Teacher

[Bet51987]

One of my friends who is going to the teaching college that I just left joked that I'm losing a lot with my career choice. Better pay, easier work, full benefits, all holidays off, winter vacation, a powerful union, and the entire summer off with pay - for the rest of my life. Now, although that kept me awake past midnight, I haven't changed my mind and I visit the nursing college tommorrow morning.

He likes to work with kids so I know he isn't going for a teaching license just for the ease of work but I have to admit being an elementary teacher is really an easy job. So, is teaching overrated?

Bee

[Dakatsu]

Teaching is overrated for elementary school teachers, about par with middle school teachers, and underrated for high school teachers. If you really want to help people, I would go into nursing, but if you decide to be a teacher for the same reason, I would recommend being a high school teacher.

High school teachers normally put a larger impression on their students, mainly because they are the last ones they see, and because of the fact they appear to be more intelligent and wise to their kids. (I also think they get paid more; counting to ten requires alot less skill than teaching how to write an essay with proper citations.

If you into helping children and not so much young adult kinds of people, then elementary school teacher would be good for you. The only thing that is inherently harder over middle and high school is that you have to be rounded in a few things, such as math, writing, reading, and science. In middle and high school, you have to be awesome at one subject. Another thing is in elementary school, you deal with one class, while in mid and high school you deal with anywhere from three to eight classes of different students for shorter periods of time.

Between the work from teacher and nursing, nursing is most likely easier (assuming you know what your doing), as teachers have to spend lots of time grading and planning. That long break for teaching is great however (but is actually shorter than the breaks the children get by at least four weeks or so).

Hopefully this helps.

[sarcasm]
Teaching does have good benefits, such as free sex. High school teachers have to work harder, but get higher pay and better free sex! If the Catholic Church allows for women priests, that would be a much better position, because you do less work and get higher pay, less work, and even better free sex![/sarcasm]

[Spidey]

Those who can’t…teach…/me looks around…who said that.

[Gekko71]

Teaching can be a great career at high school and at primary school level (both my parents were teachers and taught at both levels). Nursing can also be a rewarding career.

One thing I will say about both these careers though is they both possess a high possibility (and high incidence) of burnout. I don't personally know of many teachers OR nurses who speak as highly of the job at the end of their careers as they did going into it as a young person. Maybe I just need to meet more teachers and nurses.

Seems to me that the best jobs in the world are the ones you love at the end of your career just as much as you did in the beginning. (I haven't heard many professional musicians speak ill of music - or of their career choice - towards the end of their career for example).

I understand that you feel a \"calling\" towards Nursing that is hard to ignore Bee. I felt the same kind of calling towards Psychology when I was your age. It was only once I had commenced my studies that I realsied that 90% of the Psychology students around me (including myself) were doing psychology to figure out their OWN heads, no someone elses. This left me in a kind of career limbo, as I realised what I thought was a calling was really at worst a wake-up call and at best merely an interest.

I don't know you very well Bee, so I would never claim to be able to advise you or tell you what is in your best interests. One thing I WILL advise you on though is the immense value of TRAVEL and TIME before you make any binding career decisions.

By far, the best time I ever spent in choosing a career as a young person was the time I spent travelling, working, having fun and deliberately NOT choosing a career. If I hadn't taken time off to get my head straight before choosing a career then I never would have discovered my current career - which I love.

Keep in mind that if you are currently under the age of 25, then your predicted life expectancy will be about 130 - 140 years of age. That's a long life! You have far more time than you believe you do Bee - and taking time off to travel, work, and experience more of life and additional ways of seeing the world will do you no harm at all. On the contrary - this life experience will make you a far better teacher and a more compassionate nurse if my instincts are right.

When I was in my late teens - early twenties, I didn't really know who I was - let alone what I wanted to do with my life. You may well be different, and if so then I congratulate you on your certainty and self knowledge. But even so - if you are so certain then surely your dedication will survive a couple of years break. And if not, then a couple of years of experience may give you the perspective you need to find yourself and your direction. Your brain, your curiosity about life and your ability to learn doesn't vanish overnight. They live by feeding them - and a change of diet and location may be just what the doctor (or nurse ) ordered.

