September 6, 2001

1:21 PM

Good PBS program alert! Tonight is the premiere of The First Year, which aims to show "the human side of (American education): the determination and commitment of five novice teachers as they struggle to survive their first year in America's toughest schools." Check your local listings.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask the community for thoughts/ideas/cautions/resources for people interested in going into teaching.
posted by msacheson (21 comments total)

when i expressed an interest in teaching, the advice given to me by three of my former teachers was "Don't." i'm not sure if they meant that things are just that bad, or if it was a polite way of saying "Incompetent Boob."
posted by tolkhan at 1:29 PM on September 6, 2001

Perhaps their intent was to discourage anybody who wasn't sufficiently passionate about teaching to ignore their advice and do it anyway.
posted by harmful at 1:41 PM on September 6, 2001

My son teaches English in Korea--sometimes to adults and sometimes to kids. He loves it. Teachers get burned out. But the stresss is as much from the system--parents, school board, PTA etc than from the actual classroom work, though in inner city schools, the lack of this and that and indifference of the kids because of home lives etc sometimes quickly discourages the teacheers.
As for a career: note all the job openings compared to all the layoffs in so many ocupations.
My guess is that the teachers telling you Don't were commenting from a burn-out perspective rather than commenting on your competence. Don't get discouraged.
Give it a shot. Doesn't work out, for whatever reason, try something else.
posted by Postroad at 1:49 PM on September 6, 2001

Everyone I know who has gone into teaching has had their enthusiasm quashed in short order. The only one still doing it is at a community college, and sees it as "just another job."

I did several years of tutoring in small groups and loved it the whole time. Then again, I was dealing with a setting where everyone wanted to learn and I was able to craft the teaching program without any bureaucracy or outside interference.

Someday, I'll gladly go back to doing that sort of teaching. I will never, never, never, never, set foot inside a traditional classroom.
posted by marknau at 1:57 PM on September 6, 2001

I mentioned to my dad when I was in high school that I wanted to teach, and he discouraged me by saying "No money in teaching." For years I listened, got various jobs, finished my undergraduate degree with no direction, and had visions of working in some alphabet soup agency after finishing a post-graduate degree. All that changed last week. Last week, I taught my first class as a TA. I came out of the two discussion sections with the biggest grin on my face I have ever had. I love it, I love my students, even the difficult ones, and I'm a natural. I had no idea I would find it so rewarding, or so fun.

Now, I haven't seen my first set of bad evals; I haven't gotten the first point-grubber, arguing over 3 points on a midterm (although I got some of those as a grader last year); and I haven't gotten the first call or email from a parent, complaining that their prodigal child deserves a better grade. But if I can feel like I did yesterday and last week for even a fraction of my life, I feel like it will be worth it. And I may finish up that PhD after all, and try to find someplace that will let me do this, because it sure beats typing for a living.
posted by jennaratrix at 1:57 PM on September 6, 2001

Lovely, it airs at 1am and 4am in my area. There's always the VCR, but this makes it a bit of a hassle.

Teaching resources: other teachers. As far as books go, I hear Harry Wong is good for classroom management. Jeff Golub is into the interactive classroom. And Alfie Kohn prefers to let teachers teach.
posted by ahughey at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2001

My sister just started teaching at some exclusive high school in Philly. She absolutely loves it so far.

I think people are right in saying that it takes a special kind of person to teach. You can't treat teaching as just another 9 to 5 job. You can't slack off. If you do, you will find it unrewarding and get burned out. You have to like to teach to do it.

Also, even though the money may not quite be there, you can always move up to better paying districts. Plus, how many of your friends have 3 months vacation every year?
posted by Witold at 2:10 PM on September 6, 2001

If you're willing to live in or near a city, the money's not bad. Here in the Dallas area, nearly every school district offers a starting salary of $32,000 or more -- not exactly Gates-like, but not awful for 10 months of work at age 22. Stay in the business a while and that can get to $50,000 before you go gray. (And in places where teacher's unions have real power -- not in Texas, natch -- you can go much higher.) Go the administration route and you can do even better.

