<<sigh>>
I'll try to address several posts here, but Arch and Defiant's posts are a bit upsetting. People
think they know, but they really don't.
Michelle.........
Averages for a class: I have taught as many as 34 students in each class. I have had classes as low as 14. Inner city schools tend to have more kids per class, which is pretty crazy, because those are the kids that are harder to control and need more individual attention.
I think you want to look for a school that has about a 20 to 1 ratio. 18 is really good, but there aren't a ton of schools that have that. The low 20s are okay. More than 25 and your kid can get lost in the shuffle, especially if they aren't a discipline problem. Yes, I said they aren't a discipline problem. Or, if they are are very quiet and just go about their business. In other words, they aren't seeking attention like some brighter students do.
Salary: It depends on the state. I've taught in Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
In Ohio, districts have different pay scales. PDawg is right. Inner city schools in Ohio pay more. The thinking of schools in the suburbs is that the kids are well behaved, and less headaches generally mean less pay. Not always the case, but a good rule of thumb.
In North and South Carolina, all teachers are on a scale. First year teachers get a certain amount; second year teachers another amount, etc, etc. You also get more if you have 18 plus graduate hours, and even more still if you get your Master's or Doctorate. Of course, neither of those states have an union, and teachers are forced to work longer hours, have more duty details, and have less prep time than teachers in a state like Ohio.
DC................
Teachers don't do it for the money. I made $97,000 in 1991. I was in the business field. I quit and took a job making $18,000 in 1992. It isn't about the money.
Let me give you a story. I worked in a middle class school in Ohio and loved every minute of it. Great kids. Great parents. Great community. I then took a job working in a school district that had the highest income per capita in the state of Ohio. I went there because I took a coaching job that was intriguing. I really didn't like the kids there. Didn't like the parents. Everyone had rights. Kids who were in the gifted program also had IEPs, which meant they didn't have to do as much work as the everyday Joe.
I decided to go into the inner city because I thought I could make more of a difference there. PDawg's right again.........most teachers who work in the inner city schools in Ohio are passed over by the "good" schools. That wasn't the case w/me, but I like trying different things. I picked Cleveland's East side. I went to an alternative school where they had armed guards, metal detectors, dogs that sniffed each kid as he entered, etc. I really liked it there. I touched a lot of lives there. We had teachers who literally left in the middle of the day. Teachers were getting their asses kicked, hit w/books, stabbed, etc. I never had to go through any of that, so that was cool. I did sort of burn out after three years though. The stress of trying to pass the End of Year tests was unreal. This is where I had 34 kids in a room. I had one class w/34 kids........Six were DH, meaning I had to fill out forms answering whether they were capable of pointing at their behinds if they messed themselves............21 LD kids, which is Learning Disabled.........and 7 kids w/no plan at all, but 5 of them needed one. My kids set records for that school and school district for percentage of kids who passed the Proficiency test. I won some awards. But, the best thing was the notes I got from the kids. One big black girl who was as nasty as they came at the beginning of the year..........she used to beat the out of the guys.............wrote to me at the end of the year. She thanked me and said that I was the only person in her life who ever cared for her and even more importantly.......believed in her. When I get depressed, I take those letters/notes out and read them.
That's why we teach, DC. Not all of us..........but, I can only speak for myself!
arch: You want to know my hours today? I got there at 6:20 and left at 7:30. My "Planning period" consisted of attending an IEP conference w/a parent who came in drunk. Yep, at 7:55 in the morning. She was bitching up a storm at most people, although she liked me. I was actually late getting back to my room and had to hear about that, as if it was my fault. My lunch? LOL..........didn't get one. I had duty for part of it and met w/a parent the other half. I ate a few grapes as I made my way back to class. I got paid for 7 hours.
That is NOT an atypical day for me. I do admit that I arrive much earlier and stay later than other teachers, but man............don't give me this that we have it made.
Answer this..........why do 1 out of 3 teachers leave the profession w/in five years? Because we have it so freaking good? You are looking at things on the surface. Not saying this in a mean way, but you have no clue what happens in many schools. In fact, when I get off here tonight, I have to get on the net and research new ways to teach. I'm not one to teach out of a book. I have papers to grade. I will be up until after midnight and get back up at 5:00 a.m. I'll go in and deal w/kids whose momma wasn't home last night. I'll deal w/kids who come in so freaking angry that they either beat the crap out of someone or just breakdown and cry...and sometimes they do both. I'll deal w/an administration that sends me an email saying this and this needs to be done by a specific deadline. No advance warning. Forget it if you had a lesson where you need to be actively involved. Just do it!
And I'll do it while many people don't respect what the hell I do or think I have a gravy job. I'll do it because I really, truly believe that what I do is important. And damn it..............it is important. I will do it because I want to give this world MORE than it freaking gives me. I'll do it for the greater good.
But, let me tell you all something............at the end of the day.......I can look the man in the mirror right in the face and KNOW that I'm one honest SOB. And that is something that I couldn't say when I was making big money in business. You see...........I do not do it for the money, the early retirement, the benefits, the time off.....but instead...........because I know that I am a "giver" and not a "taker."
Parents should be more involved. They aren't.
Forget the bonds. Schools can only ask for help for so long. They do all the time and very few parents help out. Or donate some $$$ to a school if you don’t want too or can’t help out.
Maybe you and I should consider doing some volunteer recruiting...