A teacher in Tennessee reacts to the state board’s decision to reduce her future pay for investing in an advanced degree:
After teaching in East TN for 20 years as a special educator, I decided to get my Ph.D. because I wanted to learn more about teaching reading. I am in the final stages of my dissertation and am sick at the thought that I will not be able to pay off my student loan of $15,000. (I worked full-time and paid for the rest of it by teaching art classes, selling stained glass and working extra jobs during the summer and on nights I didn’t go to classes. I am 60 and guess I will be working until I drop dead at this rate.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Is there an upcoming public ed rally in Tennessee?
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I am right there with the author, I only fear that once the school system collapses here in Nevada I will wind up at WalMart. Perish the thought, I’d rather beg on the street corner.
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Thank You “Rheeman.” You and your former other are really the same. You do not care about others. Sociopaths.
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“Blithering Idiots” comes to mind. This whole situation is beyond absurd.
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Exactly, don’t they realize that absolutely no company will want to move their business to TN, without good schools for their employees? No schools, no jobs…great plan TN.
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“I am 60 and guess I will be working until I drop dead at this rate.”
Death is my retirement plan, too.
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I think that that applies to most of us, now. One problem: If you teach, you will be replaced by a 20 year old student trainer (what we used to call a teacher).
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Right. Death while still working in my field is my aspirational retirement plan. Unemployment, or disability, those are the terrifying alternative outcomes.
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Ditto. Even if my pension is there when I turn 65, which I don’t see happening, I will probably have two underemployed college grads living in my house until I die. I don’t see myself every being able to retire.
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