how many of you are teachers?

[wingnut 0]

okay so i've applied to get into college, and am thinking about becoming a teacher. was thinking science, probly chemistry or physics, not sure... but what do you think about your job as a teacher? is it worth it to you? how much after the school day do you have to work on lesson plans and such? do you work in a city school district or more suburban or farm country? my brother-in-law is a social studies teacher in columbus, oh and i've picked his brain, but there just wasn't that much there.....

not dead set on this path though, have to get a B.S. in something else before i can apply to the masters program, so 3 years down the road for me.... but just wondering now.....

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[RastaRicanAir 0]

Certified Music Teacher, (well, if I ever send in my scorecard and the $35, but I passed the test), FSU School of Music Education.
Among my AMAZING staff of Music Education and Music Therapy teachers was one who started out the first session of class by comparing becoming a teacher to getting married. She said -with stunning enthusiasm for a woman her age- "When you marry someone, it should be because you say to yourself: 'I just can't go on living unless I marry this person!' And when you decide to teach, it should be for the same reason."

After one semester of internship with an equally great elementary teacher, I realized that lady had been right. As for lesson planning, I was looking for ways to make xylophone playing fun for 8 year olds (easy right?), and the stress put years on me. You'll be trying to do the same with thermodynamics and horny, pissed off, gangsta rap fans.

Of course, I still daydream about, one day, getting up the balls to go out and put my skills to use. It is one of the most noble professions, but if you're already wondering whether it's worth it, you'd better REALLY THINK ABOUT whether it's worth it.

..And it better be in something you love enough to talk about over and over and over and over and....

P.S. Oh yeah. The pay SUCKS. Almost as much as dealing with know-it-all parents.


That's the FEAR speech. Better consult a real working teacher for the WONDERFUL EMOTIONAL REWARDS speech.

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[Mayberry 0]

That is a noble cause. I'm curious.....the conductor job....is that a cool job, or is it just a "job" most of the time? How'd you get in to that?? Prolly pays better than a teacher.

Don

Here's to friends!

[wingnut 0]

the conductor job is just that a job, could be a carrer if i wanted it to, but 10 years of a rotating shift and 6 days a week on call 24 hours a day are not for me, i like being able to plan some things, hell as it is i can't even plan when i would work one day to the next..... but it is paying the bills for right now...... but hopefully not much longer... and as for pay..... i bet a teacher makes more per hour! but i work lots of hours so i make more per paycheck.... not worth it though, and tier 2 railroad retirment sucks... like an extra 60 bucks a paycheck that i'll never see! and unio dues...... they are crazy for the railroad... almost 100 a month!!!! 10 would be alot easier number to pay!!

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[Icon134 0]

You do generally get the summers off... which doesn't suck...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[ntrprnr 0]

Grew up with two parents who were music teachers, then principals, then finally, one was director of music for the NYC Board of Ed.

Grew up learning how to fight for what you believe in, and how to build, stand on, and shout from a soapbox, because music and the arts are always the first things to get cut from any budget.

Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world - they get the biggest props from me. It's an amazing career - and think of how many lives you can change/shape/touch.

Nothing like it.

Of course, I'm not one, but that came more from knowing I'd never reach the level my parents achieved in education, and also, wanting to try new things.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[wingnut 0]

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music and the arts are always the first things to get cut from any budget

glad i want to teach a science!!!!

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[soulshine 0]

Ha! Talk to jumper03 about all the fun he's having teaching geology....

Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity!
~DEVIOUS BEEF~~FGF #69~

[Mayberry 0]

Sounds like you have it pretty well summed up in your sig line.

Back to your original post....one of my sisters-in-law is a high school "special needs/troubled student" teacher, she's great at it & loves her job. I don't think it is for everyone though that's for sure. I say if it's what you want, go for it!!

Don

Here's to friends!

[RastaRicanAir 0]

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Grew up with two parents who were music teachers, then principals, then finally, one was director of music for the NYC Board of Ed.

