Insider Public School Teacher Opinion

[creakins]

Hi everyone,

 

Years ago, after building up a major amount of debt, I succeeded at getting a general arts degree in music.  Yay!!  I took a bank loan to learn how to shake a tambourine better than most people.  The only way to pay that loan back was to find a job, I was told, by my very controlling parents.  (They co-signed for the debt load).  I got a job teaching public school music.  I've been doing it for the past 7 years and I absolutely hate my job, and do not believe the in the public school system anymore.

 

This has "inspired" me to turn a new corner.  I'm filing my papers to resign for the end of the year and going back to school to learn about internet marketing and SEO.  I can't believe how much is resources are just wasted.  A man, who is the head of my board, makes well over the 100,000 mark, just to sign off on a new board slogan, "Inspire Learning."  Inspired bullshit!

 

I'm afraid to make the switch for a few reasons.  1.  I know that I will forever have a job as a teacher in the public school system.  2.  My pay will increase and I do not have to increase the quality of my work, in fact I can actually lower the quality of my work now that I've had my assessment.  3.  My colleagues and parents think that I am insane for wanting to leave this world and tell me on a regular basis that I am throwing away my golden ticket.  4.  I am going to lose my health benefits.  What I realized today, was that none of the fears really outbalance the benefits of true freedom.

 

Has anyone else made this giant leap into the unknown?  Into the world where you can truly become a self made person?  If so, I'd appreciate any advice you might have on the subject.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

C

[Dylan Lawrence Moore]

I graduated with a degree in chemistry and with a job in a lab at an oil refinery. I was an intern there while I was still in school and I had a guaranteed job upon graduating. My family sang my praises about how I found such a good offer. The only problem was, I absolutely hated it. It was like working with 400 Homer Simpsons and having my soul slowing but surely getting sucked out of me, day in, day out.

 

So I quit six months before I graduated and ran away screaming. A little more than a year later I sold, gave away, or threw away any crap that was holding me down and bought a one-way plane ticket on the other side of the country to stay with my friends. I did that for about a year before things didn't work out so well, so I bought another one way plane ticket to Europe without a plan, where I stayed for two and a half years in total.

 

After being gone from home for nearly three and a half years, I finally came back, where people still look at me in shock and ask me how I could have possibly quit such a good job at the oil refinery. When I tell them it was because I hated it, they just shrug it off like I'm the dumb one.

 

Don't listen to them and do what you need to do. They sure as hell won't listen to you.

[dsayers]

Thank you for sharing your dilemma and especially for seeing through the bullshit.

 

My biggest question is: How does paying into a system for more schooling follow learning that the schooling system is broken?

 

Also, in order to not perpetuate the hiding of the coercion, I stick with calling them government schools.

[creakins]

DSAYERS,

 

Thank you for your insite.  You are absolutely correct in wondering how paying into more schooling for me, would assume that the schooling system is broken.  I do not believe that education is a bad thing, but I do not enjoy that I have paid into a system because I thought it was what I had to do.  Paying for some extra skills training is something I might have to invest in, or start studying on my own.  I have been interested in search engine optimization for a while now and have been reading a lot about it on my own.  I think you've given me another option.  I could self learn what I want to do, rather than get sucked back up into the same cycle that I am trying to fight my way out of.  I have a few business ideas that I want to pursue and was thinking that taking a course in Marketing would help me break into a new industry.  But the reality is, that I might be stuck on my parental advice (which was often more "my way or the highway").  I am still learning myself and I really appreciate your question to ponder.  Thank you.

 

 

[dsayers]

I have a few business ideas that I want to pursue and was thinking that taking a course in Marketing would help me break into a new industry.

 

It certainly might. I am by no means saying don't partake of schooling. I was just pointing out, as it would appear you already understand, that schooling isn't the same as education.

 

Good luck to you with whichever route you choose.

