Opinions on Teaching?

orchid2 · #1 09-07-2006, 12:38 PM

This is going to be slightly long-winded with a lot of background info!

I graduated in December (with a non-education degree) and spent the first half of 2006 in training for the Army Reserves. When I got home, I posted my resume on Monster and Careerbuilder.com, looked for local listings, and started interviewing. Non-teaching jobs, might I add. A huge issue seemed to be my lack of work experience! Most positions that required a college degree also wanted 3+ years of work experience as well. I didn't expect it to be so challenging to find a job out of college... but the only relevant work experience I had prior to this was 4 years as a student worker on campus and a barista at a coffee shop. LOL. I never did an internship (which I regret) and actually explored the possibility of interning down here, but nobody seemed interested in a college graduate. Big surprise!

When I was still in school, I didn't have a solid idea of what I wanted to do, so I got a degree is in Economics. The field fascinated me and I felt like it was a "safe" degree-- part business, part social science. So when I began my job search, I decided to look for "office jobs" first. I interviewed with 2 insurance companies and submitted my resume to several banks in the area... but after each interview I went home with the same feeling of dread... that "I can't believe I am trying to work here" feeling. Nothing felt right and I declined an offer from one of the insurance companies because I couldn't imagine being happy in that job.

My husband is in the military too, so I went to the spousal employment office on post to see if I could find anything else. Aside from some "office job" openings, they knew of an opening for a gymnastics instructor in my town. It was something different... and I have a background in gymnastics... so I called on a Tuesday, interviewed Wednesday, and started on the following Monday. I started in early July...I like my job and I will stay here until my husband finishes flight school (probably early 2007), but when we get stationed somewhere else I would like to move on. I would like to go back to graduate school for a more relevant degree, and I am wrestling with what to do. Working at the gymnastics academy has opened my eyes to the world of teaching. I love working with children... I love designing the lesson plans, setting up my classes, seeing their progress and watching their faces when they finally "get" something they've been working on for a long time. I know it's not nearly the same thing as being in a real classroom, but I am considering doing some observations and perhaps getting a masters in Elementary Ed if I do decide it's for me!

So with all the background info out of the way, you know my story now. Those of you who teach, do you still feel like it was worth it? Have you changed careers and gone back for another degree in order to do it? What about some of the different ways to "break" into teaching? I know you can go back to school for it, but I have heard of people with other-than-education degrees going to teach. How do you do this? By writing to the school board and telling them you want to teach? I have also heard of the "Teach for America" program but I doubt I will be able to take that route. Just interested in hearing some perspective and advice from anyone who knows or has "been there." Thanks!

BobbyTheDon · #2 09-07-2006, 02:40 PM

Hey, I'm not a teacher but one of my good friends is one. Check this out. Her and I were the same major in college (marketing). Then our last year she tells me, " oh my god bobby, i dont want to to this crap" and changes her major to liberal studies. Gee.now I'm a drug dealer. I deal cocain to the likes of Robert Downy Jr., Charlie Sheen, Dave Shula, Barry Bonds and Enrique Iglesias. While she is a pre school teacher and she LOVES it.

I never thought she'd be the kind of chick who would like kids, but apparently she does. She was telling me about their lesson planned as if I cared. I just went, " uh huh, yah. uh huh oh ok cool". But it floats her boat.

Don't worry about changing careers. You're young I assume. You sound like you like kids. So go for it.

Still BLUTANG · #3 09-07-2006, 03:53 PM

i am NOT a teacher so take my advice with a grain of salt.

most states have Alternative Licensure programs to get non-educators into teaching. check with your state department of education to see what you qualify for.

you can also look at your county or city's school district job openings to see if there are any opportunities available for you BEFORE going to school pursuing a masters. if you can get your foot in the door, maybe they'll pay for you to continue education?

you have a college degree and experience with kids, so it sounds like you're on the right track!

Good luck!

KillarneyRose · #4 09-07-2006, 09:59 PM

Hi Orchid,
I'm not a teacher, but I thought I'd chime in with my two cents worth!

I think you should go for it if you really want to go back to grad school for education. You're young, you don't have a family yet- the timing is never going to be better to go back to school. If you don't, five or ten years will go by and you'll regret not going in the direction you really want to.

Good luck!!!

PS What stage is your husband in in flight school? Does he know what aircraft he'll be flying?

DolphinChicaDDD · #5 09-07-2006, 10:08 PM

I am a teacher. My advice is if you are going to get a degree, don't get one in elementary ed. Elementary ed teachers are one of the few areas where most places have a supply rather than a demand. It is difficult in most parts of the country. I would say go with special ed instead of elementary. You can still work with younger children, but you'll be much more in demand.

As far as alternate routes go, they are great programs. BUT if your husband is in the military, then I'm going to assume that you will be moving around alot. I got my license through an alternate route program and now I'm trying to move to Hawai'i, and because I don't have 3 years of experience, Hawai'i won't recognize my license. Other states have the same requirements. It would be much better if you got the masters in education, because then it is much more easy for you to get licenses in other states. Right now, it looks like I'll have to apply to UH for yet another year long program in education, Le Sigh. And if I went with my orginal plan of getting a masters in education instead of envrionmental science, I wouldn't have any of these problems.

