Is anybody here a teacher?

[Boba Ben]

I've been sort of going back and forth on whether I should finish my degree in English with a certificate in Secondary Education or go in an entirely different direction all together. It's been driving me crazy.

I was well on my way to finishing my degree in English with the Secondary Education certificate, but I was laid off from my job that allowed for a flexible schedule that enabled me to work and go to school at the same time a couple years ago. I had no choice other than to get a new job to pay the bills and this one isn't flexible at all The job is fine and I have pretty decent benefits, but I've been kind of restless as of late and I'm really looking to get a degree so I can really start a career that I'm satisfied with.

Due to recent changes in the teaching profession and the reality that I might not be able to find a job as a teacher in our current economic climate, I've been contemplating whether I should just pursue the teaching path which would take me about one and a half years or start fresh in another field. I was looking at engineering and actuarial sciences, but that would take anywhere from three to four years since my previous educational experience isn't math and science focused.

I guess I was just wondering what some of the members here that are teachers think of the career and the challenges that a new college graduate would face. A lot of my friends who are teachers have been let go from their jobs after their first year of teaching because of budget cuts and I see them struggle and worry a lot. If anyone is an engineer or actuary, perhaps you could provide your input on those careers as well.

Sorry for the long post. I've just been pretty stressed about this lately.

 

[DarthNeil]

I'm an educator-- but as I've been at this now going on 15+ years my seniority really doesn't have me concerned about losing my employment. I do however know that we're going into the next semester minus a few teaching positions and this'll be the first year that there have been no new hires. It's brutal out there right now for young teachers trying to find a permanent contract... but then again, I don't view my work as a job (dreading going in every morning), but rather it's a career that I love. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong.

 

[The Josh]

Honestly, I would go in another direction. With your area of emphasis you might have a decent chance of getting a job but right now there arent that many jobs out there. Districts all over are cutting jobs left and right. I love teaching it makes everyday something special but this is not the time to be in education or try to get back in.

 

[Balsquat]

Honestly, I would go in another direction. With your area of emphasis you might have a decent chance of getting a job but right now there arent that many jobs out there. Districts all over are cutting jobs left and right. I love teaching it makes everyday something special but this is not the time to be in education or try to get back in.

I originally wanted to be a teacher as well. My scenario was very similar, as I have a degree in English and a Masters in Communication and Cultural studies. I ultimately decided the market is just not right to become a teacher. However, other professions can have a teaching "aspect" that you might enjoy. Have you looked into adult education?

 

[The Ween]

It's not good for us classified employees either. We're in contract negotiations right now and what they're putting on the table has me very worried. Of course those in administration aren't taking any cuts, they're making more.

 

[The Josh]

I originally wanted to be a teacher as well. My scenario was very similar, as I have a degree in English and a Masters in Communication and Cultural studies. I ultimately decided the market is just not right to become a teacher. However, other professions can have a teaching "aspect" that you might enjoy. Have you looked into adult education?

I've started to yeah. I want a job like that where I feel important and that my job really matters.

 

[Boba Ben]

Well thanks for the advice everybody. I guess I still have a lot to think about.

 

[gibby]

I was 6 credits shy of my teaching certificate (and personal trainer cert) and I changed my major to Finance, extending my stay in school another 2 years. I then went back to school 2yrs after graduation and got my degree in IT. I'm now soon to leave this field after 10 years and become a stay-at-home dad/FT daytrader.

Point being, you can do whatever you set your mind to. Don't worry about what will be there when you graduate, just follow what you love most and the money will be there.

 

[Boba Ben]

Thanks Gibby. Your story makes me feel a little better about the possibility of changing majors as you only had six credits left and switched over to Finance.

I guess I just have to really look at it and decide what I want to do myself. I'm the one who has to live my life.

By the way, did Devil delete his post or was it modded. It didn't bother me personally.

 

[gibby]

Thanks Gibby. Your story makes me feel a little better about the possibility of changing majors as you only had six credits left and switched over to Finance.

I guess I just have to really look at it and decide what I want to do myself. I'm the one who has to live my life.

By the way, did Devil delete his post or was it modded. It didn't bother me personally.

Exactly.

Not sure what happened with Devil's post. I thought it definitely lightened the mood.

