4 answers
Emma
Student
Brigham City, Utah
2
Questions
Asked
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why should I not want to be a teacher
I'm a student a box elder high in Utah. I'm interested in the idea of teaching earth science, science in general, art maybe, but most of all astronomy! The ages I'm thinking of teaching are around 6th up till high school. #teacher #astronomy
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4 answers
Kiirsten Suomu
Sales Representative at Universal Orlando Resort
96
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Kiirsten’s Answer
Hello Emma!
That is SO cool that you already know the outline of what you want to do-- AND go into teaching?? AWESOME! I am not a teacher, but I have several friends who teach music, English, and science! From stories that I have heard from my friends, teaching is challenging and depending where you teach, the pay isn't too great-- but what they all agree on is that it is a very rewarding experience. Some of my friends teach the general education classes that everyone is required to take, so their challenge is often having students who don't want to be in class, but they HAVE to be there-- so motivating can be difficult.
Good luck!
That is SO cool that you already know the outline of what you want to do-- AND go into teaching?? AWESOME! I am not a teacher, but I have several friends who teach music, English, and science! From stories that I have heard from my friends, teaching is challenging and depending where you teach, the pay isn't too great-- but what they all agree on is that it is a very rewarding experience. Some of my friends teach the general education classes that everyone is required to take, so their challenge is often having students who don't want to be in class, but they HAVE to be there-- so motivating can be difficult.
Good luck!
Michelle H.
Business Associate
38
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hi Emma! Very interesting question! I am a former middle and high school teacher who taught for 7 years before leaving the profession. I would like to say first off that every job has its ups and downs. The most important thing is finding the right job FOR YOU in which the ups sustain you through the downs. I'm going to assume that you're familiar with the many great aspects of teaching--there are so many! What I think are the downsides of teaching won't necessarily be the downsides for you. This is not to scare you away from teaching (not at all!) but to provide you with some information to help you make your decision.
- The pay: In many places, you are paid less than people with the same or less education than you. I started out making $28,000 as a public school teacher. After a few district changes and general hustle later I was making just under $50,000. This is average income in the US. In the beginning when I had student loans, I worked through the summers so I could have a good savings safety net and contribute more to retirement savings. In a lot of places, the benefits and pensions aren't as good as they used to be.
- The work is never done: During the school year, I was at work by 6:30 am. After a full day of teaching, meetings, and supervising clubs or coaching sports, I might finish around 5:00 pm. I spent time after dinner grading and answering the dozens of emails that piled up during the day. I tried to take a least one day a week off, but I frequently found myself grading and lesson planning on Sundays. Teaching is a lot of late nights and early mornings. By the time you get to a break, you REALLY need that break. (But keep in mind there's work to do over the break too!)
- It can be dangerous: Students (and parents) can be physically aggressive toward teachers. Students get into fights that you may get caught in the middle of. (I know two colleagues who've been badly injured this way.) If you're coaching, accidents can happen as you're working with your team. Schools may require you to stand in the middle of traffic in the carpool line. (I've had a close call and know a colleague who was hit.) In the US, rates of violence in schools are increasing and there's not much action around getting a handle on it. Depending on your teaching environment, you may have to be very situationally aware and take steps to protect yourself at school.
Again, I don't want to scare you off being a teacher! I loved my time as a teacher, but ultimately it wasn't the right career for my personal and professional goals. The most important thing that you can do to offset these downsides is to go into the profession fully aware of them, make plans to improve your situation as needed, and generally going forward feeling empowered with your knowledge.
- The pay: In many places, you are paid less than people with the same or less education than you. I started out making $28,000 as a public school teacher. After a few district changes and general hustle later I was making just under $50,000. This is average income in the US. In the beginning when I had student loans, I worked through the summers so I could have a good savings safety net and contribute more to retirement savings. In a lot of places, the benefits and pensions aren't as good as they used to be.