I love teaching. I truly do. There are many down sides to it, but at the end of the day I love my job. It doesn't feel like a job. I have fun almost every day. I was out of school a year before I realized it was what I really wanted to do.

Teach for America is a pretty competetive program, and it isn't in every community either.

hannahgirl · #6 09-07-2006, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DolphinChicaDDD

I am a teacher. My advice is if you are going to get a degree, don't get one in elementary ed. Elementary ed teachers are one of the few areas where most places have a supply rather than a demand. It is difficult in most parts of the country. I would say go with special ed instead of elementary. You can still work with younger children, but you'll be much more in demand.

I love teaching. I truly do. There are many down sides to it, but at the end of the day I love my job. It doesn't feel like a job. I have fun almost every day. I was out of school a year before I realized it was what I really wanted to do.

Amen to what she says! I myself am an early childhood teacher and I just started my 3rd year of subbing in Ohio. Let me tell you....Ohio is not the place to be if you are in my shoes. Go to NC, VA, MD, FL, GA, or Las Vegas. They are always in need of teachers. Thankfully I have been kept very busy and had 2 long term positions last year (3rd and Kindergarten) and just started another this year (4th grade), but there is a big difference in having a classroom and having your OWN classroom.

The smartest thing that anyone can do is the following.....if you want to get your degree in Early Childhood, tack on a Special Ed degree also! If I would have known that 5 years ago....I probably would have done it and I would have a job by now!

KSigkid · #7 09-08-2006, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DolphinChicaDDD

I am a teacher. My advice is if you are going to get a degree, don't get one in elementary ed. Elementary ed teachers are one of the few areas where most places have a supply rather than a demand. It is difficult in most parts of the country. I would say go with special ed instead of elementary. You can still work with younger children, but you'll be much more in demand.

But only go into Special Ed if you really want to; those classrooms can be extremely challenging, not only because of the students but because of parents' attitudes and, in some areas, lack of adequate resources. If you go into it without a real interest, you could burn out rather quickly.

(two relatives who work with special ed. students, one an administrator)

kathykd2005 · #8 09-09-2006, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orchid2

This is going to be slightly long-winded with a lot of background info!

I graduated in December and spent the first half of 2006 in training for the Army Reserves. When I got home, I posted my resume on Monster and Careerbuilder.com, looked for local listings, and started interviewing. A huge issue seemed to be my lack of work experience! Most positions that required a college degree also wanted 3+ years of work experience as well. I didn't expect it to be so challenging to find a job out of college... but the only relevant work experience I had prior to this was 4 years as a student worker on campus and a barista at a coffee shop. LOL. I never did an internship (which I regret) and actually explored the possibility of interning down here, but nobody seemed interested in a college graduate. Big surprise!

When I was still in school, I didn't have a solid idea of what I wanted to do, so I got a degree is in Economics. The field fascinated me and I felt like it was a "safe" degree-- part business, part social science. So when I began my job search, I decided to look for "office jobs" first. I interviewed with 2 insurance companies and submitted my resume to several banks in the area... but after each interview I went home with the same feeling of dread... that "I can't believe I am trying to work here" feeling. Nothing felt right and I declined an offer from one of the insurance companies because I couldn't imagine being happy in that job.

My husband is in the military too, so I went to the spousal employment office on post to see if I could find anything else. Aside from some "office job" openings, they knew of an opening for a gymnastics instructor in my town. It was something different... and I have a background in gymnastics... so I called on a Tuesday, interviewed Wednesday, and started on the following Monday. I started in early July...I like my job and I will stay here until my husband finishes flight school (probably early 2007), but when we get stationed somewhere else I would like to move on. I would like to go back to graduate school for a more relevant degree, and I am wrestling with what to do. Working at the gymnastics academy has opened my eyes to the world of teaching. I love working with children... I love designing the lesson plans, setting up my classes, seeing their progress and watching their faces when they finally "get" something they've been working on for a long time. I know it's not nearly the same thing as being in a real classroom, but I am considering doing some observations and perhaps getting a masters in Elementary Ed if I do decide it's for me!

So with all the background info out of the way, you know my story now. Those of you who teach, do you still feel like it was worth it? Have you changed careers and gone back for another degree in order to do it? What about some of the different ways to "break" into teaching? I know you can go back to school for it, but I have heard of people with other-than-education degrees going to teach. How do you do this? By writing to the school board and telling them you want to teach? I have also heard of the "Teach for America" program but I doubt I will be able to take that route. Just interested in hearing some perspective and advice from anyone who knows or has "been there." Thanks!

Hey Orchid!

I am a teacher in NYC and I am always excited to hear about someone else who wants to go into the profession. First of all, there are tons of different ways to get into the teaching profession, depending upon your area, or where you are willing to teach.

Personally, I did a brief stint in a program called the NYC Teaching Fellows (which I hated because of what I viewed as incompetent administration in the schools), a program much like Teach for America, then started working in the private school sector.

