Mr. Sweitzer, who sparked an interest in science and math.
Mr. Swennumson, who spent his lunch hours for a whole year helping me prepare for the scholarship exam in English Literature (with a focus on the Metaphysical poets - so there, rgambs!). A whole year of his own time spent with one student - and what wonderful discussions we had! I still remember them 30 years later.
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
Mr. Trautman taught me to be an expert in guerrilla warfare, to be a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with my bare hands. He trained me to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. He taught me my job is to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition.
I've come down on teachers who put that work, that necessary dedication, on the back-burner for purposes of their own...agenda.
But the ones who give a shit, who give of themselves, who impact their students years beyond - invaluable.
Mrs. Speigelman, English Dr. Love (yes, his name WAS Dr. Love), Science Mr. Schiffrin, History Madame Pusey, French Ms. Sasaki, Algebra
I will always remember and be thankful for each of them.
"Old school" takes on a different meaning, since those days are a far cry from what I imagine today's educators have to deal with.
How you got through school with teachers named Dr Love and Madame Pusey is a mystery to me lol
I only remember the name of one of my teachers, and it's from High School, and the only reason I remember is name is cuz he thought I was his therapist. Either I'm a terrible person or I didn't have any of these amazing teachers like you guys did. Possibly a little of both.
Ha! Her son was my classmate/friend - great guy, cute, well-liked...and was teased mercilessly about his name (even though it was pronounced Pu-ZAY).
And I doubt you're a terrible person. While it's something else to be positively impacted by even one teacher, I'm not sure it happens all that often - unfortunately.
I've come down on teachers who put that work, that necessary dedication, on the back-burner for purposes of their own...agenda.
But the ones who give a shit, who give of themselves, who impact their students years beyond - invaluable.
Mrs. Speigelman, English Dr. Love (yes, his name WAS Dr. Love), Science Mr. Schiffrin, History Madame Pusey, French Ms. Sasaki, Algebra
I will always remember and be thankful for each of them.
"Old school" takes on a different meaning, since those days are a far cry from what I imagine today's educators have to deal with.
hey my french teacher was named madame pusey too!
First name Rochelle?
I just loved her! A true Frenchwoman who taught not only the language but the authentic pronunciations.
My senior year, French was my first-period class and I showed up stoned almost every morning. Aced that shit too.
Do you ever have occasion to speak it these days?
i forget the first name. she was young. her mom was also a french teacher. for some reason i signed up for the advanced french class in my senior year (at that point we didn't even have to take a language anymore) and i was barely a C student in french. yeah, i lasted about a month before dropping it. haha
no i never really have to speak it. the main thing i remember is "maintnent, pour apprendre, les francais, nous avons invente une histoire!"
loosely translated: "now in order to learn french, we will read a book."
I've come down on teachers who put that work, that necessary dedication, on the back-burner for purposes of their own...agenda.
But the ones who give a shit, who give of themselves, who impact their students years beyond - invaluable.
Mrs. Speigelman, English Dr. Love (yes, his name WAS Dr. Love), Science Mr. Schiffrin, History Madame Pusey, French Ms. Sasaki, Algebra
I will always remember and be thankful for each of them.
"Old school" takes on a different meaning, since those days are a far cry from what I imagine today's educators have to deal with.
hey my french teacher was named madame pusey too!
First name Rochelle?
I just loved her! A true Frenchwoman who taught not only the language but the authentic pronunciations.
My senior year, French was my first-period class and I showed up stoned almost every morning. Aced that shit too.
Do you ever have occasion to speak it these days?
i forget the first name. she was young. her mom was also a french teacher. for some reason i signed up for the advanced french class in my senior year (at that point we didn't even have to take a language anymore) and i was barely a C student in french. yeah, i lasted about a month before dropping it. haha
no i never really have to speak it. the main thing i remember is "maintnent, pour apprendre, les francais, nous avons invente une histoire!"
loosely translated: "now in order to learn french, we will read a book."
