My time as a NYC DOE teacher has come to an end and I have moved on to a new chapter of my life.

I recently accepted a job as a teacher in a great (and new) school in South Carolina. Now, if you’re reading this, you might be thinking that I am nuts for giving up my tenure, moving hundreds of miles south and taking a pay cut.

South Carolina is a “right to work” state and does not allow for unionization. I also did take a pay cut, about $10,000. However, there currently is a need and high demand for teachers in the state of South Carolina and there have been moves made by the brave teachers down here to fight for higher wages. Here is a link to an article that might help you catch up on this… Couple this with the lower cost of living and slower lifestyle of the South, I know that my wife and I will be just fine.

Anyway, I digress. This past week, I attended a “new teacher seminar” for teachers moving to the area for the first time and for first year teachers. The workshop was two days long (Monday and Tuesday) and ran from 8:30 to 3:25 (although we were let out typically around 3). Breakfast and lunch were provided both days, as well as free shaved ice from a local shop.

Coming from the NYC DOE, this would seem like a waste of time. It was not. It was ran SO smooth and almost all of the workshops were interactive and entertaining. Every person who was responsible for heading a workshop had a smile on and a bright personality. I got to meet some teachers and district officials. I did not regret a single second of my time there. And the best part was that we recieved a $100 stipend for being there for EACH day! Oh.. and… we received 2 full carry out bags of supplies.. I’m talkin’ a SHIT ton of stuff. So many pens and pencils, an electronic pencil sharpener, folders, loose leaf, etc.

If this were NYC running this, I would NOT have received a stipend, left empty handed, and regretted every second of it. Oh, and let us not forget the 1.5 hour trip on the LIRR/MTA to start and end my day. It would literally cost me more money to get into the city, pay for breakfast and lunch, and get back home than the “value” I would get out of the makeshift attempt of a workshop that the DOE notoriously puts together.

I am so excited to get started this year as a teacher in South Carolina. If there is one word advice that you ever take from me, it’s to leave the city, maybe even New York. Flirt with the idea.

Trust me, I miss my friends. I miss Long Island. But you have to do what’s best for you. Yea I took a pay cut, but I got a raise in quality of life in return.

Working in NYC caused me to constantly doubt myself. I never felt like I was doing enough or ever doing good enough. I watch my colleagues and best friends lose the spark because of how much administration and other ass suckers in the building bring them down. Everyone is always in a shit mode and it IS contagious. We all deserve better than what the DOE is doing to us and it’s about damn time you realized it. Our students in NYC are being misguided and mistreated, our school buildings and facilities are falling apart, and most schools don’t receive the funding they need to provide fair and appropriate levels of education. But in NYC, do you know who’s fault all of that is? Yours. The teacher. So far in SC, I have felt a sense of community and comradery. I know I am just getting started, but the future seems bright.

Again, I ask you to think about it.

Anyway, I’m signing off. My next peice will come within the next week or so, which I hope to focus on my first week or two in SC as a teacher… wish me luck!!!