If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times, "If I have to work, teaching is the best possible thing I could do." I tell myself this because when my child enters school, I will be on his schedule. Summers, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fall Break, Spring Break, Flag Day...(just kidding). I know you were really going to be jealous if I got Flag Day off. Nonetheless, you get my point. It's a great schedule that can't be beat. With that in mind I will take this a step further - If you have to teach, teaching in a private(Christian)school is the best possible place you could teach. Now, this statement is obviously an opinion, but it is so true for me. Let me tell you why:
Reason #1 - No Common Core!!
Can we just all jump for joy for this one? I mean really, thank you, thank you, thank you! You can really just teach without worrying about the dreaded "swinging pendulum" of education. You don't have to change curriculums every year based on who has been newly elected in your state government. You don't have to do ridiculous things like rewriting ALL your lesson plans (that you had just perfected), or save the world with your hands tied behind your back. Which is essentially what the public and the government has called public school teachers to do. Now this is not to say that private schools don't look at common core. They do. It is necessary to be aligned to it, and be sure our students are prepared and successful when they leave our school. But we don't have to spend every waking moment worrying about it. Our administration aligns our curriculum and we work together to make sure we are up-to-date. Then we get to go teach. What a novel idea!
Reason #2 - You can use common sense.
This, my friends, is such a breath of fresh air. Have a student that is disruptive? Guess what? You can discipline him. By discipline, I don't mean that Charlie doesn't get his prize for the day, I mean Charlie has to sit out of recess. *gasp* Won't this hurt his self-esteem, you ask? NO, crazy people! You see, self-esteem is not the issue here; being respectful is. As a teacher, in a private school, you can teach your students to be respectful without the red tape of public school policy. By this I mean that you can have a discipline policy that involves rewards AND consequences. Now this is not to say that there are no discipline issues, but you can use your good common sense to work out problems, rather than ONLY using positive reinforcement (which is essentially like working with one hand tied behind your back).
Reason #3 - Supportive Environment
Now, I know this is not true in every school, and really has more to do with my administration, but I have support at my school. When I say support I mean, my principal can back me up. She doesn't have to give me "Needs Improvement" marks just because she has to "show improvement" on some ridiculous form. She is where the buck stops. She has been in our shoes and remembers what it was like to be a teacher. I don't feel like she is watching my every move, waiting for me to mess up. She's encouraging, and celebrates my achievements. The same can be said of parents at private schools. They are invested. They see your involvement in their child's life as a partnership. Sure, they send lots of emails, but they are an advocate for their child. They love our school and support what I do in the classroom. One parent sent me flowers this year. FLOWERS! My husband doesn't even send me flowers. They are appreciative and genuine. You can't ask for more than that.
Reason #4 - Bible is a Subject
I get to teach Bible to my students every day. We talk about the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Ten Commandments, and Jesus. I read directly from the Bible. I get to talk to students about their questions and point them back to God's Word without fear that someone could be offended or that a may break the law. If a difficult situation arises, I can pray with students - at school during class. If we are having a particularly busy or stressful day I have been known to stop class and pray. Our school promotes a Biblical perspective that infiltrates through everything we do. When you work with mostly women - it can be hairy. When you work with mostly women, who all believe the same way you do - it can still be hairy ;) BUT you always have a common ground to fall back on. I am amazed at the many different types of personalities and talents that are in our school, all with the same mindset. It is comforting for me to know that every decision that is made by the school has been prayerfully considered. It is such a unique environment to work in. I am thankful God placed me in a private, Christian school.
Now is this to say there aren't public schools that are like this (minus being able to teach Bible, I suppose)? Of course not. I'm sure there are some people who have had positive public school teaching experiences. Even though I went to public school as a student, I was not one of them. I found my teaching home at a private school and just wanted to share why it was the perfect fit for me.
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