On the other hand, if you want to live in a small town or work at a private school (whose teachers generally get less), you shouldn't be surprised at offers of $18K or $20K.
posted by crabwalk at 2:30 PM on September 6, 2001

Come on Witold,
3 months vacation, no way....... Summer is spent doing the lessons plans for the next year, taking additional classes in content area development, professional development, working towards masters degrees etc.
posted by redhead at 2:30 PM on September 6, 2001

Anyone wanting to go into teaching should talk with their teachers, friends who are teachers, university teacher program people, etc. I'd also suggest calling local or state education agencies and asking to talk to someone about teaching in the subject area or geographical area you want to teach. Attend local or statewide education conferences to find people to talk to and look at what areas teachers perceive as problems (currently, discipline and special education are hot topics).

Teaching has a high rate of people leaving in the first five years. Schools are incredibly bureaucratic - they are run by the people who grew up following all the rules. Student teachers are often not trained in how to maintain discipline. Motivating students can be tough, some kids just don't care. Starting salaries are often lower than you could get with any other 4 year degree.

It's a tough field to start in, but can be very rewarding personally, if not financially.
posted by Whistlepig at 2:39 PM on September 6, 2001

jennaratrix,
the actual teaching is the best part. But you will soon find out that roll call, office memorandums, documenting everything just in case, talking to parents at night on your time because they have to work during the day...mandatory attendance at PTA or other meetings, really eats up a lot of time. Not to mention you've got to grade papers, make lesson plans, keep up with your professional development and content area development. Oh yes and have time to get a drink of water or pee between classes.
teaching is the most rewarding, but least rewarded job out there.
posted by redhead at 2:43 PM on September 6, 2001

i have a friend who did teach for america in new york after college. basically she was used. the school was underfunded so a lot of the kids who should have been in special ed weren't and they were using teach for america to get bodies into classes where the kids were uncontrollable. she left after a year.
posted by kliuless at 2:48 PM on September 6, 2001

Teaching is a very noble profession. Aside from being a mother, I think it is the most difficult job out there. Like redhead said, "Teaching is the most rewarding, but least rewarded job out there." I completely agree. I had been in the classroom for six years before I left for a special assignment position within the same district. I had become comfortable with my teaching and knew I was doing a good job. I had good rapport with my students. However, there was a lot of pressure from parents, everything was supposed to be done in preparation for testing, and some kids had major behavioral problems. In the beginning of my teaching career, when I was more idealistic, I believed that I would do whatever it took to overcome those obstacles. But as the years passed, and I looked at things more realistically, I realized I couldn't do everything my district was asking of me, as well as deal with parents, students, school work and lesson planning, and have a life. I think it is extremely important for kids to have good teachers and opportunities for a good education, but I don't know if I am willing to sacrifice my life to provide that.
posted by jumbosquid at 3:04 PM on September 6, 2001

I'm already having difficulty juggling, due to my own classes (PhD program) and the fact that since the TA position doesn't even pay enough to cover 2 months' rent (and no tuition remission either, natch), I have an outside job 23 hours a week. Plus, my students email me incessantly with questions, and I haven't even gotten the first 50 exams. Luckily, grading last year prepared me for the mess that is going to be my life the week I grade my exams.

I should point out that since I'm TAing at college level, I have less contact with parents, and no PTA meetings; so it's just a bit different, and in some ways not as heroic, as I think grade school teaching is.

I also have to reiterate the argument against 3 month vacations; most teachers, college or otherwise, don't make enough money to take that time off, and many get jobs for the summer to make ends meet. Or, teach classes in the summer.

The short answer is that teaching is one of those professions that you really have to love in order to do it; and while I wouldn't mind a bit more money, maybe that's the way it should be. I'd hate for people to go into it only for the money. Luckily, that will probably never happen.
posted by jennaratrix at 4:00 PM on September 6, 2001

I wish I could remember the teacher's name, so I could up some of the articles, for our local newspaper (Detroit Free Press) ran a one-year series following a first-year teacher at a Detroit elementary school.