Good luck with your next step, Boba Ben! If you have any other questions or just want to chat, feel free to PM me.

 

[karamazov80]

I'm no teacher (though I've taught college courses from time to time and may do so again in the future), but have observed a notable change in perceptions of teachers by the public over the last few years--fed by partisan political rhetoric--which translates into political decisions, which are the basis of budgetary decisions, which determines who gets hired and fired in the public sector and what teachers' pay and benefits are like. It's a real shame, but there is an over-simplified view of there being little to no accountability in the teaching profession, where teachers get paid summers off (as well as long Christmas vacations, etc.), and sweet benefits and pensions, while others don't. Stuff like the recent scandal in Georgia over doctored standardized tests feeds into this.

So on the whole. . .I don't know if it's a good time. You probably won't be appreciated by society, your pay probably won't be all that great, probably a crap-shoot as to whether or not you ultimately feel that it is rewarding as a career (some seem to get a lot out of it while others don't), real concerns over job security. I hate it because I think education is the single most important factor in affecting U.S. economic well-being, and I think politicians and the public who buy into and feed their partisan BS rhetoric are sending us further and further down a path to long-term ruin by feeling otherwise. But if you do want to go that route, you may consider teaching at a private school instead of a public one.

 

[Hew]

I was practically in the same boat as you--a few months ago, I even looked into completing my teaching certification.

However, I ended up just enrolling to complete my German studies degree. Good luck to you.

 

[The Ween]

Most of the public have NO IDEA about teachers at all. They think because they hear about a few bad eggs, that they're all that way. And teachers also get the blame because so many kids aren't applying themselves, but they can't do anything with them. You can't kick them out, you can't discipline them. They are just there to cause trouble and drag your class scores down. Then the government says, we'll pay your district if you have high test scores, doesn't matter if you're in troubled areas. Then they wonder why people cheat on their scores!

No one ever cares if the administration is held accountable, or how much they're paid. They are the ones racking in the big bucks that taxpayers are paying, but for some reason, they're getting a pass. In Ohio we have superintendents that are triple dipping!!

 

[The Josh]

Most of the public have NO IDEA about teachers at all. They think because they hear about a few bad eggs, that they're all that way. And teachers also get the blame because so many kids aren't applying themselves, but they can't do anything with them. You can't kick them out, you can't discipline them. They are just there to cause trouble and drag your class scores down. Then the government says, we'll pay your district if you have high test scores, doesn't matter if you're in troubled areas. Then they wonder why people cheat on their scores!

No one ever cares if the administration is held accountable, or how much they're paid. They are the ones racking in the big bucks that taxpayers are paying, but for some reason, they're getting a pass. In Ohio we have superintendents that are triple dipping!!

Whats going on in education and how I got screwed just make my blood boil.

 

[Hew]

Most of the public have NO IDEA about teachers at all. They think because they hear about a few bad eggs, that they're all that way. And teachers also get the blame because so many kids aren't applying themselves, but they can't do anything with them. You can't kick them out, you can't discipline them. They are just there to cause trouble and drag your class scores down. Then the government says, we'll pay your district if you have high test scores, doesn't matter if you're in troubled areas. Then they wonder why people cheat on their scores!

No one ever cares if the administration is held accountable, or how much they're paid. They are the ones racking in the big bucks that taxpayers are paying, but for some reason, they're getting a pass. In Ohio we have superintendents that are triple dipping!!

I was briefly enrolled in the education program at IU Bloomington, and I was shocked at the stupidity of my classmates at times, immaturity ran abounds--it was very disheartening. To be fair, most of those students were weeded out over time.

These were not teachers, these were students looking for what they perceive as an easy career. Today, I know some very talented educators, whose jobs--due to the difficulty--I don't envy.

Edit: My point is there are bad apples which can make teachers look bad especially with the advent of social media, very sticky situations can happen.

 

[Boba Ben]

I really wanted to be an educator, but lately I've been leaning toward a degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.

I was always a good student through high school and college. I had a 3.9 GPA in high school and 4.0 in college, but I'm kind of worried about the loss of math and science skills after being away from it for a few years. Hopefully it'll come back to me if I decide to go down the engineering path. It'd also take a really long time to finish, but I guess ever semester I wait to decide, it's that much more time I'm wasting.

