help me out please
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
which country?
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
USA...6-12 graders
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
my wife is a teacher so let me post based on what she has struggled with.
I will lst the cons first.
its claimed that there is a shortage of teachers but mostly its in inner city slums where most ppl dont want to teach, its hard to find a teaching job in a good area.
it takes time to be tenured and if the district has to make cuts, non tenured ppl go first. and then u start at another district and with zero tenure.
Pay is not that great
bi-lingual education is supposed to bring non englis speaking kids upt o speed, but in certain districts, hispanic ones..i fact the medium of instruction is spanish and english because kids dont learn english, parents dont help, and if u dont teach in spanish, they cant understand much at all. This may be less in higher grades but elementary and middle school its a huge issue.
ummm your vacations are only when schools are out and airfares and vacation prices are always more then, so u cant just decide to go to Paris in April, u have to go in summer..usy with tourists, or spring break busy with college students..resulting in expensive trips.
Kids can be brats and you have little ability to discipline them,
all kids have to get an award cuz god forbid dumb kid fat alberts feelings get hurt because he did not get anything in academics or atheletics..u have ti make up stupid prizes like most spirited and stuff.
summers off, long christmas break,
get done early
but.. tons of grading and lesosns plans etc to do.
time to spend with kids, and when theya re off u are off so u can really spend some quality parenting time
I will ask her to post here as well.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
The pro that you are off when school is off is worth it all :k: … though once your kids go to college, its not so cool anymore.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
What I am most concerned with is the job outlook. I am planning on staying single for a really long time; will I be able to survive on a teacher’s salary?
There is a demand for Math teachers, the only subject I want to teach.
How will I make a good teacher, I have no control over kids. Will I end up hating my profession?
In the meantime, I will be taking my CBEST (thus planning to teach in California) so I can be a substitute teacher. This also is a prerequisite for a credential program.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
look at the district where you want to teach and what the pay scale is, its public info, you have scales of salary depending on whethe ru have masters and numbers of years of experience. You can compare that to cost of living in the area and see what it costs and how does your pay stack up.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
Sidra, what year are you in? I also think I can't control kids but now I have started tutoring in public school which I think will help me, so ya substituting will really help you getting used to the classroom environment.
If you are a fresh graduate, then go to the school you did your student teaching, shadowing, and observation.
For past 4years I have been working with different programs for low income families and I think I would like to work for the schools and programs that are more friendly to this socio-economic class.
So yes, you should think what kind of school/student body you would like to work for/with. You might also want to check with magnet schools (they are schools that specialize in certain areas, like science, math, arts, music, etc).
Salaries are based on your qualification and the school ranking meaning is your school A, B, or C. So the best thing would be to check the school profiles online. Go to the school board website and you can get all sort of information.
You will only hate it if you don't put any effort in, also first few years are considered the most challenging years, so don't get disappointed. One thing you might want to do is ask one of the senior teachers to be your mentor, someone you can get along with and ask for advice when needed.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
Also there are oher side programs going on like after school tutoring, special camps and stuff, so get involved in them, they are good ways of making extra money.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
Hi Sidra,
I think Fraudz and the others covered most of your concerns, but if your main concern is job stability and pay, then your best bet is to research school districts in your area. The pay scales should be listed on district websites, otherwise would be available if you contact the HR depts. If you are able to "survive" or not on that salary is basically up to you and how you use your income! If you need a penthouse apartment, luxury car, Coach bags, and lavish vacations, then teaching may not be the field for you (unless you plan to marry rich later ;) ) Although we teachers ARE underpaid for the responsibility we have, it's not as horrific as many people say. Plus, when you factor that you are only working 9 months out of the year, the income/hour worked isn't too bad. You can always teach summer school and easily make 3-5K extra for 6-8 weeks of work. I had a former colleague who moved here from Cali, and they are one of those states that does not move you up the pay scale based on level of education. So if you have your masters, you may not make more money that someone who doesn't. In Illinois, it's one of the requirements needed to get the next level of certification. Again, all these questions would best be answered by calling/visiting the websites of your local school districts.
