is teaching a good fit? (careers, degrees, hire, graders)
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The dark side is that the market is terrible right now. Depending on your certification area, it may be a difficult to ever find work. I know many qualified teachers who cannot find work, myself included.
I can't speak for History teachers, but I do know that some of the more sought after areas include preschool, ESL, and Special Education. This also varies depending on your geographical location.
Please do not fall into the "Schools are desperate for teachers" trap. That's not completely true!
Actually a bachelor's does not quality you to teach, you need a masters, unless you plan on teaching in a catholic or private school, many of which do not require a Master's Degree, but the pay is very, very low.
Is this a recent turn of events? I don't know of a single teacher I had in HS that had a masters degree.
I am a former high school teacher. Teaching is probably one of the most misunderstood professions. I posted this below but I think it fits here as well:
Did you notice that almost every poster who has worked as a teacher and who has worked outside of education preferred the latter?!
I often get asked why I left teaching and I tell people there are about 86 reasons…haha.
If I could sum up why teaching is so bad I would say “quality of life,” and I am not just talking about money.
I love being treated like an adult now. I no longer have to sign in at 7:30am every morning in front of the principal and vice principal. If we were late then we would be written up and that would follow us in our file. Being late meant 7:31am or later, seriously.
It is also nice to be able to stay out at night with other adults, as I no longer have to wake up so early each morning
A teacher’s work never ends. I spent my nights and weekends preparing lessons and grading and fulfilling professional development. The best feeling in the world now is leaving work and being done until 9am the next morning. I had never felt this before and it is magical and I still get excited about it each night and weekend!
When I taught I also had to coach basketball so during the winter I also lost all day Saturday and had to be in bed super early Friday evenings. I think my stipend for coaching came to something like $3 an hour over the course of the season. Then, lets not forget that teachers can be asked to chaperone weekend and overnight field trips. If anything goes wrong you will be sued. You are responsible for all of the children every second of a school function.
I love not having to worry that if a kid does something stupid in my classroom there is a great chance that I will be sued. Inadequate specific supervision lawsuits are the name of the game these days in teaching.
I love being able to use the restroom when I need to and not having to rush down the hallway and make it back in 3-4 minutes.
I love being able to leave my office for an hour and go out to lunch. This is twice as long as my teaching lunch
I love not having to constantly discipline and then deal with parents who can treat you pretty much anyway they want to because you are a public servant.
I certainly don’t miss having parents argue with me that their kid deserved a higher grade. I even had one parent argue that his son should have received a lower grade. Of course I received these complaints in the same class…haha.
I love not having to stand up for most of the day. I love having a computer that actually functions faster than a tortoise. I love air conditioning on hot days and warm and steady heat on winter days. I love having sufficient supplies such as pens and tape. I would love to see my manager tell my coworkers that they must go out and buy their own pens as we are out for the year…haha. Oh, I would love to see that.
To add icing on the cake in teaching I was told to go pay for my required masters degree. After completion I would make about $2000 more per year.
Now I am told that if I want a masters I am encouraged to pursue one and that the company will pay for 100% of the cost at any university.
Wow, and we wonder why people are leaving the teaching profession???
My high school compatibility test told me I should be an agricultural farmer.
I can't give too much advice for high school teaching (since I'm going into elementary [which is very different]). The positives are that you teach one subject several times. Therefore, you specialize in that subject rather than dipping into everything (but you're good with history). Also, worksheets you prepare could be similar to the ones you prepared for the previous class. If you're teaching high and low classes, you would need to adjust the content so it's more understandable for the lower achieving students. But I'd still consider this a positive because it's easier than researching information from another subject altogether (especially if you're unfamiliar with it).
A problem with teaching high school is that you're teaching your specialty. First of all, there aren't that many high schools compared to elementary schools. Second of all, there are fewer teaching positions when you focus on one subject. For example, if an elementary school is being built, they need 3 teachers per grade. That's 15 openings I could apply for. In high school, there are what, 4 history teachers? Also, some high schoolers are down right horrible. They can throw crap at you, blatantly cuss at you, etc.
I kind of agree, kind of disagree with this. High schoolers treat subs horribly. It doesn't matter the school or grade. It's just a fact... like when you crack open an egg, you'll see yolk. So yes, you'll get some experience as to what it's like to carry instruction. However, you won't be able to form relationships with students (which is one of the perks of teaching). And because of that, you won't have the chance to gain their respect. You won't see the progress of the students (or lack there of [which can be frustrating]). It's very unlikely you'll see model behavior.
But there are many, many more people that major in El ed then secondary education. I remember a parents meeting last year where the High School Principal told us that she only had about 20 qualified candidates to choose from for an opening in the English department, whereas in the elementary school they might get 100 applicants. English and Social Studies/History are probably harder to get jobs in compared to math and science but I don't think it's out of the question.
Amen.....I felt like I got my life back when I left teaching. I no longer eat in six minutes, I can sleep through the night without worrying about phone calls or complaints, and I feel like an adult. I can go to the bathroom whenever I want, and not have someone watch my desk. I think that teachers get treated worse than the kids sometime. I taught for ten years, and then gave it up and moved on to run my own company. I can not believe how much better my health and piece of mind is at this point in my life. I loved teaching for the first couple of years, even got a master's, but I knew when enough is enough.
I am a former high school teacher. Teaching is probably one of the most misunderstood professions. I posted this below but I think it fits here as well:
...
Wow, and we wonder why people are leaving the teaching profession???
Thanks for the post, this is the kind of info I was looking for. Now it sounds like being a teacher is a lot like being a student all over again, IE be on time, go to bathroom between classes, you have homework etc.. my only question is did the vacation time make up for it in any way??? Because in the business world you do not get much vacation at all and I know a lot of people who think being a teacher would be worth it just for all the time off, but it sounds like that is not the case?
I love teaching high school. The downside is paperwork, No Child Left Behind Act, and dealing with behavior. The upside is having a career that makes a difference, instilling a love of history with your students, and making positive connections with students. My husband is 40 and has a History degree with no education. He works jobs that don't require a college degree because there aren't a lot of other choices. He does not want to teach high school or go back to college at his age. If you're interested in teaching, I think you should go for it. It will be harder when you are 20 years older.
I agree with you 100%. These students need teachers also even in the inner cities. Teaching is a very rewarding job, in high school I can remember several teachers that had an impact on my life and help shape me into the person I am today. And if you ask any teacher, no child left behind is a big headache. My friend is 28 and has been teaching high school students since the age of 23 and he absolutely loves it. Of course there are ups and downs but thats with any job.
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Go for it