[corpus mentium]

Hey creakins,

 

My wife and I worked in a charter school (I was a teacher's assistant) and we both quit after one year to take our small savings and expatriate. We moved to another country with our student debt, no immediate job prospects, managed to navigate the bureaucracy, got visas and business paperwork with absolutely minimal outside help and now have been here for several years, managing our own individual small teaching businesses. I feel that I am now at the threshold of hiring more teachers to help me out because I have enjoyed some reasonable demand even in lackluster economic times. We had little previous entrepreneurial experience to speak of, certainly nothing self-sustaining. As I write this I think back on it and say to myself "WTF?! I can't believe I did that!" I am actually thinking about doing it again because I feel like I chose the wrong country in some respects. Still, all things considered, I would say that I am self-made and I feel a quite a nice degree of satisfaction from that. I want to thank you for posing the question because I hadn't really thought about it before! 

 

How do the following questions strike you?

 

• Do you really need to go back to university to learn the things you want to transition into? How many courses do you think you need? Another whole degree? Can you find what you need online for much cheaper or even for free?

 

• How are you going to secure yourself quality education if you go back to uni? Have you looked at the potential professors? What have other students said about them? Do you really need to go to uni to learn from these people or might there be a better source of training? How much practical real-world experience and success do the professors actually have? Perhaps more importantly, what is their current ratio of university teaching to working for an actual company with actual everyday problems? Could you contact some of the really good ones and work out some kind of individual system with them so that they can better cater to your specific goals?

 

Just for disclosure: I went to university and racked up some student debt without finally taking a degree. It got to the point where I didn't feel a music degree was going to be worth the huge amount of debt it was eventually going to bring me. I wasn't that good of a performer. I had taken most of the classes of interest to me and another two years of uninteresting general education courses and more than double the debt due to rising tuition just didn't make sense to me. In some ways I regret this, in others I still feel it was the best decision. The question I posted above are the same questions I ask myself from time to time when I consider learning new useful abilities.

 

I hope this helps!

 

 

 

Edit: I corrected a mistake in vocabulary. I wanted to disclose not disclaim.

 

I am also adding here some clarification on my regrets for not finishing my degree. I regret it because I feel like I didn't follow through on a major project. This is something I struggle with in other projects but not so much in my business because if I fail at that, eviction, hunger, and other general unpleasantness would be the consequences. On the other hand, not finishing my degree feels right because I didn't take on more unnecessary debt and waste more precious time.

[creakins]

Hey creakins,

 

My wife and I worked in a charter school (I was a teacher's assistant) and we both quit after one year to take our small savings and expatriate. We moved to another country with our student debt, no immediate job prospects, managed to navigate the bureaucracy, got visas and business paperwork with absolutely minimal outside help and now have been here for several years, managing our own individual small teaching businesses. I feel that I am now at the threshold of hiring more teachers to help me out because I have enjoyed some reasonable demand even in lackluster economic times. We had little previous entrepreneurial experience to speak of, certainly nothing self-sustaining. As I write this I think back on it and say to myself "WTF?! I can't believe I did that!" I am actually thinking about doing it again because I feel like I chose the wrong country in some respects. Still, all things considered, I would say that I am self-made and I feel a quite a nice degree of satisfaction from that. I want to thank you for posing the question because I hadn't really thought about it before! 

 

How do the following questions strike you?

 

• Do you really need to go back to university to learn the things you want to transition into? How many courses do you think you need? Another whole degree? Can you find what you need online for much cheaper or even for free?

 

• How are you going to secure yourself quality education if you go back to uni? Have you looked at the potential professors? What have other students said about them? Do you really need to go to uni to learn from these people or might there be a better source of training? How much practical real-world experience and success do the professors actually have? Perhaps more importantly, what is their current ratio of university teaching to working for an actual company with actual everyday problems? Could you contact some of the really good ones and work out some kind of individual system with them so that they can better cater to your specific goals?

 

Just for disclosure: I went to university and racked up some student debt without finally taking a degree. It got to the point where I didn't feel a music degree was going to be worth the huge amount of debt it was eventually going to bring me. I wasn't that good of a performer. I had taken most of the classes of interest to me and another two years of uninteresting general education courses and more than double the debt due to rising tuition just didn't make sense to me. In some ways I regret this, in others I still feel it was the best decision. The question I posted above are the same questions I ask myself from time to time when I consider learning new useful abilities.

 

I hope this helps!

 

 

 

Edit: I corrected a mistake in vocabulary. I wanted to disclose not disclaim.

