TEXT ON SCREEN (0:07)
What’s something you wish was better understood about teacher compensation for special education teachers?
KAREEM NEAL (0:10)
If special education teachers are leaving the profession because they’re not compensated well, it lends to lots of problems that are deeper than just, oh, students might not be getting their lessons taught to them, or they might be falling behind a little academically.
It could become a serious problem where it’s like, are they not being fed correctly? Is someone taking them to the bathroom and they don’t know what they’re doing, and have to change them? Is somebody potentially restraining a student when they shouldn’t be, or something like that? So the problem is pretty serious with special education, specifically for that reason.
TEXT ON SCREEN (0:49)
What’s at stake if special education teachers aren’t compensated fairly?
KAREEM NEAL (0:53)
Teaching is a difficult thing. It’s hard to motivate students nowadays. It’s hard to pack in all the things you have to pack into a day. And being a special education teacher, a lot of times there’s other things that have to be taken care of in a classroom. Like I said earlier, sometimes I have to change students, sometimes I have to feed students.
And if you are getting paid little to do a job that’s so important, it’s frustrating first. But second, because the job is so taxing, it kind of causes some people to say, “I won’t do it anymore” and they leave. Then you have overcrowded classrooms or substitute teachers, and things like that.
TEXT ON SCREEN (1:40)
How has the pandemic changed your views of teacher compensation?
KAREEM NEAL (1:44)
The pandemic has not changed my views on teacher compensation at all. Pandemic was a frustrating time that, I think, maybe it changed the world’s view because people saw how difficult it was to be a teacher. I think a lot of parents at home had to do some of those things that teachers have to do, and they realized that it was very difficult.
So I think nationally and in homes, maybe, I hope that people said, “Wow, those folks deserve more money.” But for me, I had already been thinking about the problem of teacher compensation, because I’ve worked three jobs for maybe 12 of the 25 years I’ve been a teacher. I’ve worked multiple jobs the whole time, including now.
But at one point, like I said, I had three jobs. I had no days a week off. I worked weekends. And so I’ve always been thinking about the compensation problem. Because a lot of the times when I was early in my career, when I was missing rent payments, and in accruing debt on credit cards and things like that, I did consider leaving the field.
I’m glad didn’t of course, I love the job. But sometimes those basic needs will definitely make you consider, all right, maybe I have to go do something that pays a little bit more and then I’ll come back, or something like that. And a lot of times when people leave, they don’t.
So I’ve always felt that impact. Because I know it’s a job I’ve always loved, but when I did it as a young teacher, there were lots of times I thought about leaving for money.