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In todays Salisbury Post, in the want ads, There is going to be an open house event in Winston for teachers. It is being run to attract teachers to Va.
I guess the Board of Ed. in Va. feels they can find a lot of good candidates in NC.
While I am not a NC teacher and I have just recently begun reading about the issues in regards to teacher pay (since I am researching a move to NC), I can say that for me personally salary is one (major) factor that conveys to me how much my position is valued. I have been up and down the teacher pay scale depending where I worked. Barring my first two years teaching, where I happily worked 10-12 hour days, my salary and benefits package determined how invested I was in my profession.
There were some non-negotiables for me no matter what my salary such as I always differentiated for my students to meet their needs (to the best of my ability), I was available at lunch and/or after school to help my students, and I would never turn down a colleague who wanted to collaborate. BUT, what did change, based on my salary, was my commitment to the profession when it infringed on my own time--checking/responding to emails at night and on weekends, paying for materials out of pocket (I never could stop this completely, but I might only spend a few hundred vs. a few thousand), whether I sent weekly vs. monthly newsletters, how accommodating I was to planning/hosting evening events such as conferences, math/literacy nights, etc., and the types of professional development I would spend time and/or money pursuing (to name a few). These might not seem like big deals to some people, but to me I noticed a huge difference in the schools/districts with lower salaries vs. higher ones in the dedication of staff and whether it was viewed as more of a job or a profession, which in MY opinion had an impact on the learning environment for the students. Although at different points in my life, I wanted "less" of a career and more of a job, hence my moving up and down the pay scale by choosing different schools/districts.
So all of this was to say, that although the best in the profession might be lured to those higher salaries in other areas, some might not (but not be necessarily happy). Again, I am not from this state, nor have I ever taught here, so maybe my experience with salaries and teaching in VA and MD are completely different than here. So please take my thoughts as just my own personal experience.
While I am not a NC teacher and I have just recently begun reading about the issues in regards to teacher pay (since I am researching a move to NC), I can say that for me personally salary is one (major) factor that conveys to me how much my position is valued. I have been up and down the teacher pay scale depending where I worked. Barring my first two years teaching, where I happily worked 10-12 hour days, my salary and benefits package determined how invested I was in my profession.
There were some non-negotiables for me no matter what my salary such as I always differentiated for my students to meet their needs (to the best of my ability), I was available at lunch and/or after school to help my students, and I would never turn down a colleague who wanted to collaborate. BUT, what did change, based on my salary, was my commitment to the profession when it infringed on my own time--checking/responding to emails at night and on weekends, paying for materials out of pocket (I never could stop this completely, but I might only spend a few hundred vs. a few thousand), whether I sent weekly vs. monthly newsletters, how accommodating I was to planning/hosting evening events such as conferences, math/literacy nights, etc., and the types of professional development I would spend time and/or money pursuing (to name a few). These might not seem like big deals to some people, but to me I noticed a huge difference in the schools/districts with lower salaries vs. higher ones in the dedication of staff and whether it was viewed as more of a job or a profession, which in MY opinion had an impact on the learning environment for the students. Although at different points in my life, I wanted "less" of a career and more of a job, hence my moving up and down the pay scale by choosing different schools/districts.
So all of this was to say, that although the best in the profession might be lured to those higher salaries in other areas, some might not (but not be necessarily happy). Again, I am not from this state, nor have I ever taught here, so maybe my experience with salaries and teaching in VA and MD are completely different than here. So please take my thoughts as just my own personal experience.
Don't move to NC. You are very likely to be expected to do all of those things on your own time.
Don't move to NC. You are very likely to be expected to do all of those things on your own time.
I am becoming increasingly disheartened with the direction of public education. Our move to NC, would include me staying home with our toddler. I am not sure if I will ever return to public K-12 education again...but will never say never.
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