I have been thinking a lot about the professional field that I am currently working in and how my feelings towards it have changed. I am a teacher in the NYC school system. I teach in one of the toughest districts in Brooklyn, and on top of that, its an all boys high school. So when I say its tough, I mean it!
Like any business, its success depends on how well it is managed and how good your workers are. How do you get good workers? How do you know if these workers are good? That seems to be the question that pops up everywhere in society, and everyone has their own standards they like to put teachers on. Bottom line, if your students are engaged and learning, that means your doing something good.
I don't believe standardized tests are a good indicator of whether you are doing your job or not, especially since there are many factors that effect the testing results. You have issues of biased information- Global Studies is heavily European and does not relate at all to my students. Most of them are of Caribean and African descent so I can teach them about their cultures and history from the perspective of their cultures, yet it will not appear on most standardized tests. You also have issues with students who are intelligent but are not great test takers (that's where I fall). I'm not even going to touch upon the students who fail because they don't receive the proper educational services they deserve, or the students who lack motivation because no one at home sees the value of education. But that's a different discussion.
Everyone seems to be focused on weeding out "bad" teachers, but no one is focusing on how to KEEP them. If you look at NYC's retention rate, 30 % of new teachers say they will most likely not return after 3 years of teaching. Unfortunately, I am part of that number and here is one reason why.
Salary:
One day, as I sat in my room after paying off all my bills and looked at what I had left for groceries and leisure, this depressing feeling came over me. I've worked so hard all these years, managed to get a masters degree while teaching as well, and what do I have to show for it?? Almost nothing!!!!! I started to think about my coworkers who are able to afford going out for drinks and buying new clothes every month or so and I realized, all of them live with their partners or a roommate! I live by myself and my rent alone is a little more than 1200/mo (which isn't too bad for living in Brooklyn) which is pretty much an entire paycheck. I thought to myself: "Why am I living paycheck to paycheck when I have a college and a graduate degree, and I have a professional career, not just some job I do to make ends meet.
I looked up an article in the Huffington Post that read,
New York City has one of the toughest populations, and the worst (overall) scores and education problems, so why are we getting paid the least? We work in schools that have little to no resources, and with students who, most of the time, can't afford notebooks or folders or pens. We come out of pocket from our salaries (which are, quite frankly, a JOKE!) to make up for the lack in our schools. We are dedicated, and we care, but at a certain point we get burned out (or burnt out??). I love my students, but I can't continue to live in conditions like this. I can't continue to work for a boss that doesn't value my effort and commitment to my students, and that doesn't support me in my growth as a teacher. If your workers aren't happy, your business won't be "happy" (successful). NYC education systems need a change and need it quick!
Teacher Attrition and Retention - Please look through this. It really touches on everything most teachers are feeling about their jobs in NYC. We really do love what we do and who we serve, but we can't do it running on empty.
I don't believe standardized tests are a good indicator of whether you are doing your job or not, especially since there are many factors that effect the testing results. You have issues of biased information- Global Studies is heavily European and does not relate at all to my students. Most of them are of Caribean and African descent so I can teach them about their cultures and history from the perspective of their cultures, yet it will not appear on most standardized tests. You also have issues with students who are intelligent but are not great test takers (that's where I fall). I'm not even going to touch upon the students who fail because they don't receive the proper educational services they deserve, or the students who lack motivation because no one at home sees the value of education. But that's a different discussion.
Everyone seems to be focused on weeding out "bad" teachers, but no one is focusing on how to KEEP them. If you look at NYC's retention rate, 30 % of new teachers say they will most likely not return after 3 years of teaching. Unfortunately, I am part of that number and here is one reason why.
Salary:
One day, as I sat in my room after paying off all my bills and looked at what I had left for groceries and leisure, this depressing feeling came over me. I've worked so hard all these years, managed to get a masters degree while teaching as well, and what do I have to show for it?? Almost nothing!!!!! I started to think about my coworkers who are able to afford going out for drinks and buying new clothes every month or so and I realized, all of them live with their partners or a roommate! I live by myself and my rent alone is a little more than 1200/mo (which isn't too bad for living in Brooklyn) which is pretty much an entire paycheck. I thought to myself: "Why am I living paycheck to paycheck when I have a college and a graduate degree, and I have a professional career, not just some job I do to make ends meet.
I looked up an article in the Huffington Post that read,
In New York, the minimum wage is $7.25, far below the $11.86 an hour it takes to actually live in the city, according to the Living Wage Project. And it takes six figures to effectively belong in the city's middle class. A 2009 study from the Center for an Urban Future found that someone making $60,000 and living in Manhattan is equivalent to someone making $26,092, according to the New York Daily News.
So I'm not the only one struggling to live in this great city, but why are TEACHERS living like this?! If education is the backbone of any nation, if it is what we need in order to become top, leading nations in the world, why the hell are we not acting like we value it?! Here's a chart I found in the NYC.gov archive (*copy of doc can be found at the bottom of this post)
City or County
in NY
| Median Salary |
Scarsdale
| $90,0001 |
Bronxville
| $86,0002 |
Chappaqua
| $75,1903 |
Westchester
|
$68,4004
|
White Plains
|
$68,0005
|
Yonkers
| $67,2916 |
Nassau
| $66,2627 |
New York City
| $47,3458 |
New York City has one of the toughest populations, and the worst (overall) scores and education problems, so why are we getting paid the least? We work in schools that have little to no resources, and with students who, most of the time, can't afford notebooks or folders or pens. We come out of pocket from our salaries (which are, quite frankly, a JOKE!) to make up for the lack in our schools. We are dedicated, and we care, but at a certain point we get burned out (or burnt out??). I love my students, but I can't continue to live in conditions like this. I can't continue to work for a boss that doesn't value my effort and commitment to my students, and that doesn't support me in my growth as a teacher. If your workers aren't happy, your business won't be "happy" (successful). NYC education systems need a change and need it quick!
Teacher Attrition and Retention - Please look through this. It really touches on everything most teachers are feeling about their jobs in NYC. We really do love what we do and who we serve, but we can't do it running on empty.
