What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

fine dude
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Location: SE Asia

What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by fine dude »

So far in your international teaching career, what has been the greatest motivator and also the biggest regret?
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Motivator: Enhanced social life with the opposing gender.

Regret: Not getting into leadership before moving into IE.
idonteven
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Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2017 4:37 am

Re: Response

Post by idonteven »

PsyGuy wrote:
> Motivator: Enhanced social life with the opposing gender.
>
> Regret: Not getting into leadership before moving into IE.

Would be curious about reasons for the regret. Do you feel moving into leadership after getting into IE is less optimal for some reason? Or you just find leadership a significantly more attractive role in IE than teaching? Or something else.
chilagringa
Posts: 335
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by chilagringa »

I wish I had started teaching (or, hell, had a real job) by my mid-twenties so I would have some decent savings by now. Oh well, I'm a late bloomer.

Motivator... I just dig it.
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@idonteven

The hardest part of getting into leadership in IE is getting that first break, its a pretty high wall. If Id stayed in DE I would have been moving into leadership as a Dean the next year, and the DS would have paid for the leadership credentialing program.
There are 3 general avenues into leadership:
1) Grow In: You start at an IS as an IT, you work well with leadership, parents and ownership, and then when there is an opening you get the job because ownership trusts you and leadership and parents like you. This pathway is faster at lower tier ISs, where there is a lot of turnover and longevity often means your only one of the few staff to renew.
2) Work In: You get a M.Ed in Ed.Ld, you add a credential, you build some leadership or management experience and you work your way up into leadership. This may and often requires some work in DE. This is the pathway that accounts for the majority of leadership. Candidates were leadership in DE, and they were hired as leadership in IE.
3) Edge In: You make friends and build a network, maybe you marry into, but someone in ownership likes you and gives you the job, or someone in leadership helps you get into the job. This is the least common path into leadership.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by sid »

Biggest regret: I've got a photo gallery in my head of students I feel I didn't do enough for.
sdakota

Re: Reply

Post by sdakota »

PsyGuy wrote:
> @idonteven
>
> The hardest part of getting into leadership in IE is getting that first
> break, its a pretty high wall. If Id stayed in DE I would have been moving
> into leadership as a Dean the next year, and the DS would have paid for the
> leadership credentialing program.
> There are 3 general avenues into leadership:
> 1) Grow In: You start at an IS as an IT, you work well with leadership,
> parents and ownership, and then when there is an opening you get the job
> because ownership trusts you and leadership and parents like you. This
> pathway is faster at lower tier ISs, where there is a lot of turnover and
> longevity often means your only one of the few staff to renew.
> 2) Work In: You get a M.Ed in Ed.Ld, you add a credential, you build some
> leadership or management experience and you work your way up into
> leadership. This may and often requires some work in DE. This is the
> pathway that accounts for the majority of leadership. Candidates were
> leadership in DE, and they were hired as leadership in IE.
> 3) Edge In: You make friends and build a network, maybe you marry into, but
> someone in ownership likes you and gives you the job, or someone in
> leadership helps you get into the job. This is the least common path into
> leadership.

Real question: Why would you want to get into leadership in the first place? Seems like they have longer hours, more meetings, and higher stress. All the good parts of teaching, the kids, the lessons, the relationships etc. are minimized and all the difficult parts such as the meetings, irate parents, etc. are your entire day. What gives?
chilagringa
Posts: 335
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by chilagringa »

Leadership salaries at my school are three times what teachers make, so there's that.
shadowjack
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Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by shadowjack »

Sid, if I had a dollar for every time I've questioned whether I'm a good teacher...
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@sdakota

Comp., salaries are 2x-4x higher for senior leadership and OSH benefits are more exclusive and higher value.

@Sid

I hope its a very small photo gallery.
marieh
Posts: 212
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:33 pm

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by marieh »

Motivators: Compensation. A manageable workload and freedom in the classroom.

Regrets: Absolutely none.
Lastname_Z
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 12:17 pm

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by Lastname_Z »

Motivator: Savings, Classroom Freedom, Travelling/Experiencing other cultures

Regrets: None at the moment (it's a short career so far)
Nomad68
Posts: 175
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:50 pm
Location: East of nowhere you want to be

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by Nomad68 »

Motivator - Making as much coin as possible so we can find somewhere to settle down where my kids have a better future.

Regret - 1) The circumstances that caused me to have to work overseas in the first place.
2) losing friends and family whilst overseas.
3) Having to work with some truly awful colleagues and managers who are clearly unemployable in their home
countries.
4) Now that I am in IE I wish I had done it 10 years earlier so I wouldn't be doing it now (which contradicts all of the
above)
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by fine dude »

Thank you all. We have similar aspirations.
Here are mine:
Motivator: Money in relatively stable currency from multiple (legal) channels
Regret: Should have worked in low-cost cities to maximize savings during the early stages of my career
Rudyard
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2016 12:22 pm

Re: What is your greatest motivator and biggest regret?

Post by Rudyard »

Motivator: doing something I would do for free if I was rich
Regret: taking a few years to truly appreciate how good this career path can be
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