| By Amelia Weber 
Amelia Weber is vocal director at Platteville High School.
She began her teaching career in September of 2004. | After surviving an eventful first year of teaching, I could make
a short list of 1 million things to fix before September. In a
later column, I may choose to highlight the successes, disasters,
and embarrassments that all young teachers feel. However, the
first time around, I feel it appropriate to discuss one thing
that completely surprised me the very first day..
College prepares young educators to deal with an incredible amount
of situations. New graduates are ready for cooperative learning,
classroom management and school lockdown. We know educational
theory, school policy, and body fluid cleanup. However, as I nervously
looked around during my initial teaching inservice at age 22,
I found I was completely unprepared for the choices I would have
to make that very day regarding benefits, retirement, and union
issues.
A flurry of paperwork filled with boxes to check and blanks to
fill in left me with a confused stare and a lot of questions.
As our district personnel explained the difference between PPO
and full indemnity insurance, I was frantically paging through
a jumbo-sized file folder looking for context clues. I asked the
people around me for advice on fixed or variable retirement options,
and they replied, "It is really up to each individual." I signed papers about life insurance and long-term care without
really understanding what the outcome will be. I knew I wanted
to pay union dues and be involved, but I was unsure whether to
take back my political action committee (PAC) fee in my endless
need for cash. Does taking the money estrange me from the negotiations
and guarantee dirty looks from our building representative?
That afternoon, I headed back to the box-filled room that would
eventually become my apartment, and I pored over the paperwork.
If there was fine print, I read every word. I also spent a significant
amount of time on the phone with my father, a teacher and former
union president; and my mother, an administrator. First, they
told me to relax and do my research, but they also gave me a lot
of helpful information, including clarifying the PAC fee confusion.
The Political Action Committee, they explained, works to maintain
our rights as educators, and a small yearly fee as part of our
union dues is a great way to help education lobbyists in Madison
preserve our great schools. After much deliberation and a slight
headache, I turned in all my paperwork to district office and
hoped for the best. I was fortunate to have resources in the family,
but this is not the case for many young teachers.
Whether help comes from a mentor, the school district, or WEAC,
there are several ways to avoid the confusion regarding important
paperwork. First, the district can help by producing a pamphlet or packet
mailed a week ahead of the new teacher inservice explaining what
decisions will have to be made. This packet could contain questions
new teachers would need to answer before filling out paperwork,
such as, "How aggressively do you want to save for retirement?"
or "Whom do you plan to cover under your health insurance?"
Second, if your district, local union or CESA offers an online
or classroom session on benefits, make sure to take advantage
of this opportunity. Whether you teach your entire career in Wisconsin
or move to another state, it is important to know which benefits
stay with you and which you leave behind. Third, remember to bring personal documents to your inservice,
including current insurance cards, Social Security card, driver's
license or ID and even a copy of your teaching license. Finally, never hesitate to ask your co-workers. Many of them
have taught and been active negotiators for years, and they will
be able to tell you how a box checked on day one will affect your
career in the long run.
The most important tip for this and many other situations that
young teachers deal with is to remain calm, take notes, and ask
questions of anyone who doesn't mind being asked! If experience
has taught me anything, it is that your colleagues might even
answer them your second year, too!
Return to New Teachers page Posted September 13, 2005 |