Lyon G. Tyler Department of History

The Life of the Mind in Charlotte Country Day School

Tom Anderson (William & Mary MA, 2001)

In August 1999, I started my career as an independent school teacher. As I write, I'm preparing for my fifth year teaching bright, motivated and interesting students. Though I initially considered independent schools as a way to get useful teaching experience while focusing my academic interests, it turned out to be an intellectually stimulating and professionally satisfying career in its own right. I hope to explain here what kind of work this alternative to academe entails, what kind of person might be interested in pursuing this career path, and how one might go about finding a position in this very diverse (but closely knit) independent school world.

What is teaching in an independent school like?

Independent schools really defy the broadest of generalizations since they come in all shapes and sizes. Some independent schools excel in one or two disciplines, some cater to children with special needs or interests or ideologies, and others try to do everything that a large public school might do. Some schools educate 3 year olds through a post-graduate year, while others have only four or five-year high school curricula. But as all independent school teachers will testify, independent schools demand a lot from their faculty both inside and outside the classroom. Every teacher either coaches or advises a student group, or both. Every teacher is on at least one committee or project, and every teacher has a set of students as "advisees." This is pretty much standard everywhere, at least as I have seen it during my jobs and my interviews.

Since independent schools are diverse, and because they demand so much faculty involvement in the "total life of the school," it is important to find a school that dovetails with your interests and personality. For me academic rigor is important, but so is a relaxed atmosphere where students and faculty are comfortable speaking their minds. A military academy might be rigorous but not particularly open. Alternatively, there are independent schools where class attendance is actually optional. I would not do well in either situation; you might do marvelous things with students in one of these environments. There really is no one right way to teach, and schools shape and reshape curricula and policies to best meet the needs of the children they are given to serve. It is important, if you choose this career path, to choose a school in which your talents will complement the mission and the school and disposition of the faculty.

I was lucky enough to find a school that fit me well, and I spend my days engaged in conversation with intelligent juniors and seniors in upper-level humanities courses. Every day I work on getting kids to articulate their ideas in class and in writing. Many of these kids they are just awakening to the joys of the intellect, and it is a privilege to introduce them to the world of ideas. It is not a whole lot of fun to go over and over the same term paper that still does not have a thesis or any supporting evidence, but they always make progress when you invest in them. More than anything else, independent schools make sure that there are enough teachers to meet the diverse needs of a diverse student body, and students have relationships with teachers that I would have thought impossible before college. Most parents say that the closeness of the communities is what makes the best independent schools worth their price tags.

Finally, the faculties of independent schools are full of vital people. While secondary school teaching does not cultivate the life of the mind in quite the same way that university teaching and research do, good independent schools make it possible for teachers' to develop intellectually. Some schools will pay for further degree work, many will grant research or writing sabbaticals, and most will send teachers to conferences. At the two schools where I've taught, I have met artists of all kinds, novelists, poets, former and future professors, mountain climbers, and Kerouac throwbacks. Since independent school teachers are not subject to state testing or state standards curricula, we have lots of autonomy in our classrooms to shape them according to our interests. Passionate and dynamic teaching often results from this freedom, and I love participating in that.

Who might be interested in teaching in independent schools?

Independent school teaching is a viable career path for anyone who is passionate about TEACHING. While research could be a peripheral part of your professional development, if it is your main professional goal you will be frustrated. Most good independent schools see the Master's degree in the subject matter rather than a teaching certificate or education degree as the requirement for guild admission. Independent schools will hire Ph.D.'s as long as they are committed to teaching and do not appear to be looking for a place to wait out a lousy academic job market. But smart, educated people make great teachers, and an independent school would not turn someone down if they were committed to the 25 or 30 hours a week teachers spend in the classroom and the countless hours spent grading, preparing, and giving extra help (there is no such thing as a graduate assistant here). In short, if you love teaching, it's a great way to get some serious experience; if you are hoping to find a place to support your research financially and pursue your particular field in depth, you are going to be disappointed.

Those who resist the academic demand to specialize are ideal candidates for independent secondary schools. By the end of my fifth year I will have taught United States history at the Advanced Placement and "regular" levels, Modern World History, Modern European History, International Relations, Economics, Psychology, and senior electives "Globalization" and "Perspectives on War and Peace." Additionally, I will be teaming up with another department member to combine one of my AP US History classes with his AP English class for an interdisciplinary "AP American Studies" course. If your first priority is theorizing about Victorian sexual discourse, then you will be as frustrated as your subjects were. But, if you are willing to be creative about designing an elective that introduces the idea of gender constructions and their consequences to the uninitiated, you could be pleasantly surprised. You will be given room to work your intellectual magic, but what really matters is meeting the students where they are and helping them grow. Our intellectual interests are important, but they have to take a back seat to the skills and basics that we teach.

What might I be paid?

You should expect pay in independent schools to be as varied as schools themselves. Boarding schools pay considerably less because teachers are expected to live on campus, but their room and board are paid. Most independent schools will pay as well or better than public schools in a given area. In any case, don't be afraid to negotiate. Schools know when they find someone they want, and they seem to worry more about not
getting the person they want for a position than they do about a thousand dollars of salary. My own strategy has been to accept original offers, and then to negotiate in the second or third year if the subsequent offers were substandard. I have found, however, that these schools reward good teaching and dedication, and they want to prevent turnover as much as possible. The longer you stay, the better your chances of finding
advancement and higher pay.

How do I go about finding a job in Independent Schools?

If teaching in an independent school is something that you think might fit you, you can approach a job search in one of several ways. First, though, you should get some experience in some way. Many independent schools, especially boarding schools, offer internships to college and graduate students during the summers, and many independent schools offer one year teaching fellowships to students interested in exploring teaching as a career option. If this sort of thing is impossible or unattractive, get some kind of experience in the schools around Williamsburg, public or private, to gauge your interest in secondary education. A little initiative goes a long way here.

When you are actually applying for jobs, get started early. If you are limited to a single geographic area, find out all the contact information for all the independent schools in the area and send cover letters and resumes. If you have some flexibility, you should set yourself up with one of the headhunter agencies that work specifically with independent schools. Many independent schools do national searches, and they often go straight to the search agencies for names and resumes. The agency will ask you to fill out an application, send letters of reference and write a statement on teaching. Then they will send your information to schools and let you know to whom they have sent your application. You should follow your agent's instructions from there. By the way, this service is free to the applicant; schools pay the fee for this service. Often, nationally known schools do not even publish vacancies until they have sorted through the files they get from the national agencies, so it is a good thing to sign up with them by November. Schools start filling positions as early as Thanksgiving, and they want to be done by spring break. This is not to say that they ARE done by spring break, so if you apply with a school and it gets into April and May, schools are still hiring. Don't get too discouraged because good opportunities arise in the spring as well.

When you get an interview, do your homework. As I said, not all schools are alike, and there are no standard answers that all schools want to hear. Know the mission and purpose of the school, and if you don't think you fit well, don't accept an interview offer. Schools would rather you not accept an interview offer if you know that you are not really interested. But if you are interested, look over and analyze the curriculum. You have specific things that can help individual schools; show them these things.

The two biggest agencies to contact are Carney, Sandoe and Associates and Educational Resource Group. Their websites are at www.carneysandoe.com and at www.ergteach.org. If you wish to ask me about my experience in independent schools, feel free to email me at tanderson@ccds.charlotte.nc.us.