Unfortunately, the first school in which I worked closed in June, so now I am in my second Catholic school, and I love it!!! As far as programs to get into, there are programs in various cities (like NYC) that have co-ops where you can get a subsidized master's--I just didn't like the atmosphere in the NYC public school system personally.

In the majority of private schools, you don't need a master's degree in order to teach. I personally do not have one, but do plan on getting one within the next few years (my school encourages its teachers to get one, although it is not required for an initial hire).

Teach for America, which I also have experience with (they offered me a position when I first graduated college) is only for individuals just out of college, and only for those who plan on going into the governmental sector. The program is designed to allow young graduates the ability to see what it's like in the classroom before moving on to another arena. There are some other areas you may want to look into, such as the Knowledge Is Power Program (an offshoot of alums of the Breakthrough Collaborative Program, where high school and college students teach middle schoolers during the summer), before you decide to go back to school and obtain a masters.

Good luck to you!!! Feel free to message me if you would like to ask me anything!

AchtungBaby80 · #9 09-09-2006, 05:27 PM

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention--check with the state you plan to teach in to see what criteria must be met for certification. In some states, you can teach with just a regular Master's degree. There are also states in which you can just take a test, and if you pass it, you can teach. (I think one is called Passport to Teaching, or something similar to that. One of my education professors did it just for the heck of it so she could see how easy/hard it was, and she said it was a breeze.) The state I live in (Kentucky) is stricter than a lot of others concerning certification, but if you happen to live in a state that's more lenient, it'll be easier for you.

AGDee · #10 09-09-2006, 10:45 PM

I'm not a teacher but several of my friends are and they have told me that the best route (here in Michigan) is to get a second bachelor's and not a Masters. The school districts here don't want to have to pay you what the teachers make with a Masters. You have to get 20 credits towards your Masters within 5 years to keep your certification in Michigan. If a district can get away with paying you only $34,000 a year at first instead of $60,000 a year, they will!

AchtungBaby80 · #11 09-12-2006, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGDee

I'm not a teacher but several of my friends are and they have told me that the best route (here in Michigan) is to get a second bachelor's and not a Masters. The school districts here don't want to have to pay you what the teachers make with a Masters. You have to get 20 credits towards your Masters within 5 years to keep your certification in Michigan. If a district can get away with paying you only $34,000 a year at first instead of $60,000 a year, they will!

Yes, that's why it's a good idea to check with the state about exactly what the requirements are. In some states, you don't ever have to get a Master's. Here in Kentucky there's the same problem with schools not wanting to hire teachers with Master's degrees because they have to pay them more, but Kentucky requires that teachers get a Master's if they want to continue to hold their certification. That means that it's easier to get a job when you're fresh out of undergrad, but once you get your Master's, they pink slip you. I can't believe that teachers in Michigan make $60,000 with a Master's! Do you know what it is here? Well, if I started teaching right now, today, I'd be making around $33,000. And that's with a Master's degree and full certification. If you work for 20 years or so, you might make $60,000, but it takes a long time and probably more education.

AGDee · #12 09-12-2006, 11:12 PM

It's all about the unions up here. I have a friend who teaches in Kentucky and she was floored too. But, the average salary of the Detroit Public School District (who have been on strike for two weeks now) is over $70K.

Most do go on to get the Masters because they already have 20 credits toward it and with the Masters they get another raise. I believe the standard is Bachelor's +10 credits= raise, Bachelors + 20= raise, Masters=raise, Specialist = raise, PhD = raise. I know a lot who get the Specialist, but few who go for the PhD.

But yeah, it's all about the unions. (And, I don't think you could pay me enough to work in the Detroit Public Schools as a teacher.. most say they need hazard pay.. Suburban schools, sure, whole different ball game!)

PrettyGirl03 · #13 09-12-2006, 04:54 PM

I majored in business, and went back to schol to get a degree in education. I completed my student teaching, and now I want to work back in business.

For me, teaching is boring. It didn't challenge me much, and I dealt with a bunch of idiots who thought they knew something, but didn't know enough to figure out they actually had to do the work to get a grade for it.

A lot of my time was spent disciplining kids. The "good" kids were left to fight for themselves.

But check out the alternatives to a teaching degree. With a degree in Economics, you can teach business education. There may be a program that allows you to teach with a provisional certificate, while you take the necessary classes to complete education certification.

Your story may be different. Sme people love it, some people like it, some people hate it.

PrettyGirl03 · #14 09-12-2006, 05:06 PM

Also to find out about your alternative routes to teaching, go to your state's department of education site.

Many alternative routes require that you complete some advanced level courses, even if you are teaching. They tend to be classes like instructional strategies, diversity in education, special needs and laws in education...basic courses that every teacher should know about.

However, should you choose to get a Master's, and not just certification, then you can delve into classes that will make you more marketable.

adpiucf · #15 09-12-2006, 05:23 PM

Some pvt. schools have a lot more relaxed standards than the public school systems and don't require all the certifications that public schools will require of teachers, let alone a BA in education-- for some a general BA is sufficient. Check around.

Good luck.

ETA: as far as my opinion on teaching a profession, you couldn't pay me enough...