 

[karamazov80]

Now engineering--there's a good career path. You don't need a post-graduate degree to rake in the money, and there's always a huge demand for it.

 

[DarthNeil]

By the way, did Devil delete his post or was it modded. It didn't bother me personally.

When a post gets deleted it states very cleary who deleted it (which mod) and the reason.

Exactly.

Not sure what happened with Devil's post. I thought it definitely lightened the mood.

It was definitely not appropriate.

I'm no teacher (though I've taught college courses from time to time and may do so again in the future), but have observed a notable change in perceptions of teachers by the public over the last few years--fed by partisan political rhetoric--which translates into political decisions, which are the basis of budgetary decisions, which determines who gets hired and fired in the public sector and what teachers' pay and benefits are like. It's a real shame, but there is an over-simplified view of there being little to no accountability in the teaching profession, where teachers get paid summers off (as well as long Christmas vacations, etc.), and sweet benefits and pensions, while others don't. Stuff like the recent scandal in Georgia over doctored standardized tests feeds into this.

So on the whole. . .I don't know if it's a good time. You probably won't be appreciated by society, your pay probably won't be all that great, probably a crap-shoot as to whether or not you ultimately feel that it is rewarding as a career (some seem to get a lot out of it while others don't), real concerns over job security. I hate it because I think education is the single most important factor in affecting U.S. economic well-being, and I think politicians and the public who buy into and feed their partisan BS rhetoric are sending us further and further down a path to long-term ruin by feeling otherwise. But if you do want to go that route, you may consider teaching at a private school instead of a public one.

Good points here (about public perception and politicians who are looking for scapegoats) except for a few misleading facts. I am NOT paid over the summer. I'm paid for ten months of work and that's spread out over twelve. Anyone who does want to complain about teachers having summers "off", two weeks at Christmas, or a week for March Break need to realize two things: 1) other public employees get to choose when they take their paid holidays, I don't and 2) pretty much everyone at one time was a student and saw the time off that teachers have so if you weren't smart enough to aim for that rewarding career and get it sucks to be you.

Most of the public have NO IDEA about teachers at all. They think because they hear about a few bad eggs, that they're all that way. And teachers also get the blame because so many kids aren't applying themselves, but they can't do anything with them. You can't kick them out, you can't discipline them. They are just there to cause trouble and drag your class scores down. Then the government says, we'll pay your district if you have high test scores, doesn't matter if you're in troubled areas. Then they wonder why people cheat on their scores!

No one ever cares if the administration is held accountable, or how much they're paid. They are the ones racking in the big bucks that taxpayers are paying, but for some reason, they're getting a pass. In Ohio we have superintendents that are triple dipping!!

I can't comment on too much of this as I'm in Canada and I'm sure there are differences. We are held accountable with provincial assessments and as I'm head of the English Department I'm held accountable more often than others. Classroom management comes down to individuals-- and I'm not talking about Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds but it's been over three years since I've had to send any student out of my class and while I do teach advanced level courses I also have level 3 courses which are the students who are in no means headed to a post-secondary insitution and for the most part are functioning, some, by the time they reach me with a middle level reading ability if I'm lucky. The last kid that I had to send out threatened another student and when I intervened he told me to take the school and shove it up my ____. I paused. The class went deathly silent. I looked at him with all sincerity and with raised palms stated that I could hardly do that, have you seen the size of this place? I've got a teenie booty. Class laughed. He went red with embarrassment and once he served his suspension and apologized to the other student (I made them shake hands) he was welcomed back in my room carte blanche.

Teaching is not paint by numbers. It's an art form. There are plenty of people who become teachers for security or for their "summers off". Great for them. I'm not one of them and those who thrive and have the most rewarding careers aren't those ones either. If you're looking for financial security look somewhere else because you're just going to be watching the clock worse than the students and that's not going to benefit them (or you in the long haul).

 

[Boba Ben]

When a post gets deleted it states very cleary who deleted it (which mod) and the reason.

I didn't know that. Is that viewable by the general posting public somewhere?

 

[Boba Ben]

Now engineering--there's a good career path. You don't need a post-graduate degree to rake in the money, and there's always a huge demand for it.

More toy buying power.