Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Dnil on May 07, 2003, 09:16:26 PM
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I have some questions about becoming one. I know the pay sucks but I am former enlisted so I am used to crap pay.
I left a great job that paid awesome to start over and really wanna do this but would like some pointers from ones doing it currently.
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don't date the students :D
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haha ya freak. thought that was a perk?
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Dnil,
What you really want to do is check out what the requirements are to become a teacher.
Example in AZ. you need a minimum of a BA degree and teaching certification. The two are not necessarily the same. I had a BS in Public Admin and needed to go back to school. I opted for a MA in ED and took an additional 9 units to get my teacher certification.
If you have a BA already I suggest you start looking at being a substiute teacher in the grade level you are interested in. This will give you a worst case scenario environment to see if this is something you really want to get involved in.
There are usually different levels of what school you can teach with a particular degree. The requirements of a particular subject matter are certainly more stringent the higher you go in the system. Example, a degree in biology if you will teach that subject in a High School area but a General Science degree to teach basic science in a Junior High level. In my state the elementary and junior high grades are all available to a teacher with a basic education certificate. For High School you need a secondary teaching certificate. The same for vocational ED like they use in some specialty magnet schools that focus on a particular type of education, music, art, science, aviation, computer sciences and so on.
Subbing is a good way to get your feet wet while you take some courses that may be required for your teacher certification. If you do not have the minimum level of education for subbing look at a school and talk to the principal about being a teachers aid so you can see what it's like. Some school districts have those positions at a minimal pay level (minimum wage) and you get to see how it really is in the classroom while you are deciding to do something else. :)
In short, talk to some local school folks and get an idea of where you stand on qualifications. Good luck...... you'll need it.
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Dnil you should know not to listen to Udie :)
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Originally posted by Dnil
I have some questions about becoming one. I know the pay sucks but I am former enlisted so I am used to crap pay.
Dnil...pay in Florida will get better very soon. The class size amendment does not appear to be going away despite Jebby's "devious plot". Given that Florida currently has a teacher drain problem because of the much better pay in Georgia, the state will have to seriously work to set a pay floor close to, if not better than, Georgia's in order to increase the number of teachers needed by 2010.
Elementary ed will have the largest demand, but does require a teaching certificate in FL. Middle school/Jr. High and High School does not require certification, however, district funding is tied to the % of teachers certified, which provides a big incentive for secondary school principals to hire certified teachers. There is also a pay differential given to math and science teachers as they are in greatest demand.
Best of luck with your career change...
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i was thinking of doing the history/coach thing.....im not really concerned with pay at all, been there done that have the bills to prove it.
Is it rewarding?
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Originally posted by Gryf
Dnil you should know not to listen to Udie :)
Yeah, like Gryf said...you should date the students, especially if they're perky and bouncy! I'm gonna leave now, before I get struck by lightning. :D
SOB
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Dnil,
I have a B.S. in Instrumental Music Education and taught in the public schools for 5 years between 1990-1995, so although I'm now currently in a different profession, I've been there and done that, so I should be able to help you out.
What do you want to know?
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Originally posted by Dnil
Is it rewarding?
I think that would depend on your personality. I taught at the college level for a while. Most of the classes I taught were graduate level, however my two favorite classes to teach were both freshman level courses. I found it very rewarding to introduce concepts that these just-out-of-high-school kids had never even considered. It appeared to suddenly make the world seem much more complex and interesting to them (in reality I'm sure they were just thinking, "jeez, I hope this isn't on a test").
My ex-mother-in-law is a middle school science teacher. She almost constantly complained about the stupid antics of the administrators and parents. She would also spend hours every night grading papers. I'd say on average she spent 3-4 hours per day (including weekends) outside school on school related work. (Teachers may get summers off, but they make up for it during the school year) Plus, she would pay out of her own pocket for some classroom supplies that would not be purchased by the school (pretty generous considering her low pay). When I asked her why she didn't take her master's degree in chemistry and do something else, she said she loved the kids. She just has that kind of personality.
I have a couple of cousins who teach in Santa Rosa County and I'm sure they would be willing to talk to you. Both are coaches, but I think one also teaches social studies. You can email me at negcamber@yahoo.com if you would like me to put you in contact with them.
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My mother taught for 25 years. She initially enjoyed it - "decent" pay for only working 9 months out of the year, but as you go on and lose your idealism, the politics get in the way.
She always used to complain about the district adminstration throwing the teachers to the dogs and catering to the parents every need. If you can deal with being more of an "on call child consultant" instead of a "teacher" you will do just fine. But like I said, if you dont like being "unappreciated" youll have something to squeak about every night during dinner.