 

I am also adding here some clarification on my regrets for not finishing my degree. I regret it because I feel like I didn't follow through on a major project. This is something I struggle with in other projects but not so much in my business because if I fail at that, eviction, hunger, and other general unpleasantness would be the consequences. On the other hand, not finishing my degree feels right because I didn't take on more unnecessary debt and waste more precious time.

 

Brilliant way to think about things Corpus.

 

The real point to learning is happiness in the end.  Currently I am not happy with the system I am in.  I feel like it has allowed me to fail as a musician.  Now because I am a failed musician in a classroom, I don't teach music at the absolute best quality that a successful musician might.  I myself would never just go to a person who can kinda play an instrument to teach me how to get better...  I seek out the experts.  I've done this on a number of occasions where I have just found someone to study with for a period of time.

 

I think where I am the most scared is how I will make rent and buy food.  I've been teaching for 7 years and its scary to leave the person who has kept me well fed for this long.  I know that I can be an expert musician and private music educator if I really slug out some work.  There's a number of things I need to do to be successful there.  Learning how to create a website where I can really sell myself, and market to my specific target audience, is something that I need to learn to become successful at life - happiness.

 

In the past two weeks, I have already been hired onto a band to play drums, and need to move back to the downtown area to be involved with that.  So the answer to your questions is simple.  No schooling will train me to take the reigns of my own life and happiness.  The subjects I want to learn about are easily accessible and I just have to start doing it.  If I get stuck, I'm sure I could find someone to pay for a little advice to get unstuck.  The system that I am in right now also has the option to just take a leave of absence without actually giving up my job.  That would give me a solid year to be successful somewhat safely.  I wonder if that security net will actually hinder my progress though.  I've been taught that its a bad move to burn a bridge unless you're safely on the other side.

 

I have a lot of learning to do between now and the end of the school year.

 

Thank you for your guiding questions.

[corpus mentium]

Just speaking about my own personal experiences, long before expatriating I had always wanted to at least try the route of self-employment. For me the problem was that I always had some safety net. I could always go back and work for my dad. After I left my home state I could always find some kind of menial job for the time being to make ends meet. Every time I tried something entrepreneurial I would accomplish something but then lose motivation shortly after and fall back on my day job before my efforts ever really gained any traction. I can totally understand why someone would want a safety net, though. I think that it can probably help alleviate the stress of risk for certain types of people. For me the safety net was more like a crutch.

 

When I moved out of country it was sink or swim. I had to make it happen. My residence permit depended on it. I was running ads, responding to wanted ads for private tutors and taking inconveniently located teaching gigs for lower than average pay. The first year had a definite learning curve with negotiating in a foreign language, paperwork, etc. Before the beginning of the second school year, I was better prepared and had things in place to catch the wave of people returning from their holidays. I could be more selective with those I took on as clients. Word of mouth started taking off and I haven't needed to advertise in the last 4 years. I can only imagine what would happen if I started advertising again. I am a little nervous at taking that step because it's a big change of gears to hire more teachers and organize a larger teaching location. I am nearly at that point now even without running ads.

 

With your current situation it sounds like if you can take a leave of absence then you basically get 15 months to have a go at what you want to do. Your backup plan could simply be a return to the job you hate. Would keeping that in mind be a motivator for you? For me the only safety net I really had was my return plane ticket and I really, really didn't want to use it. 

 

Getting hired with a band is a great first step. Congrats on that! You should hopefully have a bit more time for practice so you can also feel better about your teaching if you want to keep up with that privately. I don't know where you are located, but I have seen some full time private music teachers do quite well financially. I do want to ask about the band, however. They hired you because they must have thought you were the best candidate for the job. What is your impression of them? How serious are they about what they do? Are they established to the point where getting gigs isn't a problem for them? How helpful do you think they will be for you in achieving your goals? How would you describe their interactions with each other? Are there any tensions that you've noticed? What are your plans if working with the band doesn't work out? Are you going to use the summer to practice like a mofo so that you can start advertising and signing up students before next school year gets going?

 

I also want to clarify something else in my previous post. This is regarding finding a professor who both teaches and is actively applying what he teaches out in the field. I am thinking about four different combinations of this. The prof can be good at theory but bad at practice (probably good number of tenured profs out there), bad at theory but good at practice (think uber pro performer that got a teaching gig simply because of the prestige he brings the school), bad at both, good at both. Obviously, anyone would want the last one, but I just wanted to point this out because it occurred to me later on and I don't think many people think about this. 

