Aliza Ward

When I think of teachers, I think about how important their job is, but at the same time, how unjust their pay is. Teachers hold a job that is so critical to our society yet are often not compensated appropriately for all that they do. To put it in perspective, “On average across the United States, a high school teacher working in a public school earns $65,930 a year. The average occupation in the U.S. that requires at least a college degree pays $92,175 a year – according to government labor force data for May 2019” (Frohlich, n.d.). This is approximately a 40% pay difference between jobs that each require a college degree. Despite being very rewarding with this vast pay difference, I imagine that many people might choose a different career because of the less attractive compensation. 

The world of global elite schools puts teachers in an entirely different category. These teachers do not face the same pay inequalities that many in the educational field face. Gaining entry into the global elite community as a teacher is not a simple task, in fact, it is almost impossible. The most common way to break into the elite schools is to apply through an agency, which will hopefully place the teacher at a school. If you do not meet the agency’s qualifications, the only other way to break in is if one is well connected with the school or connected with someone who works at the school. The elite community is exclusive, prestigious, superior, and expects the same qualities from their teachers. They expect that their teachers will be cultivating the students to enter the noble class. Once a teacher receives a three-year contract, and it is renewed, the teacher has mobility within other elite institutions. Despite it being nearly impossible to gain entry into an elite institution, new job opportunities are often more easily available once you have. Other institutions see that the teacher can perform in a rigorous and demanding atmosphere which makes the teacher more sought-after. In a way, they have become part of a club.

The study Elite international schools in the Global South: transnational space, class relationalities, and the ‘middling’ international schoolteacher by Paul Tarc & Aparna Mishra Tarc, makes it clear that there is a divide between the students and the teachers since they have social differences. They cannot completely relate to the students, which can cause teachers to have a more challenging time connecting with the students. The agency that connects teachers and schools rarely gives any training to the teachers. If the teachers were better prepared, they might have an easier and more rewarding experience. The teachers at elite institutions are often given many benefits. Not only are they often paid more, but also receive more benefits than teachers at publicly-funded schools.  Compared to a public-school teacher in the US, teachers’  salaries at international schools, for example, are vastly different, and they don’t need to worry about any other expenses.

The rise of new elite schools is creating increased competition for the best and most qualified teachers. Older and more established institutions realize that these new schools are willing to pay more for their teachers. Although they won’t get the same prestige from working at a more established school, they will be paid far more than elsewhere. Teachers can easily move from an older elite institution to a newer one, but not vise versus. Although working at one of the newer institutions seems appealing, there are downsides. The schools may not have as much stability and can create uncertainty for its employees. I wonder if it is worth the risk to leave an established school with greater security for a larger paycheck?  

Works cited 

Frohlich, T. C. (n.d.). Yes, teachers are underpaid. Here’s how much high school teachers are underpaid in each state. USA TODAY. Retrieved May 4, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/09/29/states-with-the-most-underpaid-teachers/42699495/

Tarc, P., & Mishra Tarc, A. (2015). Elite international schools in the Global South: Transnational space, class relationalities and the ‘middling’ international schoolteacher. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36(1), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2014.971945

Images are taken from imessages #images 

Social circles are often formed by the people who are around you. It is human nature to connect with the people who spend time with you as well as those who participate in activities you enjoy. We tend to get to know these people better and are more likely to become closer friends. People are often friends with others who have similar interests or share common activities. Athletics, for instance, represent a popular way to build social circles. Through athletics, one not only shares a common interest and commitment but also creates a world in which you need to be a “member” in order to be included. Bourdieu (1986) explained the idea of social capital as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintances and recognition” (Bourdieu, 251). Athletics facilitate the growth of one’s social capital through group membership, relationships, and networks of support. 

At Everdeen, it became apparent that some students were very passionate about playing sports, while others participated to fulfill a requirement. The students who are most passionate about a sport often achieve higher levels in their sport, which may indicate that they spend a lot of time practicing and playing with their teammates. One student explains how Everdeen offers multiple levels for sports. This creates a wide variety of athletic endeavors for people to choose how seriously they want to play. People who were not as passionate about athletics fulfilled their requirements by engaging in sports such as table tennis which do not always require the same level of athleticism (though for some it can). It may also mean they were not putting in the same work, time, and effort into athletics as others. Students who did not spend hours of their week practicing their sport, may not have built a social circle based around that activity. 