Grew up learning how to fight for what you believe in, and how to build, stand on, and shout from a soapbox, because music and the arts are always the first things to get cut from any budget.

Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world - they get the biggest props from me. It's an amazing career - and think of how many lives you can change/shape/touch.

Nothing like it.

Don't start. I already feel guilty every time I see Stand and Deliver or Lean On Me. And ESPECIALLY that friggin' Mr. Holland's Opus!

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[aggie04 0]

I'm a special ed. teacher in an elementary school which is a little different but I can tell you how much time goes into it....a lot. But if you love what you are doing you don't mind all of the work which can be said for any job. At first you will spend a lot of time on your own after school and on weekends lesson planning but once you get used to the process it takes less time. I absolutely love my kids with all of my heart but dealing with the parents can get very difficult. At a high school level there isn't as much parent involvement which can help. One thing about teaching...it can either make you age faster or keep you young...it's up to you. I am in a low income school with mostly economically disadvantaged kids and I would have it no other way. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

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A life without a cause
is a life without an effect

[NWFlyer 2]

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glad i want to teach a science!!!!

The grammar and spelling geeks are all just thankful you don't want to teach English.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Amazon 7]

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The grammar and spelling geeks are all just thankful you don't want to teach English.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


And the computer geeks are going WTF.. use the freakin spellchecker

[Sweetness 0]

In July I will have finished my teacher's course and I'll be a certified high school History teacher.

During my teaching practice this year I found out that teaching would actually not be my dream job. It's okay, but I wouldn't want to do it for the rest of my life. Of course that's a personal thing. After you've followed the course you can still decide wether you want to be a teacher or not. (I'm glad I'm already a Master in History, so I can rely on that diploma to search for other jobs first.)

And yes, it's a lot of work at home and during evenings and weekends.

"Ha ! I laugh at danger and drop ice cubes down the vest of fear ..." (Blackadder)

[turtlespeed 226]

I only have one padewan - so - probably not qualified.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[swedishcelt 0]

I teach. I enjoy it. Average to good pay and the summer's off. The students are challenging but I know I am teaching them valuable lessons.
Teaching isn't usually a job you leave at the office though. During the average school week I work between 50 and 70 hours sometimes +. Summer's are less than two months most places, mine is about 1 1/2 months but vacations and holidays sprinkled throughout the year are nice. The benefits rock too.

A lot of my effort is unappreciated while it's ongoing though. A bit like swimming in quicksand sometimes, head barely above water. It's a year afterward when a student comes for a visit that they tell how much I helped/ taught or affected them.

[RastaRicanAir 0]

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At a high school level there isn't as much parent involvement which can help.

...Yeah, it's also the reason so many of them are f*cked up, knocked up, or writing blogs about how they're going to massacre the more popular kids.

Y'know, all these lovely young ladies chiming in reminds me when we would cover the "where do you want to teach?" question in class. Most of the guys answered high school band director or orchestra conductor, I wanted to do general music K-5th because "if they ever get violent, I think I could take 'em," and the cutest, tiniest, daintiest little creatures in the group would always come back with stuff like "I either want to teach at an all male, special ed school for kids with drug problems, or start a Music Therapy program in a maximum security prison."

Now THOSE chicks were ready to be teachers.

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[Beerlight 0]

Wingi,

My GF is a Texas teacher, all my friends are teacher friends of hers......They all wish to leave teaching. Low crap pay, long crap hrs, and crappy benefits, and principals that only care about "scores" on students annual performance test.....aka TAKS.....

Guess you gotta luv luv it to stay with it..........or have a spouse with more income....

[RastaRicanAir 0]

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and principals that only care about "scores" on students annual performance test.....aka TAKS.....

Good point hit on. Be sure to factor the added pressure of this No Child Left Behind bullsh*t into your decision. Our county just contracted SEVERAL different tutoring companies (of which I worked for one the past 4 months) to help rush kids -mostly Latino kids with Spanish speaking parents- who have reading and math trouble up to the point where they can pass their "achievement tests." Paying people like me $17 an hour so they don't lose their funding isn't much of a long term financial plan for the schools.