Very interesting series....it was bureaucratic, yes, but also very rewarding...one of her students that couldn't read and regularly fell asleep in class eventually became a star pupil...her social life was seriously curtailed due to lesson plans, correcting papers, after-school meetings and such. But when the series ended, she was happy overall and looking forward to her second year.
posted by Oriole Adams at 4:49 PM on September 6, 2001

The best book I have read about becoming a teacher (it's not about that really, but it plays a central role in the life of one of the main characters is Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz. Sure it's set inbetween the Wars in Cairo, Egpyt, but the wrangling between father and son over the idea, the desire to teach, and the nobility or the profession are all present in wonderful detail. Great book otherwise as well.
posted by cell divide at 4:55 PM on September 6, 2001

I've also taught a few years in Korea in the past, have just recently returned from a techjob stint in Australia, and am now teaching English at a University near Seoul. Sitting in the Foreign Teacher's Lounge as I speak.

ES/FL in Korea can be a great, rewarding thing if you have the love for it, but burn-out is always around the corner, especially if you're teaching in one or more of the myriad 'private institutes' that are everywhere here and in Japan.

My solution has been to jump back into IT stuff every couple of years, and jump out to teaching again, but as 40 looms, that may get harder to do. This time I'm going to try to do both simultaneously (and probably burn my self out completely in the process!)

Anyway, that's all about me. My words of semi-wisdom : for anyone youngish, with a degree in pretty much anything and a year to spare, who is a native speaker of English (North American accents preferred but not essential), and wanting a bit of adventure and teaching experience to test the waters, I highly recommmend Korea. It's hard going sometimes, battling the pollution and the occasional xenophobia, but it's well worth it. Fantastic people.

Resource-wise, Dave's ESL Cafe is the obvious, well known place to start (but don't take the moaning and whining on the boards too seriously). There are many others.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:08 PM on September 6, 2001

i've thought about teaching.... i'd like to get into high school science and math. i want to be a stay-at-home mom as well. and have decided to put the career thing on hold - so i'm not going to try teaching yet.

i am going to home school my kids though - which is teaching. i love teaching itself. i get such a thrill when someone gets something i've been trying to explain. at the moment i'm tutoring a co-worker in the english language. he's got the vocab down, but his grammar is not the greatest, and he's headed back to school.

i think teaching is a great profession. i have a great admiration for many of my teachers. there is just too much crap to put up with in the school systems.
posted by djbartch at 9:14 PM on September 6, 2001

I got my start in Japan as an English teacher. Most of my friends (all working at the same mega-corp English school) came here for a year to save up some money while applying to teachers' college.

I can`t speak for classroom experience, and I have a lot of negative things to say about the school I worked at, but it was quite rewarding. The best thing is when the students start catching their own mistakes, and over time you can see them improve.

As with Stavrosetc, I`d recommend anyone who is a native English speaker to come to Japan for a year after college. Even if it has no connection to what you want to do with your life, you learn a whole lot about yourself in the process of teaching your native language.

As a side benefit, I have friend who taught here for three years and just started teaching elementary school in the U.S. and the school district is treating him like a fourth-year teacher in every respect, even though he`s still working on his credential.
posted by chiheisen at 1:23 AM on September 7, 2001

I am beginning my fourth year as a Montessori teacher in a small private school in a semi-rural area. My salary is minimal, our administration leaves much to be desired, and boy can the parents be a challenge, BUT I love my work.

Being a teacher forces me to do my best work always, because if I fail or slack off the children will bear the consequences. I spend every day knowing that I am doing doing the best that I can to help the children I spend my days with become well-rounded, caring, intelligent adults. I can't ask for a more noble cause than that.

The rewards that I reap are not monetary, they are deeply emotional and soulful. I am happy to be living such a fulfilled life. If you are passionate about helping others and sharing knowledge I urge you to look into the teaching profession.
posted by kayzie at 4:41 PM on September 8, 2001

View education as a human issue?

Wha? That's crazy leftist commie talk. People are commodities for the institutional bodies that really matter. Everyone knows that!
posted by crasspastor at 4:50 PM on September 8, 2001