GRAPHIC: Why Corporations Want Our Public Schools

[AnneD]

40. I am leaving public education this year....

I am a School Nurse that has finally had enough. This 'greedy' educator, that has put up with everyone else telling me how to do my job but someone with actual experience. Kids don't have respect because it is not modeled for them, either by the parents or by our administration at the top levels.

I have worked here for 25 years. In the private sector, I can easily make 20-30K a year more......and we are comparing apples to apples not apples to oranges. I have been underpaid all these years, but it didn't bother me because I enjoyed what I was doing and was respected. I no longer enjoy it so I am leaving to make some serious money.

If you think they will have trouble replacing the teacher, try finding a School Nurse. We had 10 openings that went unfilled last year. I don't need to look into my crystal ball to know there will be even more next year.

And our brilliant legislator is instituting a pay for performance where everyone gets a base salary, like beginning teachers pay and then you get extra, based on your students test scores. I have no idea how they will judge a Nurse, but that will make the pay so erratic that one cannot plan one's life. In the 12 years we have had bonus pay, I have only received it twice. The rest of the time it was either stolen or I work in such an undeserved area that they did not score well enough.

As I said, I am cashing out my chips and going back into the private sector.