To All Teachers: I am going to university to become a teacher: What are the top 3 pros & cons?

Question

Lets say you were trying to sell a teaching career to someone. What would you tell them?

I want to know what drives you nuts, AND what makes you proud to have the career you do.

Thank you for your time!

Answer 1

I am getting ready to start my internship at a university. I have heard tons of times that universities do not teach you anything and that everything that you need to know you will learn from experience. I feel that my classes have prepared me because I have mainly gathered a TON of lesson plans on a variety of topics for children of a variety of ages and know how to make accommodations for the different ages and ability levels. I have also had many opportunities to be in the classroom which has helped a lot. I have taught lessons and observed.
PROS:
1. extremely rewarding!
2. have fun at work!
3. summers off!

CONS:
1. very low pay
2. you will have the children that are behavior problems.
3. lots of paperwork and planning

Answer 2

Pros-
1. All the wonderful things you have ever heard said about "helping shape young lives" and "touching the future" are true, at least now and then.

2. Summers.

3. If you stay at it long enough, you can actually make a nice living, despite the lousy starting pay.

Cons-
1. On some days, the "young lives" will resist your efforts and "the future" doesn't look too bright.

2. All your vacations come at peak season because the kids are out of school.

3. Teachers are a great political punching bag, so you never know what bureaucratic change is coming next to "fix" education.

I'm in my 19th year and still love it. Good luck!

Answer 3

I don't know about John Hopkins, but it looks like you have great chance in any school with all that data - including Harvard. Good luck! It's impossible to predict because applying for colleges is never a surefire thing anymore! Just try! But it would be silly to not apply for early decision if you are sure this is the school you want to go to because your grades and scores are looking beautiful!

Answer 4

University will basically teach you NOTHING. Your knowledge will exponentially increase when you actually start teaching real kids. That's one downside beacuse uni costs so much. But ... teachers have the power to change lives, and those lives can change the world.

To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world!