My Turn
Trading the Boardroom for the Classroom

Frustrated? Tired? Thinking about greener pastures in the corporate world? This New Jersey teacher has been there.

By Frank Verducci, Jr.

Unhappy with his job in business, Frank Verducci, Jr. switched careers and now teaches middle school students in New Jersey. Pictured with him are Roselle Park students Danielle DiDonato and George Mundy.

It's late in the afternoon, your classroom feels like an oven, and your head is still spinning from that post-observation conference with your principal. To top things off, your students just can't seem to settle into their seats and focus on your lesson. You find yourself daydreaming that there must be a better way to make a living.

But before you conjure up visions of a corner office and a BMW in the parking lot, stop and ask yourself a simple question: "Do I really believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence?"

Chances are, this question will help snap you back to reality. You'll recognize that, even with all the monetary inducements corporate America may hold, nothing can measure the satisfaction you feel when one (hopefully more!) of your young troops has mastered a lesson.

I didn't always believe this. I spent the first 10 years of my working career struggling up the corporate ladder. I spent countless weekends at the office, worrying about the volume of my work and all the deadlines that had to be met.

Working long hours, with little family life or leisure time, began to take its toll. I found myself second-guessing the worth of my contribution to society. It was time to reassess what was important in life, because the track I was on was not providing any satisfaction.

I had always liked working with children and found their energy contagious. So I started wondering if I could go back and correct my career choice mistake.

Coming from a family of educators, I got lots of guidance and suggestions, not all of them positive. I was even warned that it would be difficult entering a field that frowned upon those who had chosen an alternate route.

But I was not dissuaded. Just because I didn't go the traditional route didn't mean I couldn't teach! I believed the experience of working in corporate America would benefit the students who wanted to learn more about the world around them.

Unfortunately, many prospective school employers didn't want to take a chance on an alternate-route teacher, and it took almost a year to find a public school position.

I finally did obtain my certification and find a job. But then, once on the job, I was shocked at some of the individuals I encountered. You know, the Monday morning complainer who can't face another week with "Johnny," the lunchroom gossips, and educators who were generally just plain negative.

I spent many a morning with my mentor discussing how disappointed I was at the attitudes I was hearing. These teachers were the keys to our country's future, I thought. Surely, they couldn't really feel such despair and contempt for their chosen profession? Why stay in teaching, I wondered, if you are that unhappy?

Over time, I came to realize that teaching isn't any different from working in the corporate world. The same lessons I had learned in business were still true in teaching, just on a different scale.

The politics of the education community are as fierce as the backstabbing and jealousy that I witnessed in the corporate world.

Still, I knew I had made the right choice to become a teacher. The satisfaction of working with the kids far outweighed the negative aspects of working in a profession that has seen more than its share of criticism.

My weekends are more enjoyable now, but I still spend time worrying-worrying about the impact I have on my adolescent charges. The responsibility we have as teachers is simply awesome.

Let's never forget that and let's focus our energies on making things better for all our students.

Frank Verducci, Jr. has taught computer technology and reading to sixth and seventh graders at Roselle Park Middle School in East Hanover, New Jersey for four years. His E-mail address: FVTEACH@aol.com.

Editor's Note

If you haven't yet been on the Web, at www.nea.org/neatoday, to check the online version of NEA Today, you're missing the extra perspective on education that our online site is now delivering.

Online, you'll find access to the entire current issue of NEA Today, and the contents--text and most photos and graphics-- are available within just a few days after the print version goes to press.

But NEA Today Online--NEATO, for short isn't just a mirror reflection of the print version of NEA Today.

"We try to add new material to the site and not just repeat the print version," as NEATO editor Bonnie Gardner puts it.

In one recent issue, for instance, NEA Today ran a cover story about using technology in the classroom.

Space in the print version necessarily limited the length of the story and the number of resource leads we could provide. Online, we faced no such limitation, so we were able to offer considerably more technology help than we could in print.

The online version of NEA Today also offers interactive features that can't be duplicated in print, such as the opportunity to vote on each issue's debate question. Once you cast your vote, you can get an immediate total vote tally.

Finding articles from previous issues is also quick and easy with our online version. Just click on the NEA Today archives and you'll be taken to a searchable collection of the last three year's worth of issues.

Have a great article idea for staff to consider? That's another reason to come visit us online. Our NEATO Web site features a clearly marked space where you can key in your story ideas, and another place where you can E-mail a letter to the editor.

You can also change your address online. And, if you'd like, NEATO will even let you know when new features are added to the site.

—Bill Fischer