Even though I am a teacher and in the pension system, my situation is very different from other teachers. This difference has me in a weird position.
When I left teaching to have N, I rolled all of my pension into an IRA because I didn't know what my future plans were. I had 3.5 years of service.
Now that I am back subbing in the district, I am once again in the pension system. However, because I don't substitute a ton, it will take me forever to accrue much money. In two years of subbing, I might have $1300 in my pension at this moment. It's not something I'd want to lose, but its also not something I can live on.
Even if I started teaching full-time today, I would never get a full pension because I don't expect I'll want to teach full-time after age 65, especially since I don't know that I have the energy to teach full-time in my mid-40s.
So I have a personal investment in the pension system, but at this moment, at least, it is not a strong investment.
As a sub, it has been lower-case frustrating to be in the midst of the politics because subs don't get paid if they don't work. I was supposed to sub the Friday before Spring Break, but that got canceled when the district couldn't find enough subs. As much as I support teachers and public education, I would be lying if I said it hasn't ramped up my anxiety to be wondering, "Should I take this job because it might be canceled if there is a sick-out?" or "Will I get dinged for not working enough days if these sick-outs continue?" And there is also the uncomfortable feeling of "I want to support teachers but I would also like to work." It is one of those times where the greater good feels at odds with my own personal good. I have to remember that while my pocketbook is thinking of the short-term, I have to think of the long-term game.
I didn't put any thought into being in a pension when I decided to become a teacher. A pension was not a draw. I had worked full-time and had a 401(k) and contributed to Social Security). My salary actually increased when I became a teacher (which is sad). I became a teacher because I wanted organized chaos and busyness. After I became a teacher, I realized that I really love working with kids.
Being a sub has reminded me of a lot of the work that I had forgotten when I left full-time instruction. I forgot the staff meetings, the team meetings, and the department meetings that teachers put their time and energy into. I forgot the parent/teacher conferences. I forgot the Open Houses for registered students and the Open Houses for prospective teachers. I forgot the sub plans and the recovery from what the subs do with your lessons. I forgot the time crunch of submitting grades. I forgot the SBARC meetings during planning periods. I forgot the modifications for students with IEPs. I forgot the grading that never ends. I forgot the field trip planning; collecting money, getting chaperones, coordinating buses, and everything else that is involved. I forgot about holding detention after school when I wasn't in a staff, team, or department meeting. I forgot the professional development on gold days and during summer before school begins. I forgot about being a staff moderator for an extracurricular activity. I forgot about calling and emailing parents. I forgot so much that full-time teachers do of which the general public isn't cognizant.
This isn't to say that teachers are saints. They are human and flawed. And some teachers should be tossed out on their butts because they undermine their teams or simply aren't good teachers to students. Although I support labor unions, there are some things about unions that aren't so great, and the inability to get rid of ineffective or downright detrimental teachers is one of those things.
And this isn't to say that monies to fund education are always spent in the wisest way. I remember getting money each year to buy supplies for the classroom. I didn't need extra paper or pencils or crayons, but I did need class sets of reading level books for the kids who weren't at grade-level. We couldn't "save up" the money over a couple years, so sometimes grade level teacher colleagues and I would pool our money to buy class sets and share them with each other.
In addition to teachers not being saints, politicians aren't either. They sometimes say and do stupid things.
Don't get me wrong: I say and do stupid things all.the.time.
But I am not a politician under intense media scrutiny. I just interviewed a local politician the other day for a magazine article, and this is one of the things we talked about: how as a political figure, you never get to relax. You are always potentially "on." That has to be difficult.
Still, what has been lost is a basic civility. Even if you don't agree, you can say that in ways that are not antagonizing and insulting. You can disagree while still supporting people's basic rights to peacefully organize. As a writer and a writing teacher, I think about this a lot. You have to have to think about how your audience will read or hear what you are writing or saying. Unfortunately, some of our politicians allow their frustrations to come out of their mouths, further alienating their constituents.
Perhaps those politicians need to come sit in on my class?
Perhaps these politicians need to think of better go-to analogies for what protesting teachers are, rather than thugs or high schoolers wanting a better car?
