|
Substitute teacher Susan Howard works as a waitress at Threadgill’s on weekends. |
After working the substitute teacher beat for several years, Susan Howard, 41, is making the move into full-time permanent teaching for the Austin Independent School District. But she won’t be giving up her waitress job at Threadgill’s on weekends and during summers. She can’t afford to on the salary she’ll be earning. Not only does Howard have $16,000 in student loans to service, she’ll need money to equip her classroom for her specialized bilingual education course. AISD allots teachers $100 a year for classroom supplies, but Howard will have to spend much more out of pocket to buy supplies – everything from books and magazines for a library, to such simple but crucial supplies as pens, paper, and storage baskets. “You basically encounter a bare room when you start,” Howard says.
In the Austin area, where starting salaries are about $23,000, young school teachers commonly moonlight in restaurants and retail stores to pay off university debts, make car payments, and meet everyday expenses. Intermediate math teacher Anita Tidwell held down two, and sometimes three, jobs during her first four years of teaching. Like Howard, Tidwell waitressed at Threadgill’s on weekends, and also drove a bus route mornings and afternoons on school days. She shares rent with three housemates and drives an aging four-door Oldsmobile.
Having nearly finished her master’s degree in Educational Administration, Tidwell will soon leave the teaching field, a decision she regrets but finds necessary. “You want to get married, have kids, buy a home, and you can’t do those things on a teacher’s salary,” she says. “It’s almost like college life; it’s really not much more financially stable.” – K.F.
This article appears in June 5 • 1998 and June 5 • 1998 (Cover).