It'd be hilarious if they were mother / daughter.
In my early 20s, I spent some time in France and while it took me a bit to get into the groove of a different common language, I found myself unconsciously speaking/thinking in French...like where the mental translations were just gone.
you're all a bunch of whiney lil bitches if you think teaching is that bad if you got the right mindset and are good with people then go into it
40K right out of school with pretty good benefits is nothing to sneeze at... some room to grow too
not to mention, for every shitty moment there is something equally redeeming... and thats coming from a cynic like me
don't go into it if you're trying to relive your glory days or power trip... i know plenty of those types
I just read a list somewhere of the top 15 cities looking for teachers... i think there were 2 in CA, a couple in FL, and most in TX
GOOD LUCK
40K right out of school? I'm in the wrong state! I'm in my thirteenth year, have three degrees (BA, MA, and EdS) and am barely clearing 45K. No, I did not go into it for the money, but it is definately not a glamorous job. The government sticks their grimmy little hands deeper and deeper into education every year taking more and more of a teacher's control of what she can do in a classroom. Pretty soon we might as well be animated robots programed by the government but yet you can not discipline the ones who need it. Big brother is always watching.
Exactly . . . 40K right out of school is before taxes. After taxes, you live in fucking poverty). After 20 years in, you might make 70K if you continue to earn multiple degrees and move to the right state. I live in an affluent DC suburb, and my rent is almost 40% of my take-home, so fuck the 70K, too. I'll never be able to afford to save anything or buy a home, or even do anything more than take an annual Pearl Jam concert vacation. The idea that the hours are great is bullshit as well. I work 12-15 hour days five days a week, and the work is never over.
Honestly, I wouldn't even say the pay or the hours are my biggest complaint anyway, because I didn't go into teaching to get rich or have summers off. I went into it 20 years because I wanted to give back to society what it had given me. In the beginning of my career (1993), I could say that I loved everything about my job. I had creative freedom to design my own curriculum. Parents were trusting and supportive. Students didn't lie and manipulate about their teachers when they got home with the B+ (gasp) that they may have earned (as opposed to now which inflated by design). Now it's nothing but abuse all the way around. The kids are a bunch of high-strung perfectionists who are really great at answering multiple choice questions but God help us all when it's time for them to think creatively or critically about any problems. They have no resilience or persistence, and their parents (Gen-Xers who lost their fucking minds along the way) are completely neurotic. You wouldn't believe the abuse I take through e-mails, phone calls, and conferences on a regular basis. Then I sit in hours of meetings every week talking, talking, talking through a bunch of political mumbo-jumbo about "REFORM" which is really nothing more than administrators and politicians collecting "data" from standardized tests which are completely flawed instruments. All too often they make shit up just to appear like students are improving. For example, our current superintendent got a big write up in the paper about how he raised the reading passing rate to 94% while he's been in charge. The article didn't mention that before he took charge, the reading passing rate was 93%. In the meantime, teachers fill out reports every time the damn kids sneeze as though just filling out the report is going to miraculously do something for children.
I feel like we have a lost a whole generation of learners by handing over our educational system to the corporate, for-profit reformers like Bill Gates and the Walton Foundation and all these groups whose goals may be lofty but their methods SUCK. They have had nothing but a negative influence on the way public schools work, and some of these groups like the Rand Corporation and Cato have no qualms saying flat out that their purpose is to dismantle public education by overloading the system with its "reform" initiatives. The president and our lousy Secretary of Education have fallen for them hook, line, and sinker. Don't even get me started on the revolving door called Teach for America whereby well-to-do Ivy Leaguers spend two or three years in the public classroom and then leave to create for-profit consulting firms because somehow in three years they have learned everything there is to know about performing miracles.
I'm sorry I sound bitter. I am. With that said, I won't quit . . . because I'm completely subversive and I will resist and resist and resist until our school system starts to put kids first again.