Im not sure if I missed it, or if you didnt mention it, but what are you shooting for? Elementary school? High School? University?
The rules are different for each, and the negative points of the profession seem to decrease as the age of the students increase.
Hope that helps - second hand info, but something is better than nothing, I presume.
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I was gonna shoot for high school. I have never really heard what it is really like. Guess I need to do some sub'n to get my feet wet.
I am looking for something challenging.
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Originally posted by Dnil
i was thinking of doing the history/coach thing.....im not really concerned with pay at all, been there done that have the bills to prove it.
Is it rewarding?
It is.
(Former Special Ed Teacher)
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My brother teaches in Naples FL.. email me if you want to talk to him....... dickthompson@attbi.com
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Talk to Daddog.
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Originally posted by Dnil
I was gonna shoot for high school. I have never really heard what it is really like. Guess I need to do some sub'n to get my feet wet.
I am looking for something challenging.
Highschool would be a challenge. I've done a little bit of teaching there, mostly Freshman (and in an art room environment, rather than an academic class)- And it can be an extreme challenge at times. Depending on what kind of class you end up teaching, you can end up with an amazing group of kids who are there and want to learn- Or a group of kids who could care less.
If you're in it for the challenge and the love of teaching, it can get frustrating really fast if you end up with a bunch of kids who don't care. That's the gamble with high school kids, I think. They're getting to the point that they just don't want to be there anymore.
One way to counteract that though, is to just be a cool/good teacher. One of my favorite teachers from High School was great because he was almost like a friend- even though he was 18 years older. I hated school then, but I loved that class and had some of my best grades in it just because he was laid back and had a sense of humor.
Although, I suppose that's advice on what to do once your in- Not advice on how to get in. ;)
-keso
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Is it rewarding?
Yes, it can be very rewarding. It is one profession where you know you're actually making a difference in someone's life. That, however, is the double-edged sword of teaching. What you say and do can either make or break a student's self esteem and sense of self-worth. This can lead to tremendous stress, as you are always trying to be a positive influence and "the perfect teacher" to your students. I have many good memories about some students who, for them, I seemed to be the only person they could count on for a smile, a kind word of encouragement or a simple "how's it going today"? Teaching is definately a good profession for people who are looking to help other people, and for people who have a genuine concern for young people.
On the other hand, teaching is not for the faint of heart or the thin-skinned.
As a teacher, anytime you make the mistake of wishing out loud for a decent salary, you will be immediately pounced upon by droves of people who will say "But you get three months off in the summer". Things may be different in other states, but in Minnesota, teachers typically get about 6-8 weeks of "vacation" in the summertime. I got even less than that because I was a band director, and I had a marching band program to keep going during the summer. I got about 4 weeks off in the summer. And nevermind that you typically worked a 12 hour day between time at school, time at extra-curricular school functions and time at home grading papers and planning for the next day, every day. People will come back and always use the "But you get three months off during the summer" on you. Nevermind that you'll be spending most of that time during the summer at college working toward fulfilling your post graduate credits you'll need to renew your license every five year. Minnesota requires that teachers continue to take classes and work toward a higher degree. Actually, I think that's a good thing. It's just doesn't jive with the picture everyone has of the teachers sitting out at the beach all summer sipping mint julips.
Then there's the astronomical pay. Back in 1990, right out of college, my first teaching contract was for $21,000. The previous year, as a college student, I made $23,000. So, my first experience as a new teacher was to take a pay cut. What a great morale booster that was!
My wife, who has a Master's Degree in education, and ten years teaching experience, makes less than $40,000.
Education is funded in great part by property tax. If you were to ask your average person if they think teachers deserve a raise, they would probably say "yeah, they sure do". Then when you remind them that to do this, their property tax will need to go up. The answer soon becomes "Hell no, they don't need a raise".
As a teacher, you are nothing more than an indentured servant to school administrators, parents and the school board. You had better not make any enemies with any of these power groups or your job is as good as gone.
Then there's the tenure issue. While tenure would seem to be a great thing for a teacher in that it provides you with some job security, it is another double-edged sword. It also protects the bad teachers in your school, the few bad teachers that everyone uses as an exmaple to make all teachers look like dolts.
It would be best for everyone if they just got rid of tenure. That would help eliminate the dead weight teachers who are burnt out and just waiting for retirement, and would help establish some credibility for the remaining good teachers.