One last piece of advise and then I'll shut up. The best advise my father ever gave me on a career choice was this: \"Follow EVERY interest you ever have with absolute and total passion. It will help you weed out the \"wheat of your passions\" from the \"chaff of your interests\". And eventually you will find a career where you can experience every one of your passions on a daily basis.\"

It was good advise - and it worked. I can now indulge every one of my passions regularly every week, and I get paid for the privilege.

Now THAT'S a career goal worth chasing!

Best of luck!

[Dakatsu]

Keep in mind that if you are currently under the age of 25, then your predicted life expectancy will be about 130 - 140 years of age. That's a long life! You have far more time than you believe you do Bee - and taking time off to travel, work, and experience more of life and additional ways of seeing the world will do you no harm at all. On the contrary - this life experience will make you a far better teacher and a more compassionate nurse if my instincts are right.

Holy ****** *** ** * **** (etc.) Batman! Source?!?! If I live to 2123-2133, they better have some wrinkle cream by them

[Kilarin]

being an elementary teacher is really an easy job.

One week of substitute teaching at an elementary school would probably change your mind on that. One afternoon even. They couldn't pay me enough money to be an elementary school teacher. heck, I mean think about it. You could end up with a kid like *I* was (am) in the classroom.

I'm not real happy with the public school system, but I would still never underestimate the amount of work and trouble that elementary school teachers (or any other teachers) go through.

[Foil]

being an elementary teacher is really an easy job.

One week of substitute teaching at an elementary school would probably change your mind on that.

x2! Babysitting is easy, being a good teacher isn't.

That holds true whether it's in elementary school or middle school or high school. I know a number of teachers, and having been one myself, I know how difficult it is to be the kind of teacher who actually helps kids learn. Anyone can babysit and hand out homework, but it takes a lot of effort and preparation to be able to make a difference in a kid's life.

Sure, there are some who get into teaching because of the schedule and apparent ease; they're generally the ones who basically babysit the class and hand out the same old assignments year after year. They feel like teaching is easy, because they aren't really teaching.

But then there are the actual educators, the ones who arrive early and stay late, who work on their lesson plans daily, who often work through the summer, take the time to regularly contact parents and pay extra attention to their kids, who generally put in well over 60 hours a week between home and school doing all this... those are the teachers who actually make a difference.

One thing I will say about both these careers though is they both possess a high possibility (and high incidence) of burnout.

I can certainly attest to that. I burned out after a single year, because I wasn't prepared for the difficulties or the commitment it took to be a difference-making teacher.

I plan to return someday (maybe in the next few years, I'm not sure), when I can better prepare for the classroom and put in the extra hours. That's my calling, so even though I love my current work, there's always that nagging feeling that I'm missing something.

----------

Bet, if you start thinking about returning to a teaching career path, don't do it because of anyone's promise of ease. You wouldn't be that kind of teacher, anyway. Keep following that calling.

Those who can’t…teach…

I sincerely hope you were joking there, Spidey. Off the top of my head, I could name at least ten teachers who are making less than half of what they could elsewhere, but who chose to teach. As a teacher I was making over $20K/year less than I am now... and I'm planning to return to it.

Next time you think about repeating a phrase like that, even as a joke... please don't.

[Sedwick]

I would still never underestimate the amount of work and trouble that elementary school teachers (or any other teachers) go through.

x3. According to my mother, a 4th grade teacher for 20 years now, anyone who thinks teaching is an "easy" profession obviously "hasn't been in the classroom in the 'trenches'. A good teacher is a teacher 24/7! Teaching involves total commitment and the erroneous view of weekends and a summer off are a myth. Kids come to class with more problems and baggage than ever, not to mention less skill and attention or interest. In nursing you have a staff to help with a patient and see the person a few times during the day. In teaching, it's you solving minute to minute challenges on your own."

You can't leave it at the schoolhouse either. My Mom's house is loaded with entire shelving units stacked with learning materials, much of them bought with her own money--not the school's. I remember entire Sundays spent helping her haul stuff in and out of her classroom and rearranging desks. Teachers also have more accountability and training demands than ever, required to take classes, renew licenses regularly, and line their portfolios with thorough documentation of what and how they taught, Leaving No Child Behind. And we haven't even mentioned all the crazy parents whose poor kids you're just being way too hard on...

If you find you have a passion for teaching, then by all means look into it. But don't, don't, DON'T do it because it's "easy".

[Capm]

Not to mention the teachers are getting screwed by the no child left behind act.

[Spidey]

Not to mention the teachers are getting screwed by the no child left behind act.

