I was taking classes to move up to MA+40 on the pay scale. My teammate and I did our +20 last year and decided to keep going starting this summer. I didn't mind doing the classes in the summer, but I HATED doing them this school year, especially with moving into the new house and everything also.
I am so burnt out on stupid assignments. I have a lot of teacher friends that say they like being a student. Not me- I hate this crap. We have a +60 option too, but I told my teammate I need a LONG break before I consider doing that. I turned in my last assignment yesterday and got my final grade today. So happy to be done! Now all I have to do is wait for my transcript to be complete so I can turn it in for my raise.
That's a huge deal, and you've had a lot going on. Congratulations on your achievement. I did my Master's while teaching (and being a wife and mom, etc.), and after a couple of semesters I became pretty resentful at all the time classes and class work took. I remember being so very happy to be done.
I hope it's worth it! I looked into it, but it is such a tiny amount (~$300 more a year)! I don't even wanna do the math to figure out how long before the "raise" paid for the classes.
Holy crap, Zia, I can't believe how little your district incentivizes continuing ed. Sorry for hijacking this thread, Haley, but here's our schedule - and you can bet I'm working my way over.
Zia, I can't be reading that right- it looks like you only get one more dollar per each year of experience??? I see how little the lateral moves are but it looks like each step amounts to nothing and I can't get past that part. Yours must just be arranged differently than ours.
Ours is about $2K per year. Not huge, but it will pay off over the long term, and it's now $4K more than what I would have gotten had I just stayed at MA. The place we went was cheap so it was about $2700 to get them in the first place, and that cost was split up over 3 semesters.
If you're reading it wrong, then so am I! Seriously, in New Mexico, after you hit your Master's (10K bump), the rest is peanuts. National Boards is waaay more valuable here ($6800/year of certification and it only costs $1900).
I would get more credits too on the schedules you guys have! Congrats Haley!
Congratulations! Anything you can do to bump up that pay will really benefit you when you retire. It took me seven years to get my specialist because I was so tired of going to school and turning in essays, but I'm glad I did. Unfortunately, if you live in a state where the union is the pits or non-existent, you have to be careful you don't price yourself out of a job. By the time I retired, they could have hired two new teachers for what they were paying me, and I know the principals were told to find people who were up there and usher them out the door. Every year, someone with a lot of experience was shoved out the door earlier than they wanted to go.
But I have the last laugh. I'm making in retirement about the same I made as a teacher, and I didn't get up until noon today!
Haley congrats on finishing! I have my Masters and I’m not going to continue. I just can’t do it anymore.
Zia I’m another who is thoroughly confused by your salary guide! I’m sharing mine for perspective. I’m on step 16 this year so I also get 10.5% longevity.
Congratulations Haley! If your pay scale is like most of the others that were posted (except Zia’s) it is wise to continue because you can be earning just that much more each year which adds up as well as bumping up your retirement. I know retirement is far off for you but like another poster mentioned, my pension is nearly what I made working full time.
I only need 1 class to move up a pay rate. I refuse to do it. I am DONE being a student. I hated every single second of the last few classes I took. I think I'm too old for one thing. I have way more experience than most of the instructors. It feels like hoop jumping and I am not a fan. My time is worth more than the raise.
I only need 1 class to move up a pay rate. I refuse to do it. I am DONE being a student. I hated every single second of the last few classes I took. I think I'm too old for one thing. I have way more experience than most of the instructors. It feels like hoop jumping and I am not a fan. My time is worth more than the raise.
FWIW, my classes through Learner's Edge were very easy and pretty cheap also. If you can get someone to sign up with you (doesn't have to be the same course or even same number of courses- you just sign up at the same time), it's less than $400 for a 3 credit course.
It's all self paced and it's a lot of reading/writing, but they don't require any sort of APA/MLA style or citing evidence of any kind, and no posting on discussion boards or anything like that. If you have the gift of BS you'll find it really easy. I know I was whining here, but I never spent more than 6-8 hours total on any of the three credit courses. Truthfully I feel like you could turn in just about anything and they'd take it. Still some hoop jumping for sure, but if I only had one more class to do I'd definitely just get it over with! I'm just definitely not in the mood to do another 7 classes right now to move up to the +60.
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11-11-2019, 07:01 PM
Seriously, in New Mexico, after you hit your Master's (10K bump), the rest is peanuts. National Boards is waaay more valuable here ($6800/year of certification and it only costs $1900). 
