Teachers

[Ahhh]

Im thinking about a major career change and seriously considering becoming a teacher. I've been at my current job almost 6 years and I hate it more and more each day. The more I think about it, the more I come to the realization that I always hated it. I thought maybe it was just my company that sucked, or the industry that I'm in since it's very demanding, but I just don't want to do it anymore.....for any company. I've tried to look for some up-sides to my job and there just aren't any. Everyone is miserable, trying to take earned vaction is always a hassle, I haven't had a raise in 2 years, long hours with no overtime since I'm a salary employee......the list goes on.

 

Anyway, I found a teacher program I could do at night and be finished with a masters and teachers certification in 18 months. I'm really considering doing it, but I ran the idea to a few friends and they kinda laughed at me. They said they just didn't see me as a teacher. They said you need to be a certain type of personality and just couldn't picture me "molding the minds of the youth" as it was put to me. So I wanted some opinions of some ENA teachers: Do you think anyone could be a teacher, or do you need to be a certain type? Do you like being a teacher, do you feel feel fulfilled? Thanks in advance!

[Mythical_Suicide]

I don't think anyone could be a teacher.. It's an extremely stressful and demanding job plus you are putting the futures of so many into your hands. I, for example could never be a teacher. I don't have the patience or the "nurturing" factor that it takes to be one.

[Creative]

Well.. to be honest, certain type do better than others. But from the looks of what's currently available, it certainly does stop people from getting hired.

 

But perhaps the reason you're considering becoming a teacher and not other occupations is because you see an alignment in yourself and this position.

 

and I think your friends are just messing with you. That's what close friends do... lol.

[CaptainPlanet]

Teaching is not a hard job. A bunch of people were too hard on teachers and now you can't say anything. The downside to teaching and what stopped me from doing it is that you are going to have to work with other teachers. They can be incredibly stupid. I've heard some pretty interesting stories. I'll leave it at that and 29 is a good age to get into teaching. Most are too young when they start out.

 

My mate is a teacher started on 53k per year. Home by 4 most days and has 12 weeks holidays. Not bad at all.

[Loki71]

I'm with MS on this. There is now way I could sit in a class room all day with a bunch of kids. The younger ones would drive me nuts and the older ones would piss me off and then I would be in trouble.

[Supa_gurl]

I never thought I could be a teacher but something told me (when i was 30) that I could do it. So I have been going to school to become one. It is a long slow process and I got to sit in on a 2nd grade class this semester and interact with the children. That sealed it for me. If I had any doubts before the experience made my mind up for me. I LOVED IT!! Even when the little boy named Trevor farted beside me. lol

[Ahhh]

I'm with MS on this. There is now way I could sit in a class room all day with a bunch of kids. The younger ones would drive me nuts and the older ones would piss me off and then I would be in trouble.

 

If I decide to do this, it would be for high school students. I couldn't deal with the little ones. And I would probably do math....algebra. It's the only subject I think I'd be good at and feel I'm the most competent in.

[Mythical_Suicide]

If I decide to do this, it would be for high school students. I couldn't deal with the little ones. And I would probably do math....algebra. It's the only subject I think I'd be good at and feel I'm the most competent in.

 

 

High school is the worst. LOL

[Ahhh]

High school is the worst. LOL

 

Maybe. But I feel like I could relate to High school kids better than grade school kids. I could be that cool teacher that they actully like and enjoy coming to my class to learn. Am I being overly-optimistic?!

[Mythical_Suicide]

Well you do not get to just teach one subject.

 

 

in high school (atleast where I live..) teachers have one subject they teach, unless they are like health/science classes like that and then they only teach those 2 core subjects

[Mythical_Suicide]

Maybe. But I feel like I could relate to High school kids better than grade school kids. I could be that cool teacher that they actully like and enjoy coming to my class to learn. Am I being overly-optimistic?!

 

 

 

No offense, but I think you are.

 

Being the "cool" teacher will get you walked over quickly in high school.