[creakins]

Thanks again Corpus.

 

I have been griping about the public school system since I first started working in it.  It has payed my bills, but it wasn't until I really started digging into the freedomain radio content was I able to put a name to my discomfort.  Before I was a teacher I had this web site idea about delivering custom in home music lessons.  I abandoned my plan when my girlfriend at the time, (we were engaged) said that I needed to be bringing in more of an income because she didn't want to support my broke musician butt.  Needless to say we weren't on the same page, and after I landed that "golden" ticket as a teacher we decided to part ways.

 

Now, I believe that I am an excellent teacher, as most of my private students are becoming successful young musicians.  My full class teaching always takes a back seat to my interests these days, so I can honestly say that I am not a successful government school teacher.  To truly deliver quality instruction, I think you need to be very experienced.  That is why, before the school system came into existence, the teachers were always the old, wise and experienced people in the community.  This being said, it is important for me to continue to develop my musical abilities by performing with people that continue to challenge me to grow.  The band that I have been hired for is a brand new band, but each musician involved has had some major successes in the industry, especially the song writer.  The song writer has had major successes in the states and Europe, so I believe that in supporting her, I can grow my credibility.

 

As for learning online marketing, exploring sites like lynda.com, offers a huge assortment of educational resources at a fraction of the price of the major institutions, all taught by industry leaders.  It also allows me to learn on my schedule, so that I can get out there and make my ideas become a successful business prospect.  Just these conversations alone are really helping me think through my decision.

 

Now to the safety net.  In economics you have to measure your potential risks with any venture that you are hoping to be able to use in the free market.  The risk of having to move into my parents basement at the age of 33 and go back to this school after a failed attempt at an entrepreneurial venture is to great to fail at said venture.  When I look to the real world for examples of people who have become successful at making a move like the one I am planing, I see that they stepped out on that branch, unsure if they were going to fall or not, but the risk of falling was to great for them to fail.  I don't believe the option of going back to school is actually a safety net, but more of a pit full of spikes to be impaled on if I fall.   I could just resign and walk away I guess, but why not use it as a motivation not to fail?  I am sure I am going to flip flop on the action I am taking a few times before it becomes the reality for me.  I bet you the spikes will turn to a net to spikes...  and back and forth until that first self made dollar crosses into my bank account.

 

Now its really time for action.  I have 5 months now to plan, two months to execute, and the rest of my life to harvest, repeat and live a free life.  Does this make sense?

[corpus mentium]

Thanks again Corpus. ... Before I was a teacher I had this web site idea about delivering custom in home music lessons.  I abandoned my plan when my girlfriend at the time, (we were engaged) said that I needed to be bringing in more of an income because she didn't want to support my broke musician butt....

 Kind of a tangent, but I wonder if your girlfriend would have wanted you supporting her if she were ever to fall on hard economic times...  Back on topic, I am assuming you are in the US or Canada, and I know it largely depends on your location, but I have seen some private music teachers who teach out of their home year round and potentially make over $100,000 per 48 weeks. They take two weeks off at Christmas and two weeks off at the end of the local school year. Their students agree to either pay for missed summer lessons or simply continue attending if they want their position guaranteed for the next school year. I think it took them a few years to build their studios up so much, but they had high expectations of their students, were quite selective and had long waiting lists, not to mention a large number of accomplished students. This was in a major metropolitan area. In a lesser populated area perhaps it could be done with a bit of travelling to neighboring towns. 

Now, I believe that I am an excellent teacher, as most of my private students are becoming successful young musicians.  ...  To truly deliver quality instruction, I think you need to be very experienced.  ...  This being said, it is important for me to continue to develop my musical abilities by performing with people that continue to challenge me to grow.  The band that I have been hired for is a brand new band, but each musician involved has had some major successes in the industry, especially the song writer.  The song writer has had major successes in the states and Europe, so I believe that in supporting her, I can grow my credibility.

 I think your private students becoming successful musicians already says a lot for your credibility. Developing your abilities both as a musician and as a teacher can only help you help your students even more. 

