Meet Miss MacNulty

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:00:05]:
You're listening to year one from Carnegie Learning, a podcast that chronicles all the ups and downs of one teacher's first year in the classroom. I'm your host, Kanika Chadda Gupta. I'm a broadcast journalist, host of That’s Total Momsense, the podcast, and a devoted mom of three, including twins. The first day of school is fast approaching. Soon these halls will be filled with excited and nervous elementary school kids. Cubbyhooks will be bursting with backpacks. Book corners will look a little less pristine. Parents will sigh with relief or maybe shed a tear as they pull away from drop off.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:00:56]:
And across the country, many teachers are stepping into their first years on the job in the midst of a national teacher shortage. Earlier this year, the Annenberg Institute at Brown University shared a study underscoring how desperate the shortage of educators is with states like Florida facing an academic year in which more than 5000 teaching roles remain vacant. The reasons are as varied as they are numerous, with teachers salaries remaining a primary sticking point. And yet, first year educators like Jenna are starting their first year in the classroom despite the challenges of their profession.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:01:37]:
I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I was younger. I'm the youngest of four, so I spent a few years at home with my mom while all of my older siblings were at school. So I felt so left out. I just wanted to go to school. That's all I wanted to do. So in our basement, we had this, like, extra room that I would set up and I would like, you know, teach my students how to add on little whiteboards. My students were my stuffed animals, you know, and we would set up little chairs and do the whole school situation in the basement, I'm pretty sure I just, like, printed off worksheets. Like, I would make like three copies of one worksheet.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:02:12]:
Like, I would go on Google and I would look up, like, math worksheet. Like, literally, that's how I look up. And then I press the first one and I would hit print, print, print one for each chair in the room. I was just that kid who, like, loved school so much. Like, every time I went, I was always the one who was like, hey, let me pass out papers. Hey, let me organize your stuff. Hey, let me grade this for you. Like, I don't know, there was just something about it that felt so comfortable to me.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:02:38]:
So I think it was just always the goal. I don't think I've ever thought of myself as anything else but a teacher. So when it was time to go to college and decide what I wanted to do. It was a no brainer.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:02:50]:
For Jenna. Teaching isn't just a job. It's practically in her DNA.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:02:56]:
I always knew Jenna was meant to be a teacher.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:02:59]:
This is Jenna's mom, Jori, who recently retired after a long career as a teacher herself.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:03:06]:
I encouraged her as much as I warned her, but I did encourage her because she is, like, one of the most patient people that I've ever experienced in my life. So I knew she had no, I knew you had it. I mean, I always told her, I know you can do this. I know you can do this.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:03:28]:
Yeah. Ever since I was literally five, four or five years old, I've just had this instinct to teach others and to just, you know, entertain and to inspire other people. So my mom was actually a teacher before she had us, so she actually stopped teaching to be a stay at home mom. But then once I was about in, I want to say, fourth or fifth grade, she went back into the profession.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:03:52]:
I went to Illinois State University, and there was a waiting list to get into the teaching programs. So once I applied, I had to wait an extra semester to get in. So I knew I was very devoted to it because I stayed an extra semester. I was engaged, and, you know, I was like, I got to get this done. So wound up getting my degree, I taught in Chicago. Well, my path was I couldn't get a job right away because there were just not enough jobs, which was crazy. But I applied so many schools in the Chicago area, finally landed a, like, a kindergarten aid position, which kind of then rolled into an elementary aid position, and then I worked my way up to a third grade position. So did that for a little bit, then got married and had babies and was a stay at home mom for a very long time.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:04:49]:
So my degree was crazy enough. It was anywhere from pre k up to 9th grade I could teach. So it covered all of those grades. I knew I wanted to be with the younger grades. I was really shooting for, like, kindergarten or first grade, but they had a third grade opening, so I went for it, and I loved it. Like, it was the sweet spot for.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:05:12]:
Me, having her being a teacher during my growing up, especially during the years where, like, you know, you're starting to think about your future, like middle school, high school, you know, it was a great way to kind of bring it to reality. It wasn't just an idea out in the blue. It was, oh, I see what she's doing. Obviously, my journey's going to be different, but, you know, I have that example in front of me.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:05:35]:
And as Jenna prepares her third grade classroom for her first year of teaching. She finds herself reflecting on the inspiration she's hoping to model when those kids walk through the door on her first day of school.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:05:50]:
