You Get What You Pay For

Total estimated cost of Master’s Degree in Education: $18,000.
Current interest Rate on Student Loan: 6%
Raise for Master’s Degree: $1,100 annually

There is no doubt that my master’s degree made me a better teacher. The knowledge that I took away from my coursework was directly beneficial to my students. Often, my experiences as a university student on Tuesday nights allowed me to implement better pedagogy practices in my own classroom on Wednesday mornings as a middle school writing teacher in South Phoenix.

Good News: Due in huge part to better teaching practices learned through my master’s degree, students in my classroom made unprecedented growth in writing as measured by AIMS data, and I am finally on the road to paying off my student loan.

Bad News: Unfortunately, I am no longer a teacher. My new career has allowed me to begin to pay off this debt and provide a quality of life for my family that far surpasses the life I was living as a public middle school teacher.

When I look back on the financial blunder that my professional growth really was, I can’t help but ask the question, “Does Arizona really value education, teachers, and children?”

I should mention that several districts are finding ways to take the financial burden of professional growth off the shoulders of their teachers. Congratulations to districts like Tempe and Madison who have put programs in place that attract driven teachers by offering to pay for a master’s degree and in some cases even offer teachers work beyond pay for hours spent in their coursework.

I am grateful to have a venue like AZ School Works to raise these concerns, and I look forward to contributing more to this dialogue. If you too would like to chime in, please comment here or email supporteducation@azschoolworks.org to consider writing such a post yourself.

Regards,

Mark Trinitapoli
Former Educator, Parent, and Concerned Citizen