As for learning online marketing, exploring sites like lynda.com, offers a huge assortment of educational resources at a fraction of the price of the major institutions, all taught by industry leaders.  It also allows me to learn on my schedule, so that I can get out there and make my ideas become a successful business prospect.  Just these conversations alone are really helping me think through my decision.

 There was similar website to lynda.com that I saw posted which may be a good to look at for comparison's sake. I think LovePrevails was who posted it. www.coursera.org

Now to the safety net.  ... The risk of having to move into my parents basement at the age of 33 and go back to this school after a failed attempt at an entrepreneurial venture is to great to fail at said venture.  When I look to the real world for examples of people who have become successful at making a move like the one I am planing, I see that they stepped out on that branch, unsure if they were going to fall or not, but the risk of falling was to great for them to fail.  I don't believe the option of going back to school is actually a safety net, but more of a pit full of spikes to be impaled on if I fall.   I could just resign and walk away I guess, but why not use it as a motivation not to fail?  I am sure I am going to flip flop on the action I am taking a few times before it becomes the reality for me.  I bet you the spikes will turn to a net to spikes...  and back and forth until that first self made dollar crosses into my bank account.

 Going back to a job you hate probably wasn't the best way to put it. I like your description of not falling on the spikes much better. Early on I went back and forth on my decisions too. I was hoping that I hadn't made a huge mistake by moving overseas and committing most of our resources to this project. I still go back and forth sometimes on whether I want to return home or move elsewhere and try something new. In the end I come to the conclusion that things are working out and I am largely happy with where I am currently at. In my opinion, casting your net wide (to talk about a different type of net) in the first few years (i.e. travelling to other towns, being less selective in who you initially take on, maybe taking lower pay, etc.) isn't a bad idea if it helps you not have to utilize your back-up plan. 

Now its really time for action.  I have 5 months now to plan, two months to execute, and the rest of my life to harvest, repeat and live a free life.  Does this make sense?

I would agree that now is the time for action. You mentioned you have some private students now. Could you take on a few more before the end of the school year to give yourself even more of a running start for the summer/next school year? Could you encourage them to stay on to take summer lessons?

 

I think a lot of what you have said makes sense. For me there really is a sense of freedom with organizing my own work. It is far less stressful to me in some ways because I have tens of bosses instead of just one that I have to worry about. If things don't work out with one person, I can recommend them to someone who might be a better match for them and it's not a catastrophic loss of work to me.

[creakins]

 Kind of a tangent, but I wonder if your girlfriend would have wanted you supporting her if she were ever to fall on hard economic times...  Back on topic, I am assuming you are in the US or Canada, and I know it largely depends on your location, but I have seen some private music teachers who teach out of their home year round and potentially make over $100,000 per 48 weeks. They take two weeks off at Christmas and two weeks off at the end of the local school year. Their students agree to either pay for missed summer lessons or simply continue attending if they want their position guaranteed for the next school year. I think it took them a few years to build their studios up so much, but they had high expectations of their students, were quite selective and had long waiting lists, not to mention a large number of accomplished students. This was in a major metropolitan area. In a lesser populated area perhaps it could be done with a bit of travelling to neighboring towns. 

When I was a teenager, I had 30 students a week at $15/half hour which was $450 dollars a week.  Now that I have 15 years of teaching experience and two university degrees I am able to charge upwards to $50/hour.  In which I would only need 9 students a week to meet the same financial goals.  I also have a part time job from home as the webmaster for an online company.  We are launching a new website over the next few months which guarantees me hours that I continue at home.  Overall, I believe that it will be possible to make my ends meet.  It might be a little tight at first as I build up my students.  Which leads me to my last issue.  For the past two years I have been living in my parents basement, for a number of reasons, and they live an hour outside the city in a small rural town.  I work for one of the schools in that town.  I left the city two years ago and have sinced regretted the decision to leave because I ejected myself from my social circles and musical contacts.  I guess the real reason I am making this change is because I want to live happily.  To live happily, I need to be doing work that is meaningful to me and allows me to live within a community of like minded thinkers.  For me, living in a rural setting among the old and retired, is like a fish trying to live in the trees.  My leave of absence has been made official and although I'm scared to make the changes, I know its for the best, as a fish really needs to be in the ocean. 