I think the first teacher that really inspired me to be a teacher was my third grade teacher, which is actually funny, because now as a first year teacher, I'm teaching third grade, and I never thought that that was a grade that I would really want to teach, but here I am. I think there's such a big transition from second to third grade in elementary because you're no longer just, like, going to school to learn how to write and learning how to read and learning how to do the basics of addition and subtraction and all that fun stuff, but you're actually using what you've learned in those primary grades to start doing other things. So I think my third grade teacher made learning so much more fun because of that step. She was like, see all the skills that you know how to do now and how you can apply them to other things? I remember in third grade, we did a lot of, like, hands on experiments, so we did a lot of hands on projects, lots of participation in working with others, which I really enjoyed. And she was also one of those teachers that definitely, I was kind of a little brown noser, and she would let me help with a bunch of different tasks, like going to, you know, clap the chalkboard erasers outside if she needed someone to do that or to grade the papers or stuff them in the mailboxes and stuff. Like, I definitely felt like I was her own little personal assistant. So she was definitely the first influence that I had where I was like, you know what? I could be you. And I grow up.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:07:03]:
I could definitely do something like this. And then once I got into high school, I actually started participating in some different, like, classes that allowed me to get into the elementary classroom and observe and teach and stuff. So my senior year, I participated in that program where I cadet taught in a fourth grade classroom. And I think that teacher that I worked with was also a really awesome inspiration to me. But I think I was finally at that age where, seeing what she was doing, I finally, like, it all clicked that I was like, oh, these are the ins and outs of everything. We are here to do a job, and we can make it fun, but, you know, she's really showing me the ropes of how it works in and out. Going to college for teaching just seemed like, it seemed like what I needed to do, and it also seemed like a very safe thing to do. Because obviously there's a teacher shortage in our world.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:07:59]:
And, you know, I knew that I would be able to get a teaching job and that was something that I was, like, proud of and confident in going into college. At least the college that I went to the first year was not necessarily experience in the classroom, but experience with kids. So instead of having, like, hours of observation in a school or in a classroom or whatever, we actually had to get service hours through volunteering at different places in our college town, which was a cool way to, like, ease into working with kids. I guess that was kind of a cool transition into it. But, you know, as a freshman, you're, like, ready to go. Like, you have chosen what you want to do, so you want to just go right into it, but you have to kind of, you know, stair step, go up the ladder. And then my freshman year was when Covid hit. So I was actually sent home in March.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:08:51]:
And I was bummed because a lot of that field experience got taken away from me. It would be like half the time on the campus and the other half the time at the school, and that ended up getting canceled on me because of COVID So I was really bummed about that. And I had to take a lot of my classes online. But then, honestly, the best thing that ever happened to me was signing up for this program. I forget what it was called. I was scheduled from 08:00 a.m. to 03:00 p.m. but every single one of my classes was at an elementary school.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:09:24]:
So what we would do is we would meet in that elementary school's library. Like our cohort of like, I think 15 students were in this one. We would meet literally at, I think it was 07:30 a.m. in that elementary school's library. We would have our college class from 730 till 830. When the elementary school's bell rang at 830, we would split off into our classrooms and essentially be a student teacher. Even though we weren't seniors yet, we would be in that classroom. Everyone was paired up, so everyone had like a friend to be with them or like someone there, just as that little support.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:10:00]:
But there was an odd number and I was that one who got placed by myself. It was just me in a fifth grade classroom. And honestly, I feel like being alone was like the best thing that could have happened to me because I didn't have that other person to lean on or like, hide behind or do anything. I had to put in the work and I had to figure it out by myself as I went on, we would be in the classroom all day for the whole entire school day, and then 30 minutes before the kids would leave, we would be dismissed to go back to the library to do our second set of college classes until 430. So we were there literally all day long. Like it was a commitment, but it was the best experience you could get. Like, there were other elementary ed majors that were just on like the college campus all day long taking classes like everyone else. And like my friends and I in that cohort would talk all the time and we would be like, how are these other people going to like understand this? Like how are they going to get this experience? Or like how are they going to gain this knowledge? Because we only felt prepared for student teaching because we were in that cohort before and we had that experience in those classrooms.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:11:07]:
So like, that was something that was super, super beneficial for me. So yeah, I definitely had to seek out those experiences in college that made me feel prepared. Like they weren't just handed to me. I had to do my research and, you know, befriend the right professors who knew of the programs and that sort of thing. But like once I was in it, I knew that I had like hit the jackpot.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:11:29]:
By the end of her college experience, Jenna felt prepared to take the teaching world by storm. But she also understood that this occupation is not without its challenges. For better or for worse, she's facing those challenges along with her boyfriend Liam.