Well…the students have been screwed long enuf.

Oh, and Foil, you should have given me some detention, or smacked my knuckles with a ruler. (you really need to lighten up)

[Kiran]

Sedwick and Foil, such inspiring posts you have. Few career choices I had growing up was: vet, teacher, astronomer, banker, accountant, in that order. I decided to not be a vet because I don't like to see gushing blood and I don't like needles. I wanted to be a teacher because I have always enjoyed working with children. I've had some tough kids for babysitting and I went through those pretty well. My niece has taught me a lot of patience and I'm even teaching her sign language so she can communicate easily. The only reason I backed out of that (before I found out that a special school that I went to would have wanted me) was because my loss of hearing tends to get in the way of effectively communicating with children. I didn't want to teach kids in middle school due to the trend that I have been seeing that they are really out of control groups. I decided to not go for accounting due to the time it asked of me and the really expensive tuition requirements. I'd rather be spending time with my family. I chose banker because I love counting money, helping people with their financial problems, and a bank provides so many opportunities for advancement (so maybe someday I could be an auditor when one of the nearby colleges have a bachelors degree in one of the required fields).

After reading all these posts about what it takes to be a teacher, I find myself saying \"I can do that, I know I have the patience and the desire to help kids\". The special school I talked about was a deaf school, where the place with the right teachers made a huge difference in my early life. I know I can effectively communicate with kids through sign language. And the sad thing is that I really have no other reason to back out of that choice. Maybe the time off from school will help me figure that part out.

[Bet51987]

For me, the calling has been too blurry for me to figure out what it is. Maybe it's meant to be like that for now.

Maybe something is beginning to clear...

Bee

[Kiran]

No kidding. That's why I called some of the others' posts very inspiring .

[Gekko71]

It's pretty easy to travel with a teacher's degree too - Australia is crying out for them right now and the wages are climbing because of lack of supply(...ditto for nurses now that I think about it. )

[Bet51987]

No kidding. That's why I called some of the others' posts very inspiring .

Yeah, I'm just being pushy. Have you thought of being a sub? I know just a little sign language that I had to learn for my park and rec job but not enough to hold a conversation. If you do, then you may be wasting a talent.

Watching kids signing with each other is one of the coolest things I've seen...

Bee

[Kiran]

i sign everyday with our customers. i'm the only one at the center who knows sign language. It's really awesome to use sign language, especially with babies. Much better communication.

[Gekko71]

...there's an ugly side to teaching too Bee that you should be aware of:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=609653

I don't doubt you could find similar incidences of this behaviour in the US.

[Foil]

True, there's some risk of burnout, stress, and even incidents aggression by whacko parents or students.

The worst I suffered was being pegged in the back of the head by a 2/3-full plastic soda bottle (I was fine, but I learned not to fully turn my back on the classroom that day). Turns out it was a troubled student, 18 years old but held back so he ended up in my 9th grade class until that incident. I honestly wish I'd had more opportunity to work with him; I was one of the few teachers not physically dwarfed by his physical size (6'6\"), and I felt like I had a chance with him.

You know, I have to take that back. Being hit in the back of the head was the worst physical incident, but the worst thing was experiencing the days when one or more of my students would refuse to even try. I still have vivid memories of a couple of particular students who had come up through the bad schools and were absolutely convinced that they were too stupid or life was too hopeless to even make an effort. Despite everything I tried, they had no hope... at 14 years old, they had already given up!... it utterly tore me up emotionally. That was the worst thing, by far.

My guess is that there will be some equally heart-rending experiences in any career where one puts oneself on the line for others. Nursing, social work, police work... I think stress and burnout are pretty common in all of them, and it takes a special kind of person (better than me, I only lasted a year in my first attempt) to handle it.

[Kiran]

I've talked with a few people who grew up with the deaf school and those who worked with there for awhile now. What I learned is disturbing to me... showed how ignorant I am (and the community as well). The no child left behind policy negatively affected the school's students. Most of the students are too far behind due to: 1. some degree of mental disability and 2. the no child left behind policy is pushing them into the real world with little or no education to help them.

That's devestating to me and is making me want to do something about it, but how can I try to help fix the problem if there is a national school policy in place and the school itself lacks the necessary resources to help the multi-disabled students? The only reason it hits so close to home to me is because it's the school that put me in a path to the good life.