So . . . OP, really . . . it's the absolute worst time in the history of public education to become a teacher. Don't do it unless you have incredible determination to overcome every obstacle put before you and a highly functioning bullshit meter.
My son's fourth grade teacher makes 125K a year, has great benefits and works 10 months a year.<br />
<br />
Sounds like a good gig to me. If you can fight through the poverty of the early years, and find the right town, it is a great career. Not to mention the personal rewards.<br />
<br />
This would signify the highest salary I have ever heard for a teacher... by far.<br />
<br />
If this is accurate, this is a private school paying this teacher and the tuition for attending is astronomical. The school has the opportunity to attract the finest teachers given what they are paying and I'm sure the programs are second to none.<br />
<br />
Congrats on being able to send your child to such a school.
Sorry just saw this. Public school. Tuition is $0.00. Annual school tax is $2500.
She has been in the school district for 14 years so she is one of the highest paid.
Average starting salary is around 65K
You can make more if you get a masters or doctorate. http://www.chappaqua.k12.ny.us/files/filesystem/Contract_CCT_2013-2015.pdf
Yes it is an expensive town to live in, but we chose it for the schools. There are several similar districts in this area.
Get a Masters. Spend a year or two in Madrid learning Spanish. You can teach English over there (TEFL) to gain experience and pay your rent(and great food and wine). Send your resume to a bunch of schools in high paying districts. Now as a fluent Spanish speaker with a Masters in teaching you will be headhunted.
Don't forget about the PDP (teachers professional development program). That is a two year program, full time, and mandatory for becoming a teacher (in Canada, anyway). You can't just get a degree and apply to be a teacher where I'm from. There is specialized eduction required too, and that is even if you did happen to get your Masters in Education (which wouldn't even be very useful if you want to teach high school - better to get a Masters in the subject you'll be teaching). And can anyone even become a teacher without a masters anymore? I don't know about the US, but here in Canada, you're just not competitive without a masters anymore. So many people apply to the PDP program that 95% of the time there isn't room for those applicants who didn't get that masters degree first. There are probably a few exceptions for very isolated post-secondary programs where no one in their right mind wants to live and certain programs that are trying to get more Aboriginal teachers into the system, but other than that, a bachelors degree gets you nowhere.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Don't forget about the PDP (teachers professional development program). That is a two year program, full time, and mandatory for becoming a teacher (in Canada, anyway). You can't just get a degree and apply to be a teacher where I'm from. There is specialized eduction required too, and that is even if you did happen to get your Masters in Education (which wouldn't even be very useful if you want to teach high school - better to get a Masters in the subject you'll be teaching). And can anyone even become a teacher without a masters anymore? I don't know about the US, but here in Canada, you're just not competitive without a masters anymore. So many people apply to the PDP program that 95% of the time there isn't room for those applicants who didn't get that masters degree first. There are probably a few exceptions for very isolated post-secondary programs where no one in their right mind wants to live and certain programs that are trying to get more Aboriginal teachers into the system, but other than that, a bachelors degree gets you nowhere.
you don't need a masters to teach here. At least not for little kids. High school I'm sure.
Comments
Mr. Sweitzer, who sparked an interest in science and math.
Mr. Swennumson, who spent his lunch hours for a whole year helping me prepare for the scholarship exam in English Literature (with a focus on the Metaphysical poets - so there, rgambs!). A whole year of his own time spent with one student - and what wonderful discussions we had! I still remember them 30 years later.
How you got through school with teachers named Dr Love and Madame Pusey is a mystery to me lol
I only remember the name of one of my teachers, and it's from High School, and the only reason I remember is name is cuz he thought I was his therapist. Either I'm a terrible person or I didn't have any of these amazing teachers like you guys did. Possibly a little of both.
LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435
And I doubt you're a terrible person. While it's something else to be positively impacted by even one teacher, I'm not sure it happens all that often - unfortunately.
I just loved her! A true Frenchwoman who taught not only the language but the authentic pronunciations.
