon hundreds of pages as a response, and so many other legalese procedure things.
The Attorney General presented no proof that she abandoned--not even a statement from the superintendent--and my wife stated under oath that she appeared for work. But the judge ruled against her anyway. He dropped the 1 year suspension and the "unprofessional conduct" charge, but imposed a "public reprisal". It means that a disciplinary note now appears on her credential for 5 years, and is visible to anyone who wishes to hire her. But it says nothing of what happened. So it tells the world that she has been "in trouble", but doesn't say why. Basically, her career is over.
There was a teacher nearby who was arrested just after my wife was charged. He was arrested for assault and a loaded gun was in his classroom when the police came to arrest him! Yet nothing has happened to his credential.
Laws and legal procedures that govern teachers are BS.
She was working as a long-term sub when COVID hit. It ended her job immediately without notice. An immediate loss of income. She doesn't qualify for unemployment, because she wasn't working during the period that is used to calculate it--which was caused by another teaching profession issue.
She had signed a contract to work as a regular teacher with a different district. But when she showed up for work on the first day, she was told to go home by the superintendent's staff. They said that they hired someone else. But then the superintendent reported her to the Teaching Credential Commission for "contract abandonment" and "unprofessional conduct"!
There are many state laws that govern teaching employment where we live. They're quite different than regular employment laws. They're very involved, and quite convoluted. For example, one law says regular "employment" for a teacher doesn't begin until the teacher actually works in exchange for payment. Yet case law has ruled that it begins at the moment an employment contract is signed.
She had to appear for a hearing with the Teaching Credential Commission, and then before an administrative law judge where the state attorney general chose to prosecute her. They were pushing for the maximum of 1 year suspension because, they claimed, she "harmed the education system by abandoning an employment contract". Yet she showed up and was told to leave. The Teacher's Union wouldn't represent her or assign her a lawyer because they viewed her as not employed. We couldn't afford our own lawyer, let alone even find one that knew the Education Code, so she had to represent herself. What a nightmare. We had to write hundreds upon hundreds of pages as a response, and so many other legalese procedure things.
The Attorney General presented no proof that she abandoned--not even a statement from the superintendent--and my wife stated under oath that she appeared for work. But the judge ruled against her anyway. He dropped the 1 year suspension and the "unprofessional conduct" charge, but imposed a "public reprisal". It means that a disciplinary note now appears on her credential for 5 years, and is visible to anyone who wishes to hire her. But it says nothing of what happened. So it tells the world that she has been "in trouble", but doesn't say why. Basically, her career is over.
There was a teacher nearby who was arrested just after my wife was charged. He was arrested for assault and a loaded gun was in his classroom when the police came to arrest him! Yet nothing has happened to his credential.
Laws and legal procedures that govern teachers are BS.
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- Thread starter
- #5
yes they are BS. I’ve been doing this for 22 years. Love the kids. Love teaching. Just can’t take the administrative BS. Virtual teaching is very difficult. Having an administration who are stuck in the dark ages with their heads rammed up their buts makes it extra hard. The professional disrespect has gone way to far.
I’m tired. I’m burnt out, and am looking for something else.
Hope your wife can find something.
I have a long time friend who left teaching because of the administrative and parents BS. She’s tutoring now for $100 an hour.
My wife taught high school for 5 years and left to work for a major university and is now the manager of her department. She was able to keep her PERA benefits and loves her job.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
That’s a terrible situation sorry for all that. It feels like a situation where the stay grinds on without any thought just assuming that there is guilt. Normally if the prosecution doesn’t present evidence they should lose. Too bad there was no appeal process or maybe it was too costly.
I don't mean that the teaching profession is boring but full of nerves and stress. In the worst case, depression, all these kids all of a sudden they're kind of annoying, and you're getting pretty impulsive. Then you decide to change your profession to something more current and exciting. In general, you can ask for help Becomeopedia • How to Become Anything You Want - https://www.becomeopedia.com/ . This is an encyclopedia full of different occupations, perhaps of which you have never heard. In finally, what I mean, you have to get pleasure from the thing you do it. That's the most important habit. The more you like it, the better for you.
It's incredibly hard to teach now. My daughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law are all teachers. My son is a tech wizard (currently for Amazon) and has always made twice as much as the teachers.
This year was unbelievable, with both virtual lessons and in-school lessons required from each teacher.
I taught for 44 years (38 full time) and loved it. But being a band director took me off of some administrator's radar (and most of them had no idea how to do my job, so they left me alone). The BS from some administrators is real and can be extremely stressful. I was lucky enough to be doing what I was born to do, so I got away with not agreeing to do anything I though wasn't good for kids. I only got in trouble for it once (transferred), and my parents and kids put up such a stink (the kids put on an impromptu concert outside the administration building and the parents filled a folder with letters) that the superintendent overruled the transfer.
It's a demanding job physically and emotionally. I rarely put in less than 60 hours a week and took most of the summer preparing for the next year. HS performing organizations do different songs every year, so it might be less demanding if you teach the same material every year, but there is a world of difference between teaching for 38 years and teaching the same year 38 times. You absolutely need to do it better each year if you want to preserve your sanity.
I started in 1973 at $8,100. The pay is better now, but it ain't great for a job that requires at least a master's degree. And it's way harder now. I loved every day, but I don't know how I would do in this environment. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who had doubts. If it's your calling give it your all, and if it's a job get a better one.
