Shedding Light on My Career Change

Many people heard the announcement that I changed careers and were shocked. Even more (at least at work) asked me if I was sure, and if I'm making sure to keep my certificate up to date just in case, and if I really think I can handle being away from education. So, I figured I'd shed some light on this decision.

In truth, there are a million reasons why I decided to leave education, but, to avoid having to type all those, I am going to narrow it down to the top 3 (in no specific order):
1. Money/Derek (yes, they're related, and I'll explain how)
2. Bullshit
3. Happiness

Let's start with the most glaringly obvious reason, money.

As a teacher I got paid crap, my benefits sucked, and I didn't get my first raise until the end of last year, and it resulted in a whooping $30/check (do the math, that's a $780 raise after 4 YEARS of busting my ass). I spend more than that on my classroom per check.

Now you might be thinking, "But Simone, you knew you would be getting paid crap when you got into it," and to an extent that's true. But really it's the benefits that kill it for me. Teaching is the ultimate bait and switch. You're told all along that you will get paid crap, BUT your benefits will be great, and you'll get to do what you love. Then you get into it and find out that your benefits could fit onto a handwritten index card and STILL leave space for all the asterisks explaining how each "benefit," is actually a detriment.

When you work for a corporation, your benefits look like this...

And that's really just a brief overview and the information on how you can access all of your benefits online. It's astounding. I went from having to literally steal my office chair from a conference room when everyone had already gone home for the day, to having someone walk by my desk and say, "Oh Simone, your desk appears to be empty. Let me go and get you supplies. Do you prefer black ink or blue? Would you like a big note pad or a small one?" It's stupid, but I was dumbfounded. My brain was like, "WOAH! You mean I don't have to make a stop by Walmart on the way home and get all this stuff? And I didn't even have to give blood or sell the rights to my first born (HA, JOKE'S ON YOU, I'M NOT HAVING ANY!)?!?!?" And the culture shock continued. There was a 6 page ergonomic evaluation to make sure that everything was comfortable for me. I was offered a wrist pad, a foot rest, a special mouse, and even had the choice of a single eared headset or a double--all FREE AND WITHOUT BEGGING!!

Now to those of you in the corporate world, this is standard procedure and not shocking at all, but for those of us in public education this is...

mind blowing! My head literally exploded. Fortunately that was no big deal because for the same cost as my "benefits," while teaching, I have better health insurance, better (and cheaper) dental, short term disability, long term disability, a huge life insurance policy, and a 401K that matches the first full 1%, and half of the rest up to 6%. But wait! There's more! There is also a FREE gym in my building, and I get a few crazy things I had never heard of before...

Yup, that's right, there are actually opportuinities for me to make MORE money. In fact, in my interview I said, "My goal is to work hard and be rewarded for my efforts. I don't want to be sitting at the same desk, doing the same thing, getting the same paycheck in 5 years," and ya know what I was told, "If you're sitting at the same desk, doing the same thing, getting the same paycheck in 5 years and it's not by choice, there's a serious problem."

But again you say, "But Simone, you knew it would suck." And, you're right. To an extent, I did. But things change, and that's how Derek is related to all this. His job is physical, and, unfortunately, bodies have a shelf life. I realized that if for some reason his paycheck were no longer available--even if that isn't for another 10+ years, I couldn't pay our mortgage, and that's a problem. With my new career, I may not be able to swing it on my own now, but I know that I will be able to, and I should be able to soon.

So that sums up the most obvious reason, now on to #2, Bullshit.

