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State of the Profession 2017-18: Read what members are saying about the teaching
State of the Profession 2017-18
In an effort to better understand the issues facing teachers in our public schools, the MEA recently conducted a non-scientific survey of its members. The survey results shed light on how members feel about things like the profession as a whole, satisfaction in the workplace, and compensation. Below are some of the key findings of the survey, comments from members, and how the MEA is working to advocate on your behalf. Please note, not every member answered every question which explains the varying percentage points in data.
Q: How long have you been teaching?
Q: Do colleagues talk about leaving the profession?
Q: How happy are you with the teaching profession? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the happiest.
Q: Are you satisfied?
Q: How would you rate the teacher morale in your school?
Member Thoughts:
I would love to come to school in the morning and spend my day teaching. After school, it would be great if I could focus on correcting papers, grading, planning, and getting things ready for the next day. The amount of meetings, committee work, paperwork, and time spent being pulled out of my classroom for meetings has become overwhelming.
Sometimes I feel very satisfied with my work when I feel I have made a difference in my students' lives. Other times I feel overwhelmed with the amount of work I am expected to do, and the attitudes of poorly behaved students or complaining parents.
I know I did my best, I just wish I had more freedom to do what was right for children.
Better salaries, more respect from the public, fewer mandates and changes to grading procedures, increased respect and responsibility from students and parents, more interaction with staff members and admin to boost morale in the buildings.
Member Thoughts:
I enjoy the job and the students. But there is no money for me to use towards my classroom or for high impact activities. My only complaint is that I spend thousands of dollars a year to give my students opportunities that aren't compensated or reimbursed.
The work load increases every year. I feel less supported.
There have been so many changes without support in the form of training and compensation.
I still LOVE the teaching aspect of this career. It's the extraneous work (data entry, creating curricula, standardized testing) that is making me rethink my choice of career paths.
On Happiness and Morale
Q: Have teachers left your district to take higher paying jobs in the private sector? Q: How closely connected are teacher compensation and morale, in your view:
MEA EFFORTS
The MEA continues to work to improve pay at the district and state levels. Your local UniServ Directors (MEA field staff) continually work to train members on how to structure salary scales to benefit all members. At the State House, the MEA continues to fight to increase the minimum teacher salary from $30,000 to $40,000. The increase could lift salary scales across the board. The MEA advocated for the bill that would lift teacher pay, but despite the efforts the bill did not pass the legislature. This legislation will continue to be a major issue for the MEA, as it understands both pay and morale are closely linked.
Q: How happy are you with the compensation you receive for teaching? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most happy.
On the Profession as a Whole
Q: Would you recommend a teaching career to a family member or loved one?
Q: In your view, has the teaching profession become a more or less apealing career choice in the last decade?
MEA EFFORTS
The MEA continues to publicly promote the profession to highlight the great work MEA members do each day for our students. The MEA recently finished a public image campaign called Inspiring Educators which showcased the innovation happening in our public schools. The campaign was televised on the NBC affiliates in Bangor and Portland and also ran on social media. This type of publicity is ongoing.
Member Thoughts:
My passion for teaching has not changed. The politics in teaching makes it difficult to let that passion shine and grow to truly foster a love of learning in the students. Food for thought. I love what I do and will continue teaching for as long as I am able but the regulations and expectations put on teachers is at times overwhelming. The MEA recognizes education mandates in recent years from both the State and Federal government have greatly impacted the profession. The MEA is constantly working to have a voice in the implementation process of any new mandate and works to rectify issues with mandates that are bad for our students. For example, when the State began using Smarter Balanced the MEA informed the DOE on the issues with the test, and was
MEA EFFORTS
instrumental in replacing the test, after member feedback.
Q: Have you thought about leaving the teaching profession over the past 5 years?
Q: Do you have adequate planning & collaborative time with other teachers in your building?
MEA EFFORTS
The MEA pushed to remove planning time from the category of education policy in order to allow local associations to bargain around this issue. The bill that would have accomplished this did not pass the legislature. MEA is working in districts that are willing on a process called bargaining for the common good which would allow for educators to have more influence over these type of issues.
