Thinking about becoming a teacher- Q's

FireChiefsBride

I know I know- this is asked regularly bc people want summers off.  But seriously- I'm thinking about getting my teaching certification.  I have worked for govt for over 7 years and am completely unfulfilled.  I was talking to a coworker yesterday and she mentioned I should be a teacher.  It had never occurred to me before, but sounds like so much fun!

I love kids.  I appreciate all the different personalities of my nieces and nephews (at this time the count is 11).  I think it would be great participating in their education process to make them intelligent and productive members of society.

I know that parents can be frustrating/ not care/ there will be very difficult kids.  That sounds like one of the biggest challenges.

If you are a teacher or familiar with the prospect, what is your opinion?  What am I not considering?

FTR- I am halfway through with my degree.  I think I can just as easily transition to education and I will have a few years of school left regardless, so I'm not looking for a insta-cert.

Jess.O

What grade/ subject are you considering? That will probably help others will advice or whatever.

gwynnetx

if you can sub at all, i would strongly suggest doing this before changing your degree plan or anything.  teaching can be great and you do experience those "light bulb" moments where you know you've made a difference.  but there is a LOT more to teaching than just teaching, as i'm sure you know.  in fact, some days, i don't feel like i've done much of it!  there are a lot of pros and cons to it, and i would just suggest learning more about the profession before committing time and money.  imo, subbing is one of the best ways to figure out if teaching's for you.  and even subbing is not going to show you all the paperwork, testing, committees, etc., etc., you'll have to deal with.

 eta: subbing can also be a great way to see which level (elem., middle, secondary) would be the best fit for you.

AustinBride06

ditto pp... the teaching part is great, but then there's everything else.  I come from a family of teachers (7 in my family at one point) plus DH is a teacher.  The biggest challenges are outside the classroom... dealing with administrator expectations, teaching things you don't want to teach/don't agree with/not how you'd prefer to teach, dealing with parents (or lack thereof), budget constraints (buying your own supplies, etc), then the grading, the planning, the extra workshops.  Plus frustration when it seems like you can't reach 95% of your kids.

I think my DH is the exception in that he doesn't enjoy what he does but I think a lot of that is due to the campus he's at.  My sister loved teaching and wants to go back to it, but she had a pretty ideal situation (kindergarten at a NY charter school).  For my mom (who is still teaching PE at 57) and the other members of my family who were career teachers... there's good and there's bad but at the end of the day it's just a job and it helps to remember that sometimes.

But yeah, the time off rocks.  I'm so jealous of that part when DH is home sleeping in, cuddling with the dogs, and playing video games all summer.

Xtina712

My BIL teacher HS and absolutely loves the kids.  He does however hate that he gets emails from almost every parent every day and that he is expected to respond to them within 12 hours.  He also dislikes some of the admin hierarchy stuff.   I think like any job the people you work with and the school can make all the difference.  My mom taught for years and loved it as do two of my good friends. 

Xtina712

I forgot to add that I think you'd be a great teacher

JezcaM

DON'T DO IT!!!! hardest, most unappreciated job ever. i don't now how i made it 8 years!

you should consider trying substitute teaching. if you enjoy subbing, then you might enjoy teaching (although subs don't have NEAR the mound of paperwork and political BS that teachers have to deal with).

most new teachers quit by the time they reach their 3rd year. it's that bad. as a teacher, you have sooo many responsibilities and are expected to do it all, but with little to no tools/support to make it manageable. teachers have the summers off because they work 60 hour weeks the rest of the year. and because they'd all end up in an asylum without the break. and then some of that "off" time has to be spent at professional development...

if you love working with kids, get involved with your church's youth group or the scouts or something. there's way too much baggage with teaching, and it's not about the kids (unfortunately).

worst job ever. 

gwynnetx

Xtina712:

My BIL teacher HS and absolutely loves the kids.  He does however hate that he gets emails from almost every parent every day and that he is expected to respond to them within 12 hours.  He also dislikes some of the admin hierarchy stuff.   I think like any job the people you work with and the school can make all the difference.  My mom taught for years and loved it as do two of my good friends. 

just thought i'd add that i agree that the school environment (which, imo, is mainly set my its admin) can make all the difference.  this is my 11th year teaching, and i've had 4 different principals.  two were just fine, my current one rocks, and one was sent to us from Hades apparently. 

The horrible one was here for 2 years, and by the beginning of year 2, i was seriously thinking about what else i could do.  when that principal left, it was like the sun had come out again, and i've been happy in my job since then.

AustinBride06

JezcaM:

DON'T DO IT!!!! hardest, most unappreciated job ever. i don't now how i made it 8 years!

you should consider trying substitute teaching. if you enjoy subbing, then you might enjoy teaching (although subs don't have NEAR the mound of paperwork and political BS that teachers have to deal with).

most new teachers quit by the time they reach their 3rd year. it's that bad. as a teacher, you have sooo many responsibilities and are expected to do it all, but with little to no tools/support to make it manageable. teachers have the summers off because they work 60 hour weeks the rest of the year. and because they'd all end up in an asylum without the break. and then some of that "off" time has to be spent at professional development...

if you love working with kids, get involved with your church's youth group or the scouts or something. there's way too much baggage with teaching, and it's not about the kids (unfortunately).

worst job ever. 

My DH would probably ditto all of this.  Except that his district is one of the highest (if not the highest) paying districts in our area so he's probably going to stick with it a little longer... at least as long as he can stand it.  I keep telling him to look for something else, but he likes the job security.

Jess.O

I agree with much of what has been said.  I would say about half the time I HATE my job.  But the other half I really like it and sometimes I even love it.  I think it depends on your school, your kids and your personality.  If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to try to help.  (If you're interested I wouldn't automatically be scared bc so many of us have bad experiences.  I imagine it's like that with every profession.)