Education is so full of BS I literally had to swim in it everyday to get to my classroom. Here is a basic run down of the most prominent BS that contributed to my decision:

• A large percentage of my evaluation is based on test scores, but they aren't necessarily mine. In fact, when I was teaching 1st grade (although this didn't apply then) my "scores" would actually be a school score that is made by looking at 3rd-5th FCAT scores, regardless of whether or not I ever taught those kids. To further complicate this, this is based on pass/fail, and I have no choice in who walks through my door. So, let's say that I get a student who is a double retainee and reads on a Kindergarten level (true story). I bust my hump and get him to a mid-year second grade reading level. Impressive, huh? Not impressive enough, because a mid-year 2nd grade reading level isn't enough to pass FCAT, so when he fails, I am to blame, and my evaluation is effected negatively. 
• But it gets worse. Teachers now have no choice in HOW they teach something, or what they use to teach something. The decision is made for us, and while we are welcome to give our input, it is rarely acknowledged and often ignored. So, let's say that I completely disagree with a program, and I KNOW from my years of experience and professional development that it will negatively effect the kids and therefore their scores (again, true story). I could say something, sure, but it doesn't mater because I will be written up if I don't comply and do as I'm told. Then when the program does exactly what I said it would, and my kids scores tank, it's my fault?!?! According to my evaluation, it is.
• Even worse, I am insulted on a regular basis by being given scripted programs that a trained monkey could use. What exactly was the point of going to college and learning HOW to teach if all I'm allowed to do when I get in the classroom is read a script?
• Teaching is the only career (at least that I know of) where people who perform above and beyond get fired for no reason at all. It's the only job where once a year hundreds of teachers who excel in their field get fired due to "numbers," and "cuts." Sure, this kind of  thing happens to other careers, but on an annual basis? No. Even after 4 years of service (thanks to our fabulous governor who got rid of tenure), my job wasn't secure. Even if I got the top scores in my grade I could get fired (and one year that's exactly what happened to me).
• If I want a damn piece of construction paper, I have to sell my soul to the lady who guards them, or buy it myself. In fact, the teacher's creed is, "Beg, Borrow, or Steal." There is no one coming around to ask you your preference of blue or black ink. Instead, someone is saying, "You've already used 3 pens this year, you've reached your max." But the money doesn't stop at supplies. If I want games, which I am highly encouraged to have, I need to buy them. My library? Fully stocked by my wallet. And what if I don't do these things you ask? My kids, and undoubtedly their scores, suffer.
• The workload is insurmountable. I used to get to work at least an hour early every day, leave an hour or more late, and bring home papers to grade every weekend, and I was never caught up. Never. As soon as one thing gets done, I am given orders to do 7 more. And it is expected that all of this gets done with 30 minutes of plan time, and 40 minutes of specials, which is filled with meetings every day that add to the workload.

Really, I could go on forever. But to sum it up, I couldn't take the BS anymore. Sure, every job has BS, but there is a limit to the amount and severity of the stank that I am willing to deal with, and education FAR exceeds that limit.

Which leads me to the final reason, happiness. This reason confuses most, and it should. Most say, "But don't you love teaching," and the truth is, I do. I love it whole-hardheartedly (<- is that word for real? Spell check says that's how it's spelt, but I don't believe it). But every aspect of what I love about it was slowly being chipped away, and with the added work and limited pay I was left with a conundrum: When I teach, I get paid crap and work insane hours, so I have no time for enjoyment/happiness outside of my work. So, I need to get my enjoyment/happiness out of my work. This used to be possible. But the BS level killed that, and I was coming home every day in a miserable mood. I was drinking more wine than should be legal. And I was an overall grump.

So I had a decision to make: Do I stick with it? Or do I look for something that I might not love to the point that I get enjoyment/happiness out of it, but I'm content. AND that I get paid enough and have enough time to enjoy my life outside of work. I decided on the latter, and I couldn't be happier. I am now somewhere where I am respected and appreciated. More so, I am valued as an asset. I work somewhere where it is their mission to keep me happy so that I don't leave.

Here was my biggest moment of insight...

On the left is the "gift," I received during Teacher Appreciation Week. A "gift," to thank me for 4 years of busting my hump, staying late, and spending countless dollars on my room. On the right is a handout my new company gave me for attending a job fair. I "earned," this after walking around a room and having mini interviews for 30 minutes. It seems stupid, but absolutely symbolizes this is the difference between working for public education, and working for a corporation.

I know what I have earned, what I deserve, and what I have worked for. Unfortunately, the public school system doesn't.