This year was unbelievable, with both virtual lessons and in-school lessons required from each teacher.
I taught for 44 years (38 full time) and loved it. But being a band director took me off of some administrator's radar (and most of them had no idea how to do my job, so they left me alone). The BS from some administrators is real and can be extremely stressful. I was lucky enough to be doing what I was born to do, so I got away with not agreeing to do anything I though wasn't good for kids. I only got in trouble for it once (transferred), and my parents and kids put up such a stink (the kids put on an impromptu concert outside the administration building and the parents filled a folder with letters) that the superintendent overruled the transfer.
It's a demanding job physically and emotionally. I rarely put in less than 60 hours a week and took most of the summer preparing for the next year. HS performing organizations do different songs every year, so it might be less demanding if you teach the same material every year, but there is a world of difference between teaching for 38 years and teaching the same year 38 times. You absolutely need to do it better each year if you want to preserve your sanity.
I started in 1973 at $8,100. The pay is better now, but it ain't great for a job that requires at least a master's degree. And it's way harder now. I loved every day, but I don't know how I would do in this environment. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who had doubts. If it's your calling give it your all, and if it's a job get a better one.
That’s awesome. Your daughter “The Lieutenant” will have great opportunities to tech and lead. The patience she learned teaching will be helpful at times. Please tell her I wish her the best and thanks!
Many teachers aren't really respected as professionals and allowed to actually teach the way they want anymore. Most teachers want to do the best for their students and IMO should be allowed to do so. I think it's because of the influence of politics coupled with the growth in administration. Our educational system in the US is hurting tremendously. Where once we excelled, now we lag; this failing inversely correlates very well with the rise in Federal intervention and the growth in the relative size of educational administration. I'm now an emeritus professor, retired from teaching at a flagship university in 2018, and in the 20 years I taught I found what I'm saying to be the case. There's an article that came out about ten years ago that puts it in perspective: Administrators Ate My Tuition | Washington Monthly - https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septoct-2011/administrators-ate-my-tuition/
My experience was in university teaching, but the public school teachers in the family, there are four active, and four retired now, say it's fundamentally the same at many public schools. If someone wants to go into teaching now, I would tell them to look towards teaching in a private school where standards are still higher, and you might have the opportunity to really teach. Or, perhaps, to go teach English overseas for a few years for the life experience of living somewhere very different.
My experience was in university teaching, but the public school teachers in the family, there are four active, and four retired now, say it's fundamentally the same at many public schools. If someone wants to go into teaching now, I would tell them to look towards teaching in a private school where standards are still higher, and you might have the opportunity to really teach. Or, perhaps, to go teach English overseas for a few years for the life experience of living somewhere very different.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
I know a couple guys who were career officers who, after finishing their military careers decided to become high school teachers. School districts were almost fighting with each other to hire these guys- they are mature, they have self awareness and self discipline, they have years of supervising and motivating young people, and as they have no formal teaching experience they can be hired for the same amount of money as a 22 year old just out of college.
My sister's son lives in New Jersey with his bride. Her Mother works for the school board and it is a nightmare for her as an admin. Fortunately, she is set to retire this year, but even that has several hoops to jump through of the kind other posters have mentioned.
Here in Ontario (Canada) people ***** about our teachers (and their Unions) having too much power and control . . . you folks seem to have the opposite issue.
Here in Ontario (Canada) people ***** about our teachers (and their Unions) having too much power and control . . . you folks seem to have the opposite issue.
My sister worked as a teacher for a small private school.
She managed classes from primary upto middle school and she was grossly underpaid.
We have a saying here:
A private school looks like a villa, it's teachers live in small house, while a government school looks like a museum but it's teachers lives in Duplex.
The pay for a teacher is just not enough to properly support one person's expenses, let alone a family.
Luckily she worked as a teacher to use her time in a productive manner, but that doesn't discount her preparation for the next day's class, that preparation usually wrapped up quite late in the night.
Now, she is married and quit her job as a teacher, but the apathy for the teachers is true here as well.
Now when I think about it, I could have helped her more, but I was an a_hole back then.
Sometimes I'm left with " would've, could've, should've", smh.
She managed classes from primary upto middle school and she was grossly underpaid.
We have a saying here:
A private school looks like a villa, it's teachers live in small house, while a government school looks like a museum but it's teachers lives in Duplex.
The pay for a teacher is just not enough to properly support one person's expenses, let alone a family.
Luckily she worked as a teacher to use her time in a productive manner, but that doesn't discount her preparation for the next day's class, that preparation usually wrapped up quite late in the night.
Now, she is married and quit her job as a teacher, but the apathy for the teachers is true here as well.
Now when I think about it, I could have helped her more, but I was an a_hole back then.
Sometimes I'm left with " would've, could've, should've", smh.
I was teaching music part time at a school for kids who have emo and behavioral problems , making them unable to be a part of public school . I was filling in the rest of the week as a permanent sub for a charter arts school . I was also teaching private students and playing musical engagements in the evenings. I decided to switch my work to strictly days in 2017 , because my wife and I were taking care of my father with Alzheimer’s. I took a day job unloading trucks at Amazon , after a while , they paid for me to get my CDL. I have been driving a truck for the past two years . I miss the teaching and the kids , but I am making a lot more money now and I enjoy driving .