One student at Everdeen, who is on the crew team, explains that she is primarily friends with her teammates. Although she did not intend this, because athletics play such a pivotal role in her life and she dedicates hours each week to practice, she finds herself spending a majority of her time with her crew teammates. When you do not spend a lot of time with other classmates who do not participate in the same sport as you, it is more difficult to build strong relationships. If the rower had the opportunity to spend time with more people outside of her team or put an equal effort into an additional activity, she may have opened up other opportunities to develop stronger relationships with other classmates as well. 

I have noticed a very similar atmosphere at Colby between athletes and non-athletes. During my first year at Colby, I found it very difficult to build the same strong relationships that people on sports teams seemed to form so quickly. The athletes at Colby were quickly introduced to other people with whom they had the chance to spend hours on end together. I can remember seeing teams walking together across campus, eating meals together, or even going to social events together. At first, I was discouraged because I didn’t know if I would form the same friendships that the athletes had formed since they were already spending hours each week together. 

An outsider looking at Colby may observe a large divide between the athletes and non-athletes. This would seem to prove Bourdieu’s idea that social capital grows from established networks and connections. I think this athlete and non-athlete divide stems not from the two different groups not wanting to be friends, but because they don’t spend the same amount of time with the other group. If they were put in a situation where they were compelled to spend time with individuals outside of their team, they might develop new friendships. This matches my experience. As my freshman year went on and I got to know my roommate (an athlete) and her friends (who were athletes), they became my closest friends at the school. The divide that I thought was so prevalent, and potentially divisive, quickly became bridged. As the Everdeen student says, she didn’t think there was a divide; it just happened to be that athletes spent a majority of their time with their teammates. I think that my roommate and friends dedicated the same level of time and effort into their sport as to forming a larger social circle, outside of their team. While I am not on their team, I have realized that it is possible to break the barrier of friendships with athletes and that I can support them from the sidelines. 

References

Both images are take from imessages #images 

Bourdieu, P. (1986). THE FORMS OF CAPITAL. 15.

In thinking about elite schools, what comes to mind is the caliber of the students they attract and seek – the smartest, most dedicated, and hardworking students. I think this stems from the highly competitive nature of so many elite schools, especially Everdeen in Australia. One student’s explanation from the interview paints Everdeen’s competitive environment as cutthroat and aggressive. The student explained that there is a ranking system for each subject which allows  students to see where they stand compared to the rest of their class. Students are continually trying to outperform their classmates, so that some are able to rise to the top. He also explained how the school is academically competitive with other schools. With competition so high at these institutions, it seems as though it may motivate the students to do well, which in turn allows the school to be competitive with others in the area.

Although this kind of environment can be very stressful, I think it would encourage many students to become high achievers. As someone who also attended a private high school, I was very interested to hear about the student ranking system since this is not something I encountered. To my knowledge, it was also not something that other private schools in my area valued. Despite the stress that the ranking can cause, I think it may have created highly motivated students. However, for me, the motivation source was different; rather than feeling pressure from the school and other students to do well, I felt that the pressure came more from my parents. While I applied pressure on myself, my parents were often very interested in my work, always encouraged me to push myself, and had high aspirations for me. I think some of the pressure I put on myself stemmed from the fact that I did not want to disappoint my parents. 

After thinking about Everdeen, it would make sense to expect that the parents of these students would have the same high expectations for them, especially because of the competitive nature that was so prevalent. In addition, there is often a steep price to send children to an elite school such as Everdeen, so it would make sense that parents would expect their children to take full advantage of the education they are receiving. Something I noticed in a couple of the interviews was that some parents did not have high expectations for their children, nor were they heavily invested in their performance. One student from Everdeen explained the expectations his parents had for him. In the interview he shared that his parents just expected that he would pass all of his classes and receive a 70% or higher. This then became the goal of the student. While I am not sure how well the student ended up doing in school, I can imagine that if his goals were to receive 70%  and higher, he probably didn’t work to do much better than that. Another student explained how her parents were not involved in her academics. She commented that they left it up to her to stay organized and on top of her work.  

This was quite surprising to read after seeing how competitive the school was and how motivated many students were to do well. Having parents who apply pressure and have high expectations might be a helpful way to become more motivated. For example, in high school, I struggled with self-motivation at times. Even though it was frustrating, having my parents there to apply pressure and hold me to high standards helped me to become a better student. I think it’s very easy for kids and teenagers to adopt the views and expectations of their parents. If someone’s parents do not have high expectations for them, this may affect how high the students set their own expectations, making it harder to reach their greatest potential. Still, some students are extremely self-motivated and may have other motivators that make them a strong student independently. 

References

Both of the images are taken from Imessage #images.