An email from TEA changes a teacher’s mind
I had several tabs open on my computer browser: my LinkedIn profile, three job listings, Glassdoor salary searches and blogs from former teachers who left the classroom. After six years of teaching, I started to question whether I should remain in the classroom. I loved my students but was exasperated from working long hours without a commensurate pay raise. All this was before the onset of the COVID pandemic.
Last month, an article about the Teacher Incentive Allotment profiled teachers who have remained in the classroom because of the incentive. I know just how they felt. When I first opened the email in 2020 telling me that the Texas Education Agency had determined that I met eligibility requirements to receive an exemplary designation from the state and was approved to receive an additional $13,000 for the next four years, significantly increasing my current salary, I was speechless. This happened because the Legislature had passed House Bill 3 in 2019, establishing the TIA. The goal is to provide additional compensation for teachers in high-need areas and improve student achievement based on multiple metrics. That email changed everything for me. I loved teaching and was passionate about seeing kids reach that “lightbulb moment” in math; with the additional compensation awarded, I decided to stay in the classroom.
The 2020-21 school year was more difficult than ever with COVID-19. During the pandemic, teachers were more likely to feel stressed and burned out than in other government sectors. My co-planner and I redesigned our math curriculum and adjusted for virtual instruction while also teaching in-person for most of the year. My stress and anxiety levels increased, and I began showing signs of PTSD. It became apparent that I needed mental health services and, because of my TIA funds, I was able to see my therapist four times a month. Trauma work and my consistent counseling sessions made a huge difference in my mental health, giving me tools to effectively cope with what was beyond my control as an educator so that I could effectively meet the needs of my students. I carry these same tools with me today in my teaching as we navigate a post-pandemic classroom.
The benefits of TIA are many. The incentive program has helped to legitimize and bring prestige to the profession by paying teachers a livable wage. It has also helped attract more young professionals who may have discounted teaching because of wage disparities with other degree-required professions, especially in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Is TIA fair? I believe that it is.
The Texas Federation of Teachers has criticized the program, claiming that the TIA rewards educators at wealthier schools and magnet campuses.
I teach at a Title I partnership campus where 96 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch and most students enter with significant academic gaps. I believe TIA is fair because the designation system takes into account teacher evaluations as well as student growth metrics.
With Texas facing a teacher shortage, incentives have the potential to address many of the concerns facing educators in our state and to attract and retain teachers. It is my hope that the Legislature will continue funding TIA in the upcoming legislative session so that the program can be expanded to reach more school districts and provide access to higher salaries for more teachers. It will help to retain STEM teachers like me, incentivize effective teaching that will later result in a competent, prepared workforce, and encourage more young professionals in Texas to consider teaching as a career. The past few years have shown us they are needed now more than ever.