Our Stories

My name is Debra Noe, I am a Lead Teacher in Preschool 2, and this is my second time sharing my story on behalf of our bargaining committee. In my first Union Story, I described how the benefits of organized labor shaped my childhood: opening opportunities for higher education, living abroad, and pursuing different career paths. I shared how much it hurts to have our profession of early childhood education treated like an unskilled “job” by an institute of higher education— especially after many of us have invested so much in developing expertise in human development and pedagogical techniques.

But this pain has been compounded by my journey over the past two years of becoming a mother. One month into my first year at BUCC, I received the shocking news that I was unlikely to ever conceive unless I immediately began IVF. I spent a month grappling with this decision alone, as my husband was in Europe at the time, while simultaneously helping a new group of children feel secure in our new classroom.

When he returned, my husband and I began our months-long journey of going to the hospital almost every morning before work, spending our lunch breaks on the phone with pharmacies or nurses, and our evenings completing a second round of injections in the stomach. Each month I failed to conceive was a disappointment, but even more painful were the three pregnancies that I lost.

Throughout this time, the support of my closest teammates and the joy of working with children and families at BUCC sustained me. My class didn’t know that I would wear the spider headdress they made for me on Halloween as I went straight to the hospital for a procedure to remove my latest miscarriage. The families couldn’t imagine that I was lying in the recovery room, posting pictures on Kaymbu of what their child was learning that day. Often in the classroom, I was grateful for the darkness during Quiet Time so no one could see the tears welling up as I rubbed little backs and wondered whether I would ever soothe a child to sleep in my own home.

As I went through this, I was also struggling to give life to another dream: a collective bargaining agreement with BU that would give our profession the respect, compensation, and working conditions it deserves. As part of the bargaining committee, I am responsible for finding a way to make this career as sustainable for my BUCC colleagues as it is for those who leave us to do the same work under union protections. You’ve read the stories of dedicated early childhood educators who, by giving their lives to the families of others, have had to make tremendous sacrifices in their own homes. I am fortunate to finally be expecting a baby in November, but for others time continues marching on.

For two years, I have been meeting with bargaining committee for hours every week to seek common sense solutions that will make BUCC a stronger community for everyone. At the same time, BU has consistently failed to respectfully collaborate and move this process to a swift conclusion. Oftentimes, I would spend the same amount of time waiting on pregnancy results from my team of providers as the bargaining committee would to hear back from BU with a small piece of information—such as a simple date for our next meeting.

In recent months, as the families in our community have backed up our teachers union by signing petitions and sending leadership heartfelt messages, we have begun to see more movement from our counterparts across the bargaining table. This acceleration means that our four person bargaining committee has to put more and more hours in each day to reach a conclusion. I hope we can birth a final contract before I give birth to my baby.

This story has been painful to share, but I hope it helps others feel less alone in their struggles knowing there is someone else in the community that they can reach out to and talk about their own journey. If you need to chat, email me at dnoe@bu.edu

My name is Grace Jacobi and, until July 17th, I was a Teacher in Infant 1. I started at BUCC as an undergraduate Assistant Teacher while pursuing a bachelor’s at BU in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. I absolutely loved my time as an Assistant Teacher, as I quickly learned so much from the infant, toddler, and preschool teaching teams. The Lead Teachers are all phenomenal mentors for students interested in the field, and I even considered making this my career. With an early graduation date from BU, I became a Float Teacher, then soon transitioned to a classroom Teacher for the 23-24 school year. I decided to stay at BUCC to earn money for loans, with the intention of returning to school in a few years to become an audiologist.

However, I realized quickly as a Float Teacher that this job was not sustainable. I was immediately and repeatedly put in compromising positions, including being left alone with 8 toddlers and an inexperienced undergraduate Assistant Teacher during a transitional time of day in my first week. I had just graduated from the role of Assistant, but was expected to train them while receiving no official training myself. Within that same week, it was proposed to me that I become a Teacher (assigned to one room), as opposed to a Float. This transition was presented to me as a lateral move, with no increase in compensation, into a position that still has yet to be defined in our employee handbook. I was promised that this would be an opportunity to learn how to write documentation, design curriculum, and complete developmental assessments–some of the core responsibilities of a classroom teacher.  

As I leave BUCC, I realize that anything I learned came solely from the passion, dedication, and extra unpaid labor of my teammates, NOT from the leadership of administration. There was no official training, professional development, or extra prep time provided by admin to a new-to-the-field teacher like me. My co-teachers were kind enough to teach me what they could with the little time they had, though I felt like I was taking away from their valuable time and energy. They were never given adequate time to complete their own work, so how could I ask them to teach me how to do mine?