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[Icon134 0]

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and principals that only care about "scores" on students annual performance test.....aka TAKS.....

Good point hit on. Be sure to factor the added pressure of this No Child Left Behind bullsh*t into your decision. Our county just contracted SEVERAL different tutoring companies (of which I worked for one the past 4 months) to help rush kids with reading and math trouble up to where they can pass their "acheivement tests." Paying people like me $17 an hour so they don't lose their funding isn't much of a long term financial plan for the schools.

they'd be better served spending money improving parental involvement in kids lives...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[swedishcelt 0]

I teach English High School 9, 10, 11, and 12 Grades and have for 7 years in an inner city school. I also teach a Creative Writing elective.

[Amazon 7]

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I teach English High School 9, 10, 11, and 12 Grades and have for 7 years in an inner city school. I also teach a Creative Writing elective.

I hearby nominate the nun for Grammar Police



Can I still.......use dots??

[Nightingale 0]

Before you devote your time and energy to getting a credential, keep in mind that most new teachers burn out within three years. Getting a credential is expensive and time-consuming. I'd suggest you try to substitute teach to get yourself a taste of what you're in for.

I was a teacher for a year. The kids were wonderful. The parents were a total nightmare. Putting up with their shit just wasn't worth the money they were paying me (which, by the way, was not enough for me to be able to move out of my parents' house and live in the same county as the school). If you're prepared to do everything you possibly can to get a kid to succeed, including giving up your after school time to tutor, the kid refuses to do anything, you send home one progress report a week (which come back signed) and make a phone call home per week, and get told "we'll talk to him" and nothing changes, and then, when the kid fails your class, you have the parents in your classroom screaming at you, writing nasty letters about you to the principal and superintendant, and firmly believing that their kid should be getting good grades because they volunteer in PTA, and demand that the kid's grade gets changed to a B, even though the kid has done nothing but write his name on his tests all quarter, and then freak out and go visit the superintendant when the principal and teacher refuse to change the grade.

I wouldn't set foot in a classroom as a teacher if they paid me a million bucks a year. I loved the kids, and most of the time I loved my job, but it's just not worth it to be completely underappreciated, underpaid, and blamed when kids don't suceed, even though you've done everything you possibly can to help them. Schools and politicians don't always care what the kid's been through before they get to you, even if they're in eighth grade and can't read, it's your job to get them up to standards even if they've got an abusive home life that everyone knows about but nobody can prove, when the kid has to go home and take care of four brothers and sisters until eleven o'clock at night when his single parent comes home from their second job, so of course the kid has no time to do their homework and comes to school exhausted and falls asleep in class. Nevermind that you only see the kid for a 55 minute class period a day, if that kid doesn't succeed, it's YOUR FAULT.

If you can deal with all that, and can manage to not cry, go home and spend your afternoon writing lesson plans, your evenings grading papers, and your summers doing additional training hours that your principal or credential require even though you have to pay for the training and the school doesn't pay you for your time, then, maybe, you might want to be a teacher.

[aggie04 0]

well you are right but I meant there isn't as much parental involvement in the schools as far as with teachers.

A lot of my effort is unappreciated while it's ongoing though. A bit like swimming in quicksand sometimes, head barely above water.

I completely agree with that. Teaching is a job where you will never get the recognition you deserve but as I said before, if you love the kids it doesn't matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A life without a cause
is a life without an effect

[wingnut 0]

maybe i'll just go for my phd and become a college professor....... then i just have to worry about mommy and daddy that are big alumni contributors............


i understand about all of the hassel dealing with kids that don't want to learn and hoem lifes that are not conductive to learning.... one of the reasons i want to teach highschool science... atleast in my school physics and chemistry were upperlevel electives that you didn't have to take.........unless you wanted to.....

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"i have no reader's digest version"