My senior year, French was my first-period class and I showed up stoned almost every morning. Aced that shit too.
Do you ever have occasion to speak it these days?
no i never really have to speak it. the main thing i remember is "maintnent, pour apprendre, les francais, nous avons invente une histoire!"
loosely translated: "now in order to learn french, we will read a book."
In my early 20s, I spent some time in France and while it took me a bit to get into the groove of a different common language, I found myself unconsciously speaking/thinking in French...like where the mental translations were just gone.
So cool how our brains adapt.
Exactly . . . 40K right out of school is before taxes. After taxes, you live in fucking poverty). After 20 years in, you might make 70K if you continue to earn multiple degrees and move to the right state. I live in an affluent DC suburb, and my rent is almost 40% of my take-home, so fuck the 70K, too. I'll never be able to afford to save anything or buy a home, or even do anything more than take an annual Pearl Jam concert vacation. The idea that the hours are great is bullshit as well. I work 12-15 hour days five days a week, and the work is never over.
Honestly, I wouldn't even say the pay or the hours are my biggest complaint anyway, because I didn't go into teaching to get rich or have summers off. I went into it 20 years because I wanted to give back to society what it had given me. In the beginning of my career (1993), I could say that I loved everything about my job. I had creative freedom to design my own curriculum. Parents were trusting and supportive. Students didn't lie and manipulate about their teachers when they got home with the B+ (gasp) that they may have earned (as opposed to now which inflated by design). Now it's nothing but abuse all the way around. The kids are a bunch of high-strung perfectionists who are really great at answering multiple choice questions but God help us all when it's time for them to think creatively or critically about any problems. They have no resilience or persistence, and their parents (Gen-Xers who lost their fucking minds along the way) are completely neurotic. You wouldn't believe the abuse I take through e-mails, phone calls, and conferences on a regular basis. Then I sit in hours of meetings every week talking, talking, talking through a bunch of political mumbo-jumbo about "REFORM" which is really nothing more than administrators and politicians collecting "data" from standardized tests which are completely flawed instruments. All too often they make shit up just to appear like students are improving. For example, our current superintendent got a big write up in the paper about how he raised the reading passing rate to 94% while he's been in charge. The article didn't mention that before he took charge, the reading passing rate was 93%. In the meantime, teachers fill out reports every time the damn kids sneeze as though just filling out the report is going to miraculously do something for children.
I feel like we have a lost a whole generation of learners by handing over our educational system to the corporate, for-profit reformers like Bill Gates and the Walton Foundation and all these groups whose goals may be lofty but their methods SUCK. They have had nothing but a negative influence on the way public schools work, and some of these groups like the Rand Corporation and Cato have no qualms saying flat out that their purpose is to dismantle public education by overloading the system with its "reform" initiatives. The president and our lousy Secretary of Education have fallen for them hook, line, and sinker. Don't even get me started on the revolving door called Teach for America whereby well-to-do Ivy Leaguers spend two or three years in the public classroom and then leave to create for-profit consulting firms because somehow in three years they have learned everything there is to know about performing miracles.
I'm sorry I sound bitter. I am. With that said, I won't quit . . . because I'm completely subversive and I will resist and resist and resist until our school system starts to put kids first again.
So . . . OP, really . . . it's the absolute worst time in the history of public education to become a teacher. Don't do it unless you have incredible determination to overcome every obstacle put before you and a highly functioning bullshit meter.
Sorry just saw this. Public school. Tuition is $0.00. Annual school tax is $2500.
She has been in the school district for 14 years so she is one of the highest paid.
Average starting salary is around 65K
You can make more if you get a masters or doctorate.
http://www.chappaqua.k12.ny.us/files/filesystem/Contract_CCT_2013-2015.pdf
Yes it is an expensive town to live in, but we chose it for the schools. There are several similar districts in this area.
you don't need a masters to teach here. At least not for little kids. High school I'm sure.
LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435