In general, there is a surplus of teachers wanting to work in the burbs but a high need in the city when it comes to K-5. If you are planning on teaching Math at the middle school/high school level, you are probably a LOT more secure job wise. However, a lot of times you need to be prepared to teach another subject along with Math if there is a need. I know may teachers who teach math and Science, or Lang Arts and Speech just because there is a need. So if you ONLY want to teach math, research and make sure there are districts looking for Full time MATH teachers. most districts, you aren't guaranteed what you will teach even if your job is secured or if you have tenure! Consider that needs may change in a few years, and you may have to teach something other than math or in addition to math.
Also, with the "No Child Left Behind" legislation still in place, you will need a certain number of credit hours to be considered "highly qualified" and I know that some districts are firing those teachers who do not have the "highly qualified" status. If you are still in school, your program should include those requirements for your endorsement in Mathematics. It might be wise to see if you can get an endorsement in other core areas such as Lang Arts, Soc. Studies etc to make yourself more hire-able in the event the math demand goes down.
You question how you would make a good teacher with no control over kids, what experience are you referring to? Babysitting desi kids at a party or have you subbed/student taught as yet? You will learn that to "get control" over your class, you will need to lay down the law and be a hard a$$ the first few weeks, then you can ease up. NO matter what they say, kids WANT structure and routine! A great resource on setting up your classroom and routines is a book called The First Days of School by Harry Wong. There are also excellent seminars on video of his to watch. They're informative and entertaining! Every teacher struggles her first year or so, but as with most things in life, experience is the best teacher!
That being said, teaching middle school/high school kids can be tough! I have experience with both elementary and jr high (6-8 grades)! I won't lie to you, those kids could be a royal pain! They are dealing with hormonal issues, there's a lot of disrespect, and that's the age when drug use, sexual experimentation, and gang activity starts up. Not ALL kids are that way, but there were definitely several who were a challenge to deal with. It was too much for me to handle so I came back to elementary! :) The flipside to that is that you only have those kids in your room for a 45-55 minute block of time vs. all day in elementary.
Another potential con is that if you teach 5 classes of math to a grade, you will have 5 sets of assignments to grade! The pro side of this is that you will only have to plan 1 lesson per day and can teach the same thing to all classes (if you teach the same grade all day).
I think that's about all I can think of for now, if you have any other specific questions on my experience, feel free to pm or email. The bottom line is, you should know if this is something you want to do. Most people don't become teachers for the money ;) but rather because it is rewarding in other ways. Only you can answer the question of whether or not you are going to be a "good" teacher and whether or not you will enjoy it.
Good luck and Take Care!
Z
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
ok, I am kind of confused about this highly qualified thing...is it just about the endorsement in Mathematics?
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
credit hours, continuing education e.g. towards masters etc.. it think thats it.
will hafta nudge begum to post again.
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
ya please do that..thanks!
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
oops..double post...
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
Lusi
The HQ status is determined by each state individually. From the www.nclb.gov site:
In general, under No Child Left Behind a highly qualified teacher must have:
A bachelor's degree.
Full state certification, as defined by the state.
Demonstrated competency, as defined by the state, in each core academic subject he or she teaches.
The first requirement is straightforward. For the second, the state has freedom to define certification according to its needs. The state can use this opportunity to strengthen and streamline its certification requirements. It can also create alternate routes to certification.
Regarding the third requirement, states have significant flexibility to design ways to allow teachers to demonstrate competency in the subjects they teach, especially for teachers with experience. The law also requires that states consider the differences between elementary and secondary teachers, as well as differences between newly hired and experienced teachers.
So fro example, in Illinois, a 6th grade math teacher must have a certain number of credit hours in mathemetics in order to be considred Highly Qualified. There are web based worksheets that you can take to determine your status. I am not too experienced with this as I'm an elementary teacher and my 6+ years of experience plus my Master's program enable me to be considered Highly Qualified in Illinois.
The NCLB act requires that ALL core subject teachers (Math, Soc Studies, Lang Arts, etc) teachers be HQ by then end of this school year. If you're a secondary teacher, and you still have a job, then you must be HQ! The best person to go to get specific requirements for your state would be your NEA rep or teacher union rep.
Hope that helps!
Z
Re: Pros and Cons of Teaching
when i was a kid i wanted to be a teacher..but not anymore..
i say if u want to be a teacher be an elementary school teacher..