Ideas have consequences and so does racking up $35,000 in student loans to pursue your passion in puppetry. Unfortunately for this gentleman, just like with government policy — good intentions do not produce good results.
A few years ago, Joe Therrien, a graduate of the NYC Teaching Fellows program, was working as a full-time drama teacher at a public elementary school in New York City. Frustrated by huge class sizes, sparse resources and a disorganized bureaucracy, he set off to the University of Connecticut to get an MFA in his passion—puppetry. Three years and $35,000 in student loans later, he emerged with degree in hand, and because puppeteers aren’t exactly in high demand, he went looking for work at his old school. The intervening years had been brutal to the city’s school budgets—down about 14 percent on average since 2007. A virtual hiring freeze has been in place since 2009 in most subject areas, arts included, and spending on art supplies in elementary schools crashed by 73 percent between 2006 and 2009. So even though Joe’s old principal was excited to have him back, she just couldn’t afford to hire a new full-time teacher. Instead, he’s working at his old school as a full-time “substitute”; he writes his own curriculum, holds regular classes and does everything a normal teacher does. “But sub pay is about 50 percent of a full-time salaried position,” he says, “so I’m working for half as much as I did four years ago, before grad school, and I don’t have health insurance…. It’s the best-paying job I could find.”A masters in puppetry didn't lead to upward mobility — I'm shocked, absolutely shocked!
Like a lot of the young protesters who have flocked to Occupy Wall Street, Joe had thought that hard work and education would bring, if not class mobility, at least a measure of security (indeed, a master’s degree can boost a New York City teacher’s salary by $10,000 or more). But the past decade of stagnant wages for the 99 percent and million-dollar bonuses for the 1 percent has awakened the kids of the middle class to a national nightmare: the dream that coaxed their parents to meet the demands of work, school, mortgage payments and tuition bills is shattered. Down is the new up.
And these are the people the rest of society is supposed to subsidize by forgiving their student loans? And here I thought liberals were opposed to regressive distributions of wealth.
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How could this happen? We must have a Federal intervention to employ these people! They could work for Congress.
At an early age I learned to check how deep the water was and decide if the other side was really where I wanted to be, BEFORE I stepped in or got beyond the opportunity to turn back or in another direction when walking to school, driving to work, marrying someone, registering for a class.
I will not pay Fed tax so he can be employed outside of govn't dole.
"the past decade of stagnant wages for the 99 percent and million-dollar bonuses for the 1 percent has awakened the kids of the middle class to a national nightmare: the dream that coaxed their parents to meet the demands of work, school, mortgage payments and tuition bills is shattered."
I doubt if this guys parents are surprised at this result. If they were it's about time they woke up from the dream. Not surprisingly this drivel comes to us from The Nation publication.
Hmmm...what do you have to say to all the jobless, $100,000 in debt lawyers? Lessee. I know dozens of them, just in my personal circles. Several years ago, I was hiring them - for $25 an hour, less than I was making.
I'd bet my own bottom dollar that J.D.s in this position greatly outnumber ALL puppeteers.
The thing is many employers will pay for an employee to further his education through part time education. This person might have been able to justify his additional degree in puppetry. He would have been covered through the union or school and he would have remained gainfully employed. Instead, he wanted to follow his heart. And it cost him $35,000 plus... Not feeling sorry.
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