These workload and safety issues also influenced our willingness to take allotted sick time, even when struggling with persistent illness. 

When sick, I was pressured to come into the classroom by administration and my symptoms were downplayed. The lack of adequate staffing and support and subsequent physical and mental stress meant that my team and I often needed multiple consecutive sick days in order to recover. If I took a sick day, I would receive a “check-in” text within a few hours asking if I needed to take the next day or not, all while knowing that my team was likely not receiving adequate support in my absence. It became so stressful to go through this when needing a sick day, in addition to feeling responsible for my co-teachers’ struggles.

I walk away knowing that I could have learned and achieved more, but was restricted by staffing, workload, and administrative support constraints. I loved the children and teachers I worked with, but the state of the Center was unsustainable. Unfortunately, it was an easy decision to apply for graduate school as soon as possible once I experienced the realities of being a professional educator at BUCC.

My name is Julia O'Connor. I am a Lead Teacher in Preschool 2 at the BU Children's Center, and I've been working in the field for eight years. I love what I do, and I want it to be sustainable so I can remain in the field.

My career began at the original BU Children's Center as undergraduate student staff. Those 4 years were so valuable to me as an early childhood education major because I was able to gain comfort working with children, find my teacher voice, and learn how to set limits. As student workers we received weekly professional development through mandatory student staff meetings, met with our supervising teachers consistently to create goals, and were empowered as members of our classroom community.

I received more experience and confidence from my time at BUCC than any practicum could have taught me, and I left with an idealized (and sheltered) view of what high quality early childhood education could be. Now, after being in the field across multiple environments— public, private, state-funded, unionized, non-union— I have a more realistic view of what my needs are as an educator.

My last job, through the Department of Human Services in Cambridge, had been unionized for a while, and I joined the bargaining committee as they were negotiating a new contract. Over the years, many teachers there have needed to leave the field due to the Department’s refusal to negotiate with their teachers. Unionizing is only half the battle— to retain talent and make this career sustainable, teachers need people on the other side of the table bargaining in good faith, and valuing their employees.

I didn't feel valued in Cambridge, and trying to make them understand that our job was different from an office-based human resources job was like yelling into the void. They refused to hear us. Fighting for sustainable pay, adequate vacation time, closures for EEC mandated meetings and assessments, it becomes exhausting. One of the reasons I felt comfortable coming to BU was because I had heard about them unionizing over a year ago. Non-union early childhood settings allow employers to treat their teachers however they want, without any protections. I thought, “Hey, BU must care about their teachers if they are letting them collectively bargain for the good of their center.”

I love my career, and I hoped that BUCC would be a place I could stay long-term. I live with 5 roommates, I can't afford a car, and if nothing changes I don't know how long I will be able to stay a teacher. I was hoping BU would be better, but now I'm not sure.

My name is Debra Noe and I am currently a Lead Teacher in the Preschool 2 classroom and a member of our bargaining committee. At the bargaining table, we've been told there are, "different kinds of jobs," and the work we do doesn't deserve to be paid a family-sustaining wage. I've done lots of different kinds of jobs, from working as gardener for my city at fourteen, to shelving materials at my local library in high school, to working multiple jobs at a time to sustain myself through college, including as a live-in housekeeper. Neither of my parents went to college, but my dad was a union electrician. The fair wages, work ethic, and values he passed on not only allowed me to get my BA from the University of Chicago, but also continue to drive my commitment to improving conditions for all early childhood educators.

I don't have a “job” now; I have a career.

My life could have taken many different paths, such as staying in Europe to teach at the collegiate level after attaining my first master’s degree. Unlike my position at BU, I never had to text my boss to cover my class so that I could use the bathroom at that institution of higher learning. I could have remained in Chicago, where the cost of living is lower yet I made about the same salary as the Interim Middle School English Language Arts Director at a non-profit as I do now as a Lead Teacher at BUCC. I completed a second master's degree while working full time so that I would have the skill to maximize the potential of our youngest learners. The expertise that I bring transforms the lives of children and their families.

I have been a babysitter. What I do on this path now at BUCC is so far removed from that, it is hurtful to see my colleagues earning less per hour than many babysitters. I was willing to work for so little at BU because I mistakenly thought the administrative conditions would support my professional growth and development. At this point, I could follow the path that nearly 10 BUCC teachers have taken in the last 2 years— out of the classroom to receive fair compensation for their education and skills.

I stay because the teachers at BUCC are the best I have ever encountered, and the children and families here are incredibly special. I will stay if we can secure the resources to be the models of sustainable high-quality early education that we have the potential to be. Teaching young children is a profession, not a job.