[Ahhh]

No offense, but I think you are.

 

Being the "cool" teacher will get you walked over quickly in high school.

 

I didn't say I wasn't going to be tough! Haha! IDK....I remember my favorite teachers in high school were the ones that could speak to us in our terms but still maintained a presense of authority that we knew if we messed around we'd be in trouble.

[Mythical_Suicide]

I didn't say I wasn't going to be tough! Haha! IDK....I remember my favorite teachers in high school were the ones that could speak to us in our terms but still maintained a presense of authority that we knew if we messed around we'd be in trouble.

 

 

It is really hard to get that respect from students though, especially high school students.

 

It isn't as easy as just walking into a classroom and proclaiming yourself as the "cool" teacher. You have to earn that respect and it's extremely hard to earn it from a bunch of unruly teenagers. It's also really hard to find that boundary between being tough and being friendly when you're a teacher. Too friendly and you aren't respected, too tough and the students hate you.

[Wolf_22]

I've been considering this lately. I wouldn't be able to teach the 7th and 8th graders, but I think I could handle the high school and elementary. I dunno...

 

There is no better feeling in the world, though, when you see that little spark flare up in someone's eyes knowing that whatever you were just trying to teach them, hit them like a freight train.

[Crazyaboutdogs]

What you can do is perhaps talk to the Principal of some local high schools in your area and see if he/she might be able to arrange for you to meet some of the math teachers and perhaps some other teachers. They may be able to give you some good insights as to what is involved. Your friends only know part of you but they don't know all of you. Only you know whether or not this kind of thing would be right for you...and the only way you will really know is to speak to the ones who have chosen that profession and get yourself well-acquainted with all the ins and outs of that line of work.

[Emernate]

Here is the thing about teaching. Most people see the hours and time off and think, wow.. great job. However, your days are going to be really long. You have to be at the school around 7am. Classes until about 2-3... usually with only 30 minutes for lunch... if even that. After school, you stay and give some students extra help or detention. When you finally get home around 4-5... you have to correct homework/tests and then plan out the next day. This of course, is not counting in parents complaining, PTA meetings, school councils, any clubs or sports you sponsor or department meetings.

 

As for personality, you have to be patient, thick skinned, and creative. You also have to like to talk.. a lot. A good passion for whatever subject you are teaching will make it so your life is not horrible. Think about it.. if you don't like math, talking about the FOIL method for a month straight will drive you crazy.

[thejigsup]

I'm a teacher. You have to be calm, yet outgoing. Organized, yet able to pull stuff out of your hat at a moment's notice. You have to be able to work independtly, but you are often watched closely. You have to love children, but also you have to put that aside to work closely with parents and other adults. I guess you have to be a great communicator among all age groups. Mostly, and I'm not joking, you have to be great at crowd control. I agree about the crazy hours. If you want to help your students, you are there until close to 5 p.m. My work I take home can have me up until past midnight with grading papers, lesson plans, and classes I still have to take. Remember, you have to keep up with all the latest standards and practices as long as you teach. This often means professional development seminars (I go to at least 4 per year) and you are always expected to take classes to upgrade your degree. It's exhausting, but rewarding.

[laisla]

i am on my way to becoming a teacher. it's MUCH harder than i thought. by the end of the day i'm dead tired. the class work of course is not difficult, but i think the #1 skill you need to have if you're a teacher is to have PATIENCE. the kids can really test you. of course, if you're going to be teaching high school, the crowd is different. you really need to stick to your goals, and be adaptable. kids learn in different ways, and kids come from different backgrounds, some of their parents help them with homework and some of their parents are absent. you have to really be committed to teaching them the work and teaching them life skills. every day can be different. you have to maintain your composure and gain their trust.

 

another important thing is to be aware of issues in schools and teaching that could hurt the chances of a child's grades or his future, because of slight biases. there is a lot to read about on these things, be aware of them and try not to make those mistakes.

