Educator Stories

Ryan's Story

Before coming to Vermont, I worked in a large inner-city public school in Texas. During my last year there, I intervened to stop a gang-related beating. Although the victim had time to get away, I was left with a concussion for my efforts. Fellow teachers had run to get administrative help, but the first administrator they encountered said "I have a parent in my office, I'm too busy", even after being told a teacher was being assaulted. The student who gave me the concussion was an 18 year-old 10th grade with a documented history of violent outbursts and severe mental health issues that manifested in heightened aggression. Administrators had been aware of this student's issues and even remarked on how he "would snap one day and hurt someone." Despite this, no effort was taken to remove the student from the school and after the assault, no effort was taken to keep the student off campus. Pressing charges yielded nothing.

This school had dozens of similar students to this one, each with a history of violence. No protections were given to teachers, even when these students' parents came to the school to fight teachers (true story). I support the educator Bill of Rights because teachers deserve to be safe at their jobs. No one can teach effectively while constantly worrying that one of their students will snap and hurt themself, another student, or the teacher. I know of many teachers now who are scared to impose discipline in their classrooms because it might set off the wrong kid.

This culture of fear cannot continue and administrators need to be help accountable for failing to protect their staff.

Karen's Story

I came to VT from a NY school district where I was paid more per hour in 2015 than I am being paid now in VT. I also had paid snow days, all holidays paid, and paid school breaks. I also had vision insurance in NY.

The cost of living in VT is very high and I have worked two jobs to make ends meet. I should not have to do that.

I work in a classroom now where we frequently have had to close our class because of a lack of subs (pre-K). Additionally our classrooms are frequently understaffed and consequently students are not supported in a way that is safe for teachers and fellow students.

Lindzey's Story

Working as a K-6 PE teacher is a very rewarding profession but it is also very challenging. We work with students who have high trauma and difficulty with their social and emotional skills. Students are constantly dysregulated, unsafe and disrespectful with their peers and teachers. Teachers need more support and resources! But every year budgets are cut and we must once again endure another year with the bare minimum. On top of that our salaries are mediocre when compared to the amount of time and energy that we put forward every day to work within VERY challenging situations is not an easy task. Our efforts do not match our incomes.

Teachers are the foundation for education and without education where are we as a community, state, and nation?

Shannon's Story

When I first heard the Vermont Educator's Bill of Rights, I thought it was a fantasy document because it was hard to imagine that the community might support these necessary changes to ensure that Vermont educational staff can support their families *above* the poverty line.

I'm a second-career educator with a Master's Degree in Education and a valid VT teaching license. Despite the teacher shortage we've been facing, it's taken me three hiring cycles to get a full-time teaching job because I'm in a special area - Visual Arts.

My first career was in Family Child Health for the Vermont Department of Health. We had our own challenges, but I didn't know what struggle was until I became a student teacher. Four months without consistent pay had me going through the savings I had built in a short period of time. I kept a part-time job and side jobs just to put food on my table. I don't have a family to support, but if I did - I surely would've gone bankrupt. I spent the following year substitute teaching in general education and then had three long-term substitute positions that help build my confidence, but my elderly parent was still paying my rent because I couldn't afford it.

I thought my struggles had ended when I became a full-time paraeducator, again - I was met with unexpected fallout. With my master's degree and my teaching license I was making one of the highest brackets for paraeducators, and I'm still below the poverty line. I've been able to pay my own rent for the past year, but as a 35-year-old adult, I never expected my parent to ever have to pay my rent in the first place. My parent still sends me grocery cards every month so I can put food on the table. I love my family, but I am embarrassed by the financial support they have had to give me, and never had to give me before getting into education.

I had hoped that once I got into education, I could make the changes I'd been wanting to make. I could finally buy a house, adopt children, and have job security. None of those things have been true because I have been so focused on just surviving I can't even think about the future right now. At any one time, I'm working two jobs in addition to my full-time para educator job. Without these additional sources of income, I could not survive.

As a para educator, I work 100% harder than I ever did as a classroom teacher and get paid half as much. In my school environment, my position is tantamount to working with the custodial staff despite all that I do. I have become something of a school guidance counselor for my team this year. I spend 85% of my job removing students from unacceptable situations and dealing with inappropriate behaviors. Our own planning room staff is completely overworked, and our counselor for our grade is missing most of the time. Despite this work, administration still tasks Paras with things that are demeaning and inappropriate (like becoming movers to work on other people's classrooms). Being a para, long-term, would completely wreck me and I have no idea how folks do it for so many years at a time without other income. The only thing that gives me solace is that other Paras are either married or young enough that they live rent-free with their parents.

