I am not a typical educator, but I do identify as one in all my bios or introductions. It’s not like I go to a party and say, “Oh, hi. I’m Cindy. I’m an educator,” but in certain professional situations I refer to myself as educator rather than teacher because in the world of education, I’m not one. I teach…but I’m not a certified teacher.
Over the years, I’ve come to terms with the archaic system that is public and higher education in this country. It used to make me really mad; I had the experience, I had the degree—at least one of them—but for anyone handing out jobs, I just didn’t measure up. I’ve had to carve out my own niche and I’ve grown to like it a lot. I am a writer and an educator—and that about covers everything I do. Even the stuff Angelo likes to call my “Volunteer” work. He always says, if there’s a job that needs to be done, with long hours and no money—Cindy will do it! (In my defense, I don’t always do it…but he does have a point.)
Even though typical education has disappointed me, I value education for all the regular reasons. And I love teachers. Teachers get bashed more than DMV workers or road crews. The so-called summers off are sneered at, although who wouldn’t take a job with summers off? (They don’t really get summers off by the way. . .many of them continue their own education or teach.) In Connecticut, we’re so archaic that our towns vote on the school budget (and lately, there are folks in our town who want to vote on the school curriculum—no thanks.) That means all those people who grew up just fine without all these computers and special ed programs get to vote down the budget every year if they think it’s costing the town too much money. If our budget gets voted down, the superintendent has to go back and cut money out of it—and that typically means jobs. And that’s just one disadvantage of being a public school employee; your livelihood is subject to the whims of the people who live in your town.
And their opinions. Do the guys who meet for coffee at the diner think you’re making too much money? They’ll say so. Does the lady at the grocery store think you could do a better job teaching math? Then you better take care of that! It’s not all negative; some community members work hard to support the teaching staff and administration. But just wait ‘til you get another job.
For some reason, teachers and administrators are held to a different standard than almost anyone else. Recently a friend of mine—an administrator—got another job. She had only been in her previous one a little over a year—and during that year had taken a lot of flack for some of her decisions—but when she was sought out for a job with more experience and more money, she took it. Because that’s what we do, right? Choose a career path and then plan or fall into the steps that will take us to success in that career, like better working conditions, more money, increased responsibility, added benefits. For most educators—teachers and administrators alike—they have invested a lot of money in their own educations. Ph.D.s don’t come cheap, but that’s typically the requirement for a superintendent. If that Ph.D. leaves, you’d think they’d absconded with the town gold and the mayor’s daughter (or son…even worse!).
Why aren’t public education jobs like every other job? In what other profession does someone get dunned for seeking a better position? In almost every other career, a move up the ladder comes with a sheet cake in the breakroom; even politicians who leave their elected positions don’t have to face the criticism and censure that a school administrator does. Suddenly, the guy you loved criticizing—and even insulting at times—is leaving and now that’s the worst thing he’s ever done! We don’t want to pay our educators top dollar, but we expect them to stay in jobs that don’t adequately compensate them. It’s hypocritical at best and discriminatory at worst.
Our current 19th century public education system is groaning under the weight of a 21st century world in which jobs look very different, but must still be maintained to provide opportunities to our kids. Horace Mann, the founder of public education, believed that, “Education is best provided in schools embracing children of all religious, social, and ethnic backgrounds.” Public school teachers and administrators never know who’s going to walk through the classroom door, but they have to be prepared to teach them all. Granted, teaching is a different job than most, but it is still a job. People get to make work decisions for personal reasons just like everyone else. They have to consider their own goals, their families and what they want in this life. Why should it be any other way?