Leaving the service, is teaching as bad as everyone makes it seem?
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Anonymous
| Never thought I’d consider becoming a teacher, but now that the current chapter is coming to a close I need to find something. Money isn’t an issue, i want something that I’m not drowning 12 months a year. I have a masters degree and have taught some courses here and there. Considering something like high school or JC history. |
Anonymous
| Teaching is rewarding and not as hard as certain teachers makes it out to be. Plus the schedule can't be beat. |
Anonymous
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I wouldn't say it is "bad", but it is every bit as challenging as you are probably hearing. I'm a veteran and military spouse to a senior officer, and I often work longer hours than my spouse. When I have had years where I have had 3-4 different classes to teach as a secondary teacher, I have had to work 6 days a week to just keep my head above water in terms of planning and grading. Education is in flux now, and some things that can be frustrating is student accountability for completing work, as well as behavior. I spend a lot time chasing students down to complete work. Parents can sometimes be adversarial, and there is an increasing load of both IEPS and 504s, which require a lot of documentation in addition to designing the accommodations. 25% of my students have either a 504 or IEP. Being a teacher is much more stressful for me than being a junior officer in the military was, with the exception of my deployment.
With all of that, I wouldn't want to do anything else. It's meaningful and creative work, and I find the camaraderie with my fellow teachers as strong, if not stronger, than I experienced in the military. You are in a position to make a difference, as cheesy as it sounds, and I know that there have been times where I have been the adult to get a student the support they needed. Despite what some may say about administrators, I have experienced some of the best leadership of my professional life in school buildings. If you are looking at teaching history, I would recommend getting certified in an additional area. Believe it or not, secondary social studies positions are pretty competitive and people often have to get their foot in the door by teaching another subject, often English. Best of luck on your decision. |
Anonymous
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Are you male or female? Did you play a sport in high school and are you willing/able to coach? Sometimes being a male in junior high or high school makes it a little easier to get a job particularly if you are not white since there is an under representation of male minority teachers.
Teacher REALLY depends on the administration at the school where you work. I am a school psychologist so have worked in the past 25 years at a bunch of schools both secondary and elementary. The difference in leadership is really significant and it can make a school an amazing place to work at or it can be absolutely horrific. Right now I have two schools- one is just a great place to work even when there are issues. Leadership has been there and because it is a school that does relatively well for being a primarily FARMs (low socio-economic, FARM is how many students are on free and reduced meals) so district admin generally leave the school alone. Leadership is supportive with teachers and will do things like - there is supposed to be a mandatory meeting or training but the leadership cuts it short by going over it faster, so teachers can catch up on work or leave a little earlier. They are supportive when an irrational parent complains. You can just feel the school has a good climate when you walk around. For the most part staff/faculty are pretty content. The other school is the polar opposite. It is a miserable place to work. Turnover in leadership. Current leadership micromanages, gives teachers extra work, is not at all supportive, etc. You can just feel the stress and misery when you walk around. |
Anonymous
| That will be a rough transition. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| If money isn't an issue, I'd look at a private school. QOL for private school teachers is much higher, but pay is lower. |
Anonymous
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If the job was what it was supposed to be on paper, yes, it would be a great choice if you're willing to learn. But so much more time and energy is spent on behaviors and dumb policies than actual teaching.
There seems to be no deadlines or attendance policies so it's like having a corporate job with over 100 clients from who make crazy demands and don't get back you, and the service you provide for each is wildly different, but you still need to just the job done even though they aren't holding up their part. And then you send them an invoice and they tell you you're a b****. You have a few really great clients too which makes it hard to walk away. |
Anonymous
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It entirely depends on the school. I’ve worked for a great administration and a terrible one. A terrible administration can make you dread waking up each morning.
Either way, expect to work long hours… especially the first few years as you get your feet under you. I regularly work over 60 hours a week. Also, the hours actually at work are strenuous. You can expect to be on your feet and directly responsible for a bunch of students for the majority of the day. Many people are leaving the profession right now because the conditions are really tough. As long as you expect it and prep for it, you should be good. |
Anonymous
- this is not a teacher |
Anonymous
If money is not the main driver, look into private schools. There is usually less bureaucratic overhead and often (not always) a better environment for teaching. Pay will be lower than public in most cases. |
Anonymous
And yet completely accurate. DP |
Anonymous
| Why can’t a teacher just phone it in, using the curriculum and text books provided. My family was all teachers and this was definitely what they did, it was a great lifestyle job. What are they going to do, fire you because you gave the class 1 page essays rather than 5? |
Anonymous
| Teaching is 60-80 hours a week plus PD during the summer. It is the last place I would go for work life balance. I would do training type work in the government for the 40 hour weeks. Any other job is going to require more hours. |
Anonymous
This is one of the best descriptions of what teaching is actually like. I would add that it is 12-15 hour days and your co-workers are cliquish. |
Anonymous
| Some of the best teachers I know are people on their second career. I think part of it is that they’ve already figured out work life balance and working efficiently. And part of it is that they are doing it because they love it. And art of it is that admin knows they can’t get away with bullying them because they are older, have confidence, know what a job regularly entails. But it also seems to depend a lot on finding an admin that respects you. The ones I know are definitely not phoning it in, but seem able to adapt set curricula and convey passion for the material. If you are good at conveying the passion for the material, the kids really do respect that, and those teachers have many fewer disciplinary issues. |