Teachers are Working Parents Too

When we suggest changes to the day school system that would help middle-class families  a longer school day, events on Sundays, fewer cancellations  we need to consider who the adults are who will be arriving at school at 7 am, staying until 6 pm, directing siddur plays on Sundays, giving parent-teacher conferences on weekday evenings. 

Day school teachers work longer hours for far less pay than our colleagues in public schools. Your children’s teachers work tirelessly to instill Jewish values in your children, but they don’t earn enough money to send their own children to the schools where they work. (It’s true. How much is a year of full-cost tuition at your kid’s school? Depending where in the country you live, your kid’s teacher might not earn much more than that number.)


From Amy Newman, forward.com, March 27, 2015