- The work is never done: During the school year, I was at work by 6:30 am. After a full day of teaching, meetings, and supervising clubs or coaching sports, I might finish around 5:00 pm. I spent time after dinner grading and answering the dozens of emails that piled up during the day. I tried to take a least one day a week off, but I frequently found myself grading and lesson planning on Sundays. Teaching is a lot of late nights and early mornings. By the time you get to a break, you REALLY need that break. (But keep in mind there's work to do over the break too!)
- It can be dangerous: Students (and parents) can be physically aggressive toward teachers. Students get into fights that you may get caught in the middle of. (I know two colleagues who've been badly injured this way.) If you're coaching, accidents can happen as you're working with your team. Schools may require you to stand in the middle of traffic in the carpool line. (I've had a close call and know a colleague who was hit.) In the US, rates of violence in schools are increasing and there's not much action around getting a handle on it. Depending on your teaching environment, you may have to be very situationally aware and take steps to protect yourself at school.
Again, I don't want to scare you off being a teacher! I loved my time as a teacher, but ultimately it wasn't the right career for my personal and professional goals. The most important thing that you can do to offset these downsides is to go into the profession fully aware of them, make plans to improve your situation as needed, and generally going forward feeling empowered with your knowledge.
Seema Sabharwal
Teacher
7
Answers
Tracy, California
Updated
Seema’s Answer
If you are more interested in becoming rich and service is not your primary goal don't become one. If you are not passionate about children, their needs please don't even think about it. Teaching is a calling, it is a work of heart.
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
850
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Emma,
This is a very good question. A lot of people want to know why you should do something, but sometimes it is the opposite thing that can make or break your decision. Teaching is an incredible profession, no matter what level you teach. I would say that you should not limit yourself to certain age groups until you move through your Education major.
So the down sides of teaching in general:
- It can be physically demanding. And it is not just the standing all the time which is important. But also, the days are much longer than the hours that you spend teaching. Depending on your knowledge, you may have long hours of preparation.
- Students can be difficult, unexpectedly so at times. You have to patience, empathy, and flexible with these students. Very few students are trying to be intentionally frustrating. They can express themselves poorly when they are not learning and that can seem like they are being disruptive. You will have to learn to determine when a student just needs more time or needs to be excused.
Now I have not taught at the K through 12 level. I have taught in corporate America. I have to say that training adults can be very frustrating since they already have had lives, had history, and are not always thrilled by being trained by someone younger than them.
While the focus of this post is the negatives, I will say that I trained full time for a decade. In addition, in my current role, I have the opportunity to do some training from time to time. I always jump at the opportunity. This is because teaching people something new is an incredible high. It is amazing to see someone learn something that they didn't know before. Good luck with your teaching career.
Gloria
This is a very good question. A lot of people want to know why you should do something, but sometimes it is the opposite thing that can make or break your decision. Teaching is an incredible profession, no matter what level you teach. I would say that you should not limit yourself to certain age groups until you move through your Education major.
So the down sides of teaching in general:
- It can be physically demanding. And it is not just the standing all the time which is important. But also, the days are much longer than the hours that you spend teaching. Depending on your knowledge, you may have long hours of preparation.
- Students can be difficult, unexpectedly so at times. You have to patience, empathy, and flexible with these students. Very few students are trying to be intentionally frustrating. They can express themselves poorly when they are not learning and that can seem like they are being disruptive. You will have to learn to determine when a student just needs more time or needs to be excused.
Now I have not taught at the K through 12 level. I have taught in corporate America. I have to say that training adults can be very frustrating since they already have had lives, had history, and are not always thrilled by being trained by someone younger than them.
While the focus of this post is the negatives, I will say that I trained full time for a decade. In addition, in my current role, I have the opportunity to do some training from time to time. I always jump at the opportunity. This is because teaching people something new is an incredible high. It is amazing to see someone learn something that they didn't know before. Good luck with your teaching career.
Gloria