LIAM  [00:11:45]:
I'm Liam. My focus is teaching like k through twelve music, specifically choir. My passion definitely lies with teaching like older kids and doing like choral ensemble work.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:11:56]:
And it didn't come without real discussion from both of them about the lifestyle they'd put potentially be taking on as they consider a future together. Two teachers, two teachers incomes.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:12:08]:
I think a lot of people put pressure on future educators to not look at the financial situation and to just be like, oh, you got to do it for the kids. What's your, why? Like, you gotta, you know, it's not about the money, it's about the impact that you're making on these kids. And like, yes, that's true, that's totally true. But also it's a job.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:12:29]:
Talking to one of my coworkers is kind of the opposite where she was talking to her husband. Now he works like this nice cushy job and she's like, yeah, this is really just like the fun money job. But sometimes I think about quitting and it's like, oh, that must be delightful that this job is just the fun money job and that your significant other works in another sector where they make enough to supply for both of you doesn't work in education. It's like, oh, you kind of get that perspective of like, oh, that's what the other side is like, where you make significantly more money, you might have better benefits, things like that. And it's like this job can just be for fun.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:13:05]:
According to the National Education association, the national average teacher salary for the 2022 2023 school year was $68,469. While that was nearly a 3% increase from the previous year, theres still a deficit when you take inflation into account. Teachers are making an average of $3,644 less than they did ten years ago when adjusted for inflation. This is something that Jenna knew coming into her career, but it didnt make it less scary.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:13:41]:
The pay as a first year teacher is scary, especially if you are living on your own. I feel like there are very few people who are still, like, living with their parents, who are still in a living situation where they don't have to pay rent and utilities and your car bill and your phone bill and all of these things. Like, if you are set up to be a financially independent adult, by the time you get your first teaching job, almost all of your paycheck will be going to all of these different things. And that's scary. I remember over the summer when I was getting some offers from some different schools, but I sat down with my dad and I budgeted out, like what that would look like so I could compare and contrast. And then also I did that again with him. I sat down, he gave me a little sheet and walked me through it when I got my apartment. And then we did it again when I got my car.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:14:31]:
So it's like every time there's a big financial thing, I'm very, very lucky to have my dad in the picture who can sit me down and kind of talk me through it because I know a lot of people my age do not either one have that relationship with their parents or to have any sort of support when it comes to finances and how to be able to set yourself up for success as a young adult in the world where everything is getting more expensive and more complicated as the years go on, I'm very lucky.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:14:59]:
While baseline teacher pay in the first year isn't drastically less than the baseline pay for other career paths for a student fresh out of school, a big financial differentiator for first year teachers is outfitting their classroom.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:15:13]:
I have some posters and, you know, in front of my door frame inside of my classroom, I have little, like, affirmations, like little circle cutouts that say, like, you are loved, you are talented, you're creative, like, all those things.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:15:27]:
As a first year teacher, Jenna had no idea what she was going to be walking into as far as resources and materials for her classroom goes. She knew that no matter what, she'd have to be responsible for outfitting her classroom with most of the materials that she needed. But since she was a recent graduate, she didn't have the funds to outfit her classroom. And when she came in to see her new classroom just weeks before the school year kicked off, she quickly realized that she was truly starting from scratch.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:15:56]:
My specific classroom was the counselor's room last year. It's just how the, you know, moving around worked out, so I didn't have any leftover, like, classroom materials in my room. Now, my new teacher friend across the hall is a different story because her room that she moved into was one of the old third grade rooms in the first place. So she got a bunch of old materials, a bunch of old books, a bunch of old everything. I did not.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:16:26]:
For many teachers like Jenna, the upfront expense of making sure they have what they need to make the classroom not only comfortable, but also provide the basics that the students need in order to learn are significant. Luckily, Jenna had learned from a few other teacher friends a way to get some help.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:16:45]:
I made an Amazon wish list that a lot of my, you know, family and friends and my mom's friends and, you know, all of those different people were very supportive of. But at the end of the day, I did have to take out a lot of my own money to pay for things for my room, like, even for last minute. Like, grocery store stops on the way to and from to, like, get things that I needed to be able to hang things up or get command strips or whatever. It really added up with my own money.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:17:11]:
Jenna soon found out that she'd be able to get some help from the school, but wouldn't cover nearly the amount she'd spend out of pocket to get the resources and materials she'd need.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:17:21]:
My school does have a PTO system set up with classroom funds where I think you get like, $200 or something, and if you send them your receipts, then you can get it back, which is nice and generous, but I know a lot of other schools have bigger funds for that. Like, my boyfriend was telling me that he gets like, 500 or something dollars as a first year teacher for his classroom. And I was like, you teach music, like, you don't even need anything. Like, you need a piano and you'll be fine. I have to buy pencils and erasers and markers and grants and like, yeah, so it was just, I got some money from my school and from the PTO, but definitely a lot of it was still out of my pocket in order to have, like, a fully functioning classroom with everything that it needs.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:18:04]:
And even as Jenna started to get her classroom set up, she was still finding out new information that required more of her own money.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:18:13]:
It was surprising because there are a lot of little things that you didn't even think of. I mentioned command strips, and I didn't even realize that I would need those, but I got an email from our facility lady, our school, saying, like, hey, no pins in the walls, no staples in the walls. So then I was like, oh, okay, well, I need to go buy 8 million command strips then. And, you know, they're expensive and they added up.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:18:39]:
While Jenna had a lot of freedom in setting up her classroom, she also quickly learned that each school and administration has its own nuances for what they'd like, including included in each classroom.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:18:51]:
So it is essentially your room. Is your room. But they made it clear to us that it really helps if you have these things. And when your principal or vice principal comes for an observation, they would love to see your. I can. Statements on the board for, like, science. I can explain the life cycle of a plant or something like that on the board, and also something that this school is super big on that my student teaching placement wasn't, was like those giant post it, no anchor charts. Honestly, almost work is a little cheat sheet for your student, but what you need to know from the lesson sort of thing, and they're super helpful.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:19:26]:
But yeah, I never really used those at my student teaching. And basically at this school, everyone's wall is decorated to be able to fit these anchor charts. So even though it wasn't necessarily required, you know, just walking around the school and seeing everyone's different setups, every single room is basically set up to have those giant anchor charts on the wall.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:19:50]:
I was pretty anxious for her the first day. I could not wait to talk to her afterwards. I had been at the school with her a few times, helping her set up her room, and, you know, and she'll be the first to admit she was very focused on setting up her room, because that's what you. That is the fun part. That's the stuff you can prepare for. And, like, the only thing you can prepare for. It's the only thing you could prepare for.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:20:16]:
It's the only thing you can control after you get the job, all you can do is buy things and, like, figure out where you're gonna hang them. Like, that's literally the only thing you can do for two months.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:20:26]:
And then you get your kids names and you're like, yay. I have control over this because I can write their names.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:20:32]:
I know I was like, I can.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:20:33]:
Label things now, but I knew what she was in for, but I couldn't. I had to bite my tongue because I didn't know what her experience was going to be. But I certainly remember mine. It's like you're putting your feet to the fire. You. You really don't know what you're going to get. You don't know the combination of children you're going to get. You don't know the issues that are going to be thrown at you the first day, the first week, the first month, the first semester.

JENNA MACNULTY [00:21:03]:
You know, you just, it's just. Just kind of like, you just have to trust and you just have to trust your instincts and go with your gut.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:21:13]:
Jenna has literally been preparing for years for this moment. And it's all coming to life before her eyes. The classroom organization hacks that she'd been saving on pinterest since she was 14. The bookshelf filled with books. She's been collecting and scouring. Neighborhood garage sales force. And she started college classes. All of it is taking shape.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:21:35]:
For Jenna and the nearly 600,000 other first year teachers in the us, this is their story. They came bright eyed and excited into this profession. They'd weighed the pros and cons of the lifestyle and the paycheck, and they've chosen to teach. The question is, how long will that decision sustain them when faced with the realities of the profession, realities that have contributed to a national teacher shortage, will first years like Jenna still hold fast to her decision to become a teacher? Or reluctantly leave the struggle behind for something more lucrative and less all consuming?

JENNA MACNULTY [00:22:15]:
I just got up, I got ready. I was, you know, butterflies, all the things. And it didn't really hit me until it was like two minutes before the kids were walking in and the other first year teacher across the hall and I were standing there and we were like, this is real. Like, we're really doing this. Like, we have two more minutes until this is real and we just have to figure everything out as we go.

KANIKA CHADDA GUPTA [00:22:45]:
This is Year One, an exploration of one teacher's first year in the classroom, brought to you by Carnegie Learning. Join us for the rest of the series as we follow Jenna through every moment. And to keep up with Jenna in real life, be sure to follow Miss McNulty on Instagram and Facebook. For exclusive additional content, free teaching resources, and more, visit yearonepodcast.com. That's yearonepodcast.com