 

 I think your private students becoming successful musicians already says a lot for your credibility. Developing your abilities both as a musician and as a teacher can only help you help your students even more. 

 There was similar website to lynda.com that I saw posted which may be a good to look at for comparison's sake. I think LovePrevails was who posted it. www.coursera.org

 Going back to a job you hate probably wasn't the best way to put it. I like your description of not falling on the spikes much better. Early on I went back and forth on my decisions too. I was hoping that I hadn't made a huge mistake by moving overseas and committing most of our resources to this project. I still go back and forth sometimes on whether I want to return home or move elsewhere and try something new. In the end I come to the conclusion that things are working out and I am largely happy with where I am currently at. In my opinion, casting your net wide (to talk about a different type of net) in the first few years (i.e. travelling to other towns, being less selective in who you initially take on, maybe taking lower pay, etc.) isn't a bad idea if it helps you not have to utilize your back-up plan.

 

This is right...  I do feel like I am casting my net wide right now, in hopes to upgrade to the gear it takes to land the one big fish.  

I would agree that now is the time for action. You mentioned you have some private students now. Could you take on a few more before the end of the school year to give yourself even more of a running start for the summer/next school year? Could you encourage them to stay on to take summer lessons?

 

I cannot take on new students before the end of the year, but I have taken on extra work with the online company, and I have talked my parents into letting me stay at a lower rent to be able to save a financial safety net.  

 

I think a lot of what you have said makes sense. For me there really is a sense of freedom with organizing my own work. It is far less stressful to me in some ways because I have tens of bosses instead of just one that I have to worry about. If things don't work out with one person, I can recommend them to someone who might be a better match for them and it's not a catastrophic loss of work to me.

 

Thank you for all your support again.  The physical difference between fright and excitement is nearly unnoticeable.  I just need to remember that I can spin the reflection on these physical responses.  

[jpahmad]

creakins, I'm going through the same exact thing right now.  I teach music in the public schools and am long past my expiration date.  I've been building up my own private studio for the past three years and just about at the point where I can switch.  But now that I'm almost there, I'm starting to get terrified.  It 's so refreshing to hear that someone else is sharing my experience.  However, I can hardly bear to go into that school building everyday.

[creakins]

creakins, I'm going through the same exact thing right now.  I teach music in the public schools and am long past my expiration date.  I've been building up my own private studio for the past three years and just about at the point where I can switch.  But now that I'm almost there, I'm starting to get terrified.  It 's so refreshing to hear that someone else is sharing my experience.  However, I can hardly bear to go into that school building everyday.

 

Hi Jpahmad,

 

This morning my principal pulled me into her office after receiving my letter of leave and hugged me.  She said that she was so proud of me for taking a risk.  Although I am a good teacher to her, she knows that teaching in a government school is not my passion and has fully encouraged and supported me to go out and take a risk.  I do not have any private students right now, nor do I really know 100% about how I am going to make this work.  What I do know is that you only have one life to live, and waiting to live it when you can collect your pension is throwing away the majority of your life, on the back of tax payers.

 

I'd love to hear what you would rather do with your time?  I have an online idea for a business that might interest you, and with the same experiences, I'm sure we can share and support each other to make the change to freedom.  Why else would we be coming on this forum?  We have an amazing community here.  Let me know if you have any questions I could help you with.  I know how it feels to walk into a building that feels like a prison.  I've been doing it for seven years now.

 

C

[creakins]

Just as an aside...

 

In my 7 years as a teacher I have never said, "Thank God Its Friday!"...  or "Only 5 more days to go till the weekend."

 

Why do so many teachers have this standard greeting in the staff room?

[jpahmad]

I avoid the staff room at all costs.

 

Imagine saying those phrases like "thank god its Friday" every week for 40 years.  My god, what kind of existence is that.

I'd love to hear what you would rather do with your time?

 

 

I love my private students.  I have almost 30.  They all come to my house for lessons.  Many of them have been with me since I started the business four years ago.  Once I quit the government job, I can open up more time slots for lessons.  That is what I want to do.  I want to stay home, develop my skills, play piano, learn about new things, and teach my students.

 

The question is, how much income can I generate?

 

I'd love to hear your idea.  Although, I'm not that computer savvy.