to do or not to do!

[macabre]

hi
I have a problem that I need help with. I have just been offered a new position at another school close to where I live.This position would require me spending less time with my pupils and more time with parents/teachers.The pay is quite a lot more than I earn now and since I am the only one who works in our household(my wife is unable to work) you would think i would jump at this opportunity.Despite what some of you think about me I care very strongly for my children I teach.I do not think i could live without their smiling faces even though some of them bite and kick me. Have any of you guys had a similar situation? money or morals?.I understand i came across as a heartless person through my last post but I am not.My wife says we can cope now, so she will leave the decision to me. I must give an answer by Friday at the latest,

macabre...

[The Burgomaster]

If you can get by on the money you are making now and you believe you would much prefer the work you are currently doing to the work you will be doing if you switch jobs then you should probably stay where you are.  Taking a job you may not enjoy just because it pays more money may be okay in the short run but you'll probably regret it in the long run.  About 10 years ago I had an opportunity to work at a local PBS television station.  The job only paid about 50% of what I was making at a CPA firm, but I think it would have been much more interesting.  I didn't want to take the big pay cut so I stayed at the CPA firm (which I really didn't enjoy).  I've always wondered how my life would be different today if I had followed my heart instead of my wallet.

[ulthar]

money or morals?

Always morals.   If you make more money, you'll only spend more money, and NOTHING you spend it on will give you any real fulfillment.

I say trust your instincts.  What does your gut say?  When I do a cost-benefit analysis in situations like this, the salary is generally a VERY low priority item; time with my family, a sense of "belonging" or what I perceive I accomplish in the job rank MUCH MUCH higher.

Good luck with your decision.

[Silverlady]

If you can make it on less financially, I'd say go with your heart  ... and stay with the kids.   

[indianasmith]

Same here.  I could double my salary if I went to a public school instead of the private one I teach at, but I love what I do, I love the academic and spiritual freedom, and I love my kids.  All of them, even the occasional stinker.

Besides, money is overrated.  Or so I hear.

[ulthar]

Besides, money is overrated.  Or so I hear.

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."

---Henry David Thoreau

A bit over a year and a half ago, we turned our backs on easy access to a few "modern conveniences."  The four of us, and a cat, live in a bit under 160 sq ft - our entire living space is the size of many contemporary American bathrooms.  We have no fridge, oven, shower or running water at all.  We no longer own a TV (but do watch movies and such on this laptop).

Money leads to "Stuff" and stuff is like a weight around one's neck.  That's my opinion.  My children are happy and they play a lot - outside, on the river, in the woods, etc.  They would rather catch insects, hike, bird watch, learn a new tree name or simply play  in the dirt than watch TV.   They will spend hours picking up, examining and describing broken shells at the beach.   A few weeks ago, while visiting a family member, my daughter said, "TV is boring."

So, yes, looking at how our "living" has improved since making this change in our lifestyle, I would say that money is overrated.  Once the basics - food on the table and a warm, dry place to sleep at night - are covered, the rest is usually spent on "time consumers."  I read that as often as not as "life consumers."

Your mileage may vary, of course, and to each his own.  But based on own experience, I think Thoreau was on to something profoundly big.

Besides, how big a DIFFERENCE in money are these two jobs anyway?  1%? 5%?

[macabre]

hi
thank-you for your thoughtful answers.wow! I envy you ulthar you I wish I could lead my life as you do.I have analysed my current position and i am very happy with the children I teach(I teach in a private school that specialises in severely disabled children) . I love communicating with he parents and I help out withthe children outside of school hours but I am more content where I am.I spoke to my wife last night and I told her that we have many things a lot of families may not have.I finish my job in time for me to pick up my son .My answer shall be thank-you for the opportunity but I shall stay where I am .thank-you guys for helping me reach this decision, my homelife is such that my wife and i do not have to many friends  so i am pleased I can count on you as friends and once again I apologise for my last post it was not intended to offend anyone. sometimes i just say things as they are and I get in trouble.

macabre.