Teaching or child care?

Question

I love working with small children. I do better with little babies and kids say in 3rd grade on up. I know for a fact that I cannot be a kindergarten or preschool teacher as I have seen the amount of work they must do, and they are like gods...lol. I am currently working on a Bachelor's degree in Education w/ a major in English. My question is, should I go ahead and finish up my ed. degree and then pursue a child care certificate just in case I decide to take that path? (as some have suggested since I am so far into my degree) Maybe someone who works in this field could clue me in to some of what it entails as far as the responsibilities required. Either way, I want to work with kids. =)

Answer 1

I teach 3rd grade and absolutely love it. Sometimes I wonder if teaching 6th grade would be even more fun, especially when I see them all working on different projects outside and in reading groups discussing themes rather than plot. I'm with you as far as kindergarten goes. I substituted one day for K and knew I would never be cut out for it. Third and up are great ages to work with. In 3rd they come to you as babies and emerge as these amazing kids by the end of the year (I really start to see them change after Christmas break). They're still young enough to be sweet and need to hug you at random times throughout the day, but they're old enough to start reading chapter books and discuss heavy stuff like slavery and equality. Plus they get sarcasm. I tie shoes only once and refuse to open milk cartons unless no one at their lunch table could do it either. They learn quick. :)

I definitely think you should finish your degree and get into teaching. If you end up not digging it, you can always go back for child care later. You could also get a summer job working in a daycare.

The major problems in education today stem from our societal trend of passing the buck and playing the victim. Being lazy is sometimes the norm, and contrary to my own self-serving dreams, kids don't give you standing ovations for really killer lessons. The teacher's word isn't always taken above the child's, and there's a good chance that you'll learn about just how awful the living conditions of your students can sometimes be.

It's all worth it though if you love kids and are dedicated to helping them grow. They're the sweetest most precious people on the planet, even when they're complete jerks.

Answer 2

Definitely finish up the Bachelor's degree. You won't regret it. Get the hard part of your educational career over now, because it's really hard to motivate yourself to get back into it if you drop out now.
I have a Multiple Subject credential and a Specialist credential in California. Multiple Subject means I can teach in a "self-contained classroom" including preschool. Most Multiple Subject credential holders teach in elementary, but there are also provisions for teaching older students in certain circumstances, as well as adults. I don't know what state you are in and each state has different requirements. (I've also been credentialed in 2 other states in past lives...)
Anyway, child care is great, satisfying, fun, and a greatly needed program. But you'll never be able to make a decent living. If your life circumstances make it possible to survive while doing it (say, a husband with a good-paying job, winning the lottery, or an inheritance), then you could make a career out of child care. It can work especially well if you have small kids of your own, so you can be with your kids while earning an income. But get that credential first! The child care certificate will be a piece of cake in comparison.
Although I have the Multiple Subject credential, and another credential authorizing me to teach children from other cultures with other home languages, I teach special education and I love it! My grade levels are K-2, and it's true that there is a lot of work involved. But like anything, after you've done it for awhile, it gets easier and you aren't spending time reinventing the wheel. I always feel like high school teachers have a huge burden with the number of students and the hours spent evaluating papers and projects. But then high school teachers tell me that they could never do my job. So, a lot of it is a matter of finding the grade level that you are most effective with. But be aware that that can change over time, too....
But in any case, by all means finish your ed degree before you do anything else!

Answer 3

Finish your degree and maybe substitute teach while you are finishing up. It will allow you to decide where you want to go and which grades if any you would be interested in.

On a side note, I guess it depends what state you are from as to how high the standards and testing are for kindergarteners. I have been teaching kindergarten in Texas for 5 years and it is very demanding. I love what I do , or I would not still be in the profession. Many times, our children are not allowed to attend Pre-K because there is no funding for non-Spanish speakers and even though I am in a low-income (90% free lunch) area, their parents make just barely too much income to qualify for Pre-K.
Back to my point, many of our parents do not know that they are supposed to be reading to their children from birth and working with them. In my district we test every 9 weeks and that is individual tests for each child (can take 1 hr per kid). Those nine week tests are in addition to the state TPRI tests.
All I am trying to say is that teaching kindergarten isn't easy, but it is very rewarding. In my district we usually have the majority of them reading by the end of the year, and some in January. That is always amazing to me when some come not being able to recognize their name.