We must make this field a sustainable one, or who will be left to support our children?

My name is Julia Jones, and as of Friday, June 14th, I will be leaving my teaching position at BUCC. I joined BUCC back in 2020, excited to continue the rich and meaningful experiences I had at Boston University where I earned my Master’s in Early Childhood Education.

At the BU Wheelock School of Education, I learned that early childhood education is crucial and transformative. I expected my time at BUCC to be filled with research, collaboration, and support, aiming to provide the high-quality care BUCC promises. Unfortunately, my experience has been far from ideal. I faced mistreatment, overwork, underpayment, and a lack of professional growth opportunities. Support from the administration was often lacking, leaving me to navigate challenges on my own as a teacher early in my career. Safety concerns and inadequate staffing further added to the difficulties. I am leaving the Center as I relocate to be closer to my family as my sister welcomes her first baby. This move is also for my mental health, as I feared I wouldn't be able to by take promised vacation time to rest and recover due to staffing shortages. 

I am deeply grateful for the supportive teachers I worked alongside who have made my time at BUCC meaningful. They truly embody the values BUCC aspires to—diversity, advocacy, integrity, and more; values that Boston University constantly advertises to their students at the BU Wheelock School of Education. It’s disheartening that Boston University fails to support its staff, faculty, and the community it serves. I hope for better support and recognition for all of the BUCC teachers.

My name is Amanda Donovan and I currently work in the Preschool 1 classroom at BUCC. This is my first year at BUCC, but I have been a teacher in Early Childhood education for 12 years.

Over the course of 12 years, this is the first teaching job I’ve had that I haven’t been also working a second job to support myself. However, the reason isn’t because I am now making enough money to live comfortably. It’s simply because with my commute to work, I don’t have enough time to have a second job. My commute on the train usually takes anywhere from 1-2 hours, which means my days are 10-12 hours long. I don’t make enough money to be able to live closer to work, and I also don’t make enough money to be able to afford to drive to work every day and pay for parking. 

Being an early childhood educator is exhausting, and I have spent most of my career having to keep up with the demands of teaching, then go straight to working a 5 hour shift on my feet waitressing. I’d only have 6 hours of sleep before doing it all over again. No teacher should have to have a side hustle or second job to be able to support their basic needs. No teacher should have to choose between paying to park at work to make their days a little bit shorter, or being able to afford enough groceries to last them through the week.

We work so hard to love, care for, and teach your children, but it sometimes comes at the cost of being able to care for ourselves.

My name is Annalisa Ritchie (they/them) and I am a disheartened triple terrier. From my undergrad days at CAS, to my graduate days at BU Wheelock, to joining the teaching team at the old Boston University Children’s Center in 2019, to my dreams of pursuing an MFA in Illustration– Boston University has been my comfort zone and my safety net through it all. BU has been extremely important to the formation of my identity over the years, as it has provided a generally safe and inclusive environment, where I can teach in a way that aligns with and honors my values and experiences. 

One of the most foundational things I learned throughout my education at BU is the importance of development in the first 5 years of life. Research in both the fields of psychology and education further supports my conviction that the care and relationships we provide our children at this age have lasting consequences.

I am disappointed by our University’s unwillingness to meet its own expectations. I have been shaped, molded, and fine-tuned into the passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated preschool teacher that I am today because of my time at BU. I want to share this with the children in my care and the greater community, as we were encouraged to do upon graduating. I can’t do that until BU is willing to recognize our unique needs as a team of professional teachers, as opposed to the glorified babysitters they currently see us as. 

I have always believed in Boston University. Why doesn’t Boston University believe in me?

My name is Elissa Calvin, and I am the preschool mentor teacher at BUCC.  I have been in this field for over 20 years and have a master's degree. I make $64,000 a year, which is $25,000 less than the average person with a master's degree (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).  My husband and I moved from California to assist with my mom who is in late stage Alzheimers. We were hoping to buy a home in the area, but that dream is far from reach.

It is a societal problem that early childhood educators are not seen as worthy of earning as much as our equally educated peers in other fields. But a well funded, highly respected institution of higher learning is uniquely positioned to change the notion that teachers should have to struggle and barely make ends meet because of low pay. Yet Boston University is "mystified" that we are asking for higher salaries for our teachers. It is a documented fact that turnover is very high in this field. It's also a known fact that continuity of caregivers is best for children. Having a living wage, strong benefits, and ample planning time will all contribute to lessening the cycle of high turnover. This will lead to a thriving community of teachers, learners, and families, which will only benefit the quality of our institution as a whole.

Isn't that something we all can agree on?