Roads That Might Have Been
Submitted by My Garden Spot Blog
Ever wish you’d had access to something twenty years ago?
When I started teaching, some school districts paid extra for a Master’s Degree. Not all did, and one that I taught in for fifteen years didn’t, and as I would have had to have driven into Houston from another county, I wasn’t about to get a degree that I’d never be monetarily compensated for getting.
Enter the computer. Suddenly, it’s easy to get a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, or in Administration, and more and more school districts are rewarding the teachers who have those degrees.
I had planned on pursuing a Masters once I moved to Houston. Unfortunately, between health and stress issues….it didn’t get to happen.
Now, I wonder. I wouldn’t be compensated for doing it, at least not by a public school system not interested in hiring someone who has to sit for most of the day. However, there may be other ways to use this. MS Instruction and a Master’s degree might be a good selling point for employment in a private school. It’s something to think about.
It’s not like the subject matter wouldn’t interest me. I like teaching. A program with a focus on literacy, diversity, and integration of technology would fit right into what I’m most interested in. The learning center I work for has a lot of its program centered around computer access, and seeing as how I’m on the computer a lot anyway… this might fit. I like that the School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and has a flexible class schedule. The flexible class schedule is a must, as weeds must be pulled when weeds must be pulled…
Enhancing our… income stream…for ‘Pup and I has become a little more important lately. For one thing, I want to be able to afford to travel, attend conferences and blogmeets and just go see things I’ve not seen yet. The other side is that ‘Pup’s company is trying very hard not to have to lay anyone off, even though they are hurting. They’ve reduced their workforce through normal attrition, and by offering retirement packages. The next step they’re currently implementing is an across the board salary reduction. Those who make the most will be taking a 10% decrease (including the CEO), and anyone making below a certain amount will not be taking a pay cut.
I’ve told ‘Pup that, although it was painful for him to have been laid off from the company he worked at for 18 years, it turned out to be a blessing in the end. He’s now with a company that cares about and values the knowledge and experience of its workforce and is able to look forward to the time when the economy will pick up, and they’ll need those experienced individuals. They’re looking past a short term bottom line and into the future. They’ve been through times like this before, and made it through. I think they’ll make it through this time as well.