Children truly learn more in kindergarten than they will in any other grade.

Good luck with your search!

Answer 4

I love kids too, but I shied away from a degree in education because of the horrible things I had to do. I hated lesson plans, I hated textbooks, I hated grading papers, but I adored teaching kids. I fortunately got the chance to teach for a year early in my college education and quickly determined that it was not the route for me.

Check around. Is there some sort of program you can go somewhere to teach for a year? (my college has a program called Student Missionaries, most of the positions are for teachers in elementary/high schools around the world, and you can see if you like the classroom setup. You don't get paid much, but usually your room is provided and sometimes they pay for food and transportation too.) If you have the chance to teach before you are practically finished with your degree, you'll know for sure if that's what you want.

For me, I know I'll never be a traditional teacher, but I still love teaching kids. Why not look for an assistant Preschool position? They make the plans and you just do them. There is so much freedom in a Preschool/Kindergarten position. No grading or textbooks. It's lovely. Or, continue with your education and look at a position in tutoring. You get one on one interaction with the kid and that's the way they learn best.

If you get your Education degree and find that it just isn't cutting it, go for a masters in some other field. Education is a great background for it.

Answer 5

I think you shouldn't be afraid of any responsibilities involved with teaching K or Pre-K. I am a 1st grade teacher and let me tell you I have many responsibilities that Kinder and Pre-k teachers don't have. In a sense, they even have some freedom regarding play time, less state testing, curriculum, nap time... among others. Teaching is wonderful and if you enjoy being with children the classroom will give you so many tools to form their lives and help them become productive citizens. Many times you become their only source of love, attention, and knowledge. In my experience as higher the grade the higher are the standards of achievement, which if they don't meet it will be credited to you (even when it depends a lot from previous teachers, not only the actual one). In other words: higher grade = more responsibilities you take on. But, in the other hand I know that Early Childhood may be challenging since you have to get it all started regarding Education. That is why I prefer 1st and 2nd grade. They are not too babies and they still look up to you, something that they miss as they get older. But if you like Child Care you might want to go ahead and get the certification just in case you want to go that way at any point of your life. But please, do not give up on teaching, there are many children in this country that need a teacher who enjoys their company, who cares, and who illuminates their lives with just a smile.

Answer 6

I was in your situation 2 years ago. I had already worked in child care, and loved it, but knew the pay wasn't as good as teaching in the school system. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and was also doing my BA in Child Studies (route to teaching)... I was confused on which one I wanted to do. I ended up finishing both and going on to teacher's college. I've worked in both fields, and I see positives in both, as well as negatives. Currently, I've found an amazing high paying job in child care, that happens to be school board run. I am involved in school activities and child care. It's great, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, if I feel like I want to get back into soley teaching in the school system, I can do that because I have the education to back me up. It's great to have the choice! I don't know how long the child care certificate would take you there. I am in Canada, and I guess it's all different here compared to there. I've worked with infants, toddlers, pre-school, kindergarten and school age children in child care, as well as K to gr8. I love it all, and like I said, it's all about having the choice. :)

Good luck, make the right choice for YOU! :)

Answer 7

Yes, you should go ahead and finish your degree and if you wish to go for a child care certificate, that's good too. maybe by the time you finish your degree you will have decided what grade you want to teach. Your teaching degree will involve some study areas for all child work and child psychology and development. Child care will probably focus on a child's needs in a child care center, and include various activities, planning, and organization etc. and so forth. I would suggest you teach grade three as it is a nice grade to teach.

Answer 8

Teaching and child-care are two different subjects.
Teaching is giving knowledge to the little ones.
Child-care is just a nanny while parents were at work chasing the great American dreams of puff the magic dragon turning into smokes and ashes on planet earth.

Answer 9

Only you can decide that. Follow your heart.

Answer 10

do what you think is best