To my friends, I have become a cautionary tale to anyone looking to change careers. I thought I was being smart by taking my time and getting the education I needed to be an effective educator first. The only thing I proved was that I was too expensive to hire and no one wanted to take a chance on a second-career educator. I feel so grateful that I finally have a full-time position for the 2024-2025 school year, but in my estimation - this ongoing struggle has significantly diminished my life expectancy. I developed insomnia, I started grinding my teeth at night (which has led to dental care I have a hard time affording) and my anxiety has been exacerbated by not making enough money to survive from my primary job.

I know that my story is not unique, there are many educators who have struggled in unprecedented situations. That makes me sad for our state of education as we face unimaginable behaviors in the school environment, our budgets keep getting shot down because the cost of supporting people is too high. It's one of the only careers that asks so much of teachers and returns so little to their quality of life. My hope is that other people in the future will not have to struggle in the ways that I have, but until something changes - I fear that struggle is all we will see.

Lucas' Story

For me, paraeducators are invaluable in the classroom. They know the students much better than I. As I plan instruction, I consult them often, and their input is vital. It's a thankless job often as they can work with difficult students and somehow they get the students to not only do the work, but to care. A good para is instrumental in creating a positive classroom environment for all the students. To call them a para, I believe, is diminutive. They are educators.

ESP Voices

Hear the stories Vermont's education support professionals who care for the nutrition, safety, and well-being of our children in Vermont's Public Schools.

Kathy's Story

Finding quality people costs money!

Para educators are the glue of the school and deserve to be treated and recognized for their importance in our schools.

Teachers should not have to live paycheck to paycheck.

Shannon's Story

I have to work two jobs in order to make ends meet. I started my second job just to make a car payment. As the economy costs have increased exponentially, I have had to work an extra 10 hours a week minimum to make ends meet. I am not able to buy a home or start a family because I cannot afford it right now.

Wendy's Story

My story is that working as a Para Educator I am not always treated as a professional by administrative staff.

K.J.'s Story

I am an intensive needs paraprofessional in a public elementary school. The salary I make has me living pay check to pay check. On top of that, I buy small things our classroom needs like small garbage bags for a mini trash can we have for our bathroom, dry erase markers, hand soap (because the school provided soap dries and irritates most of our skin), lotion in the winter for chapped hands, snacks the students like (because I want to do what I can to make sure they are not hungry while in my care), and sensory items for the students I work with on the spectrum. I make enough in one check (we are paid biweekly) to pay rent. The second paycheck each month covers what bills are most important and I can get to. I don’t have the ability to have a house full of food and anything needed because I have to do small shops to make it through the week. Though I make just enough working in education that I cannot get assistance for food or heat. My gas is consistently on low fuel because I have to put electric before gas or car payments, insurance (both medical and car), phone bill, internet bill, even my rent a center bill because I couldn’t afford to buy furniture, I had to rent. I am not able to even begin to think of starting a savings account, which is sad as I am a 33 year old single mother, but every cent goes to keeping us floating. What we do with and for these kids 5 days a week for around 7 hours is a lot. It’s physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing most days, especially being someone who’s job is to handle the behaviors. We’re aggressed against, spit at, verbally abused, and more. But we come in each day for these kids to help them because that is what we want to do. We care. At the very least we should be able to pay for our and our families living. We should be able to support them the way we do our students and not have added stress of finances because of the lack of money we’re making even though we are doing a job just as important as a teacher. Though it’s not always just education we are teaching, but we offer behavioral support, emotional support, we work on behaviors and how we should act. We are who teaches how to handle emotions and reinforce positive expression. When I help with after school I make almost $4 more an hour, which seems crazy right? Why for an hour after school in a program that isn’t educationally based am I able to earn more than for the 7 hours I work a full day with children? Because the grant for after school has a set pay rate, but why can’t we match that at minimum for our employees? I find it baffling. There are many facets to what a paraprofessional does and there are different roles they take on depending on the classroom or where they are working, but at the end of the day we are doing everything we can to support and help these students. Though I am not a teacher at the moment, I see what they do as well for their students and they also deserve to live without financial stress. I feel at the very least anyone in the education field is owed financial support so we can continue to do our job the best we can. Where would we be if we did not have teachers or paraprofessionals? What if less and less high schoolers choose to go into teaching based on what they see themselves in school but also seeing the pay? Why do you think there is such high turnover for education jobs? People don’t feel supported and then on top of that they are financially stressed so they go elsewhere. We have a chance to change this and show the next generation of teachers and current ones that they are important and they deserve financial security.