And if you are a teacher that gets the ax due to budget cuts, then you have a narrow window of opportunity each year to find a job. If you don't land a job between June and September, you're pretty much SOL until the next June-Sept timeframe.
I haven't even mentioned the difficulties of trying to maintain discipline in the modern classroom, or of educating ever growing numbers of students in classrooms.
I could go on and on, but I'm already feeling a Vietnam-like flashback creeping up on me.
Suffice it to say that teaching is not for everyone. I consider myself to be very tough-minded and self-confident. But within 5 years of teaching in the public schools, I had become disillusioned, depressed and nearly suicidal. I bailed out and went into computer science, where I now have a fraction of the stress, just as much vacation time and twice the salary.
IMO nobody can truly know if they have what it takes to make it as a teacher until they try. But I do know that only 25% of all people who start out as teachers, retire as teachers. I got that statistic from the dept of public education last year.
That's really food for thought.
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Oh yes, did I forget to mention that as a teacher, all it takes is one student to walk into the principal's office and say "Mr. X touched my breasts", for your life and career as you now know it to be over, even if you are innocent.
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Originally posted by Dnil
I have some questions about becoming one. I know the pay sucks but I am former enlisted so I am used to crap pay.
I left a great job that paid awesome to start over and really wanna do this but would like some pointers from ones doing it currently.
You'll need a Masters degree + teacher certification in most states these days, but I suggest looking elsewhere, because too many teachers are getting laid off, even ones with more than 6 years experience. There's no money anywherre left to afford them, and with no one wanting to pay higher taxes, the lay-offs are going to continue.
It's VERY rewarding, and if you are used to thankless jobs then you wont mind not being appreciated. it's a great experience, so good luck findimg something.
gainsie
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so low pay, long hours and dont piss off the boss? Like every other job I have had :)
With that ringing endorsement wank, its now become a quest!
maybe you MN boys need to come down here, they are screaming for teachers.....or least the news is :)
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I'm not a teacher but my dad was, children with learning difficulties - you'd call it Special Ed except that they weren't slow, they were unruly. Bad parents, neighbourhood etc so they were expelled from several schools until they came to his. Violent types really, he taught woodwork so had to disarm chisel wielding young maniacs quite regularly.
He tended to bring his stress home with him, I'd advise you not to do the same ;)
Seriously.
One year when I was about 7 he told us we were going to get a new sister (there were already four kids) - we were going to adopt a 15 year old girl in the summer. She ran away before it happened.
I think though that he enjoyed his work, but probably enjoys his retirement more.
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banana touched my breast at the con.
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banana looked down my shirt at the con. Sorry to hear you got it worse, Sunking.
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banana, you're in music education?
I've got my degree in music (college didn't offer education) and am currently subbing (and volunteering every day i'm not subbing) for a music teacher at an intermediate school in the DoDDs Europe school system while my husband is stationed here. Working with the kids has been really rewarding, and at the beginning of the year I had contemplated getting my teaching certificate. But, after listening to a year of teacher politics, student behavior issues and budget cuts (and this is a VERY well funded school system) I've decided against it. Will probably get my masters in performance and teach privately.
How have you managed to not burn out? I've noticed that happens a lot with music teachers (another reason against going into that field). It seems to be pretty thankless at times. Sure it can be rewarding too, but geesh... :)
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AKcurly has been teaching for some time UI believe. He is currently a math professor at a university
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How have you managed to not burn out?
I didn't manage. I got burnt out within 5 years. I haven't taught since 1995. Now I just play my trumpet semi-professionally on the side. :)
Puke and Sunking are just jealous that I chose to sleep with Makarov9 instead of them at the con. Mak has better tits than either of them put together!
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Originally posted by banana
I didn't manage. I got burnt out within 5 years. I haven't taught since 1995.
Wow, within 5 years? Okay, that answered any lingering concerns I had. I'll stick to performing and not teaching. ;)
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damn, what a jolly group of teachers.....makes ya wanna jump off a bridge.
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Dnill,
The bridge comment was really uncalled for. The folks that posted experainces tried to answer your question with basic honesty. You really DO need to go see what it's like. It probably won't be pretty or rewarding, it will likely be educational however. Teaching today is not what it was 20 years ago. Until things get changed I wouldn't recomend it to anyone.
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Dnil,
Teaching can have many rewards. As others have expressed, there are alot of drawbacks too. Only 50% of new teachers make it past 5 years, it's a lot harder and stressful than it may first appear.
Try subbing.
Talk to teachers.
Take a good look at ALL that there is to the job.
eskimo