When I left teaching to have N, I rolled all of my pension into an IRA because I didn't know what my future plans were. I had 3.5 years of service.
Now that I am back subbing in the district, I am once again in the pension system. However, because I don't substitute a ton, it will take me forever to accrue much money. In two years of subbing, I might have $1300 in my pension at this moment. It's not something I'd want to lose, but its also not something I can live on.
Even if I started teaching full-time today, I would never get a full pension because I don't expect I'll want to teach full-time after age 65, especially since I don't know that I have the energy to teach full-time in my mid-40s.
So I have a personal investment in the pension system, but at this moment, at least, it is not a strong investment.
As a sub, it has been lower-case frustrating to be in the midst of the politics because subs don't get paid if they don't work. I was supposed to sub the Friday before Spring Break, but that got canceled when the district couldn't find enough subs. As much as I support teachers and public education, I would be lying if I said it hasn't ramped up my anxiety to be wondering, "Should I take this job because it might be canceled if there is a sick-out?" or "Will I get dinged for not working enough days if these sick-outs continue?" And there is also the uncomfortable feeling of "I want to support teachers but I would also like to work." It is one of those times where the greater good feels at odds with my own personal good. I have to remember that while my pocketbook is thinking of the short-term, I have to think of the long-term game.
I didn't put any thought into being in a pension when I decided to become a teacher. A pension was not a draw. I had worked full-time and had a 401(k) and contributed to Social Security). My salary actually increased when I became a teacher (which is sad). I became a teacher because I wanted organized chaos and busyness. After I became a teacher, I realized that I really love working with kids.
Being a sub has reminded me of a lot of the work that I had forgotten when I left full-time instruction. I forgot the staff meetings, the team meetings, and the department meetings that teachers put their time and energy into. I forgot the parent/teacher conferences. I forgot the Open Houses for registered students and the Open Houses for prospective teachers. I forgot the sub plans and the recovery from what the subs do with your lessons. I forgot the time crunch of submitting grades. I forgot the SBARC meetings during planning periods. I forgot the modifications for students with IEPs. I forgot the grading that never ends. I forgot the field trip planning; collecting money, getting chaperones, coordinating buses, and everything else that is involved. I forgot about holding detention after school when I wasn't in a staff, team, or department meeting. I forgot the professional development on gold days and during summer before school begins. I forgot about being a staff moderator for an extracurricular activity. I forgot about calling and emailing parents. I forgot so much that full-time teachers do of which the general public isn't cognizant.
This isn't to say that teachers are saints. They are human and flawed. And some teachers should be tossed out on their butts because they undermine their teams or simply aren't good teachers to students. Although I support labor unions, there are some things about unions that aren't so great, and the inability to get rid of ineffective or downright detrimental teachers is one of those things.
And this isn't to say that monies to fund education are always spent in the wisest way. I remember getting money each year to buy supplies for the classroom. I didn't need extra paper or pencils or crayons, but I did need class sets of reading level books for the kids who weren't at grade-level. We couldn't "save up" the money over a couple years, so sometimes grade level teacher colleagues and I would pool our money to buy class sets and share them with each other.
In addition to teachers not being saints, politicians aren't either. They sometimes say and do stupid things.
Don't get me wrong: I say and do stupid things all.the.time.
But I am not a politician under intense media scrutiny. I just interviewed a local politician the other day for a magazine article, and this is one of the things we talked about: how as a political figure, you never get to relax. You are always potentially "on." That has to be difficult.
Still, what has been lost is a basic civility. Even if you don't agree, you can say that in ways that are not antagonizing and insulting. You can disagree while still supporting people's basic rights to peacefully organize. As a writer and a writing teacher, I think about this a lot. You have to have to think about how your audience will read or hear what you are writing or saying. Unfortunately, some of our politicians allow their frustrations to come out of their mouths, further alienating their constituents.
Perhaps those politicians need to come sit in on my class?
Perhaps these politicians need to think of better go-to analogies for what protesting teachers are, rather than thugs or high schoolers wanting a better car?
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