 

recently we went on a class trip where thousands of other people were attending a festival and i had to be in charge of 1/3 of the class. it was a hectic day and so much happened, everytime i turned around one of them would wander off. one lost his lunch box in an army tank that was on display, i had to give him my lunch and go without a lunch, then he wanted a drink too so i bought him one. then one girl had a bloody lip so we took care of that, then she started acting moody and stopped talking to me. it is tough work on your nerves, but by the end of the day...i loved what i was doing.

 

it is very rewarding if you have a love for teaching and a love for children ( from 4-18 ) in your heart

[Ahhh]

It's exhausting, but rewarding.

 

That's the key right there. You get enjoyment out of it. You see yourself making a difference because you worked hard. My job right now is the complete opposite. I see my job as helping the greedy. I also work very hard and long hours and for what?! I certainly don't get that warm feeling of accomplishment when I finish a project. It's empty and un-rewarding.

[thejigsup]

I love high school kids! I just connect with them much better than small children. Elementary school kids give me hives. I teach special ed, roving teacher right now as I am in school again, for adolescents.

[Creative]

I didn't say I wasn't going to be tough! Haha! IDK....I remember my favorite teachers in high school were the ones that could speak to us in our terms but still maintained a presense of authority that we knew if we messed around we'd be in trouble.

 

Actually you can. You're young, so you know what it feels like to be in their position.

 

I knew you had some confidence to become a teacher, otherwise, becoming a teacher wouldn't even be in your mind.

 

And as one of the poster mentioned about her grade 2 class, you have to be in the position to know whether you want to be a teacher or not.

[savignon]

Motivation is very important. I've always wanted to be a teacher and I love it. I know some teachers who are doing it to have summers off with their kids or because they think it's easy. Doing something you don't like or aren't good at or don't care about is NOT easy (as we all know). Teaching is no exception. You need patience, compassion, kindness, skill, creativity, flexibility, and so on. Examine 'why' you want to be a teacher (easier schedule or you love kids? to get away from what you're doing now or because it's something you've always thought you'd be good at?) I know at least 3 teachers who have quit before they really started (usually during student teaching)....so see if you can visit some classrooms before you invest all that money and effort into a program you're not 100% sure of.

[Creative]

You need patience, compassion, kindness, skill, creativity, flexibility, and so on. Examine 'why' you want to be a teacher (easier schedule or you love kids? to get away from what you're doing now or because it's something you've always thought you'd be good at?)

 

You have very high standards for teachers. I hope you'll become a good one one day.

[CaptainPlanet]

At the very least you have an additional skill. Teachers usually get paid pretty well, in Australia they get paid fantastically. Problem is that a lot of teachers tend to be the off spring of well off people. So they don't properly understand the value of money. Or what hard work really is. There was a woman who rang up a radio station in Australia complaining that she will only ever earn $75,000 per year... boo-hoo my heart bleeds... You can tutor outside hours and have enough time to work another job, not to mention all of the holidays. Teachers do pretty good. Essentially I wouldn't call it an easy job but teaching is a good position to be in. In Australia anyway. I can't speak completely speak for the US.

[Creative]

There was a woman who rang up a radio station in Australia complaining that she will only ever earn $75,000 per year...

 

Teacher is a more legitimate job to complain, because it requires skills and they have to mark homework after school. But I agree, at $75,000, they should keep quiet.

 

What effed me up most was when postal clerk or transportation maintenance people strikes. Everyone pretty much stands around. In Television, some stupid woman appears and start complaining about why they go on strike, it's because they "ONLY make $20USD per hour", "how is (she) ever going to pay (her) mortgage???" she "have kids and single!!!".

 

I'm an immigrant; I watch that on TV and are totally disgusted both at the fact that she's complaining about her easily replaceable position and the bad choices she made in life. It really left me a bad impression for the locals here. At the time, I was a bookkeeper at one of the more immigrant dense manufacturing company, they gets paid $7 minimum wage, some even lower than minimum wage (they have nowhere else to go). They work REALLY hard. The inequality is totally outrageous.