what is it really like to be a teacher?

Question

i'm still in the beginning phases of college to become a teacher. i am aiming more towards 4-8 grade. do you feel like your job is rewarding? how hard is this line of work (the work, the students, etc)? is this a good career for me to spend more time with my family (same hours as my son once hes in school, summer times off). how does your pay work? gimme everything you can. it'll be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

To really be a teacher? It is rewarding, annoying, fulfilliing, frustrating, and pure enjoyment.
I am an 18 year veteran in education, teaching music, technology and reading. I still love to see students learn and master new skills.
The work is not easy. It requires long hours, much more than 8-3. I usually need to put in at least 2 extra hours a day. Most of whom I would consider excellent teachers do the same thing, one hour before and after school. Students are usually kids who only know what they have been taught at home. I usually don't get very frustrated with the students because it's not their fault they don't knoe specific things like manners or good behavior, because they have never been taught.Parents are harder to deal with because they ALWAYS know better (or at least think thhey do)
Spending more time with family...
well I usually work during the summer, teaching on the side to make extra money but it's a little easier schedule. As far as same schedule as my children, I teach in a different county than them and my district has different hours than they do. I leave before they do and get home after them. My evenings are busy as I usually need extra time for planning or grading papers, done after my kids go to bed.
Pay..... I get paid every 2 weeks with an option for 21 or 25 checks. 25 checks will give me the option of getting 5 checks at the end of June. Sounds like a lot but it never seems to last through the whole summer.
Not all rosy but....I still love it.

PLease note*** Please be dedicated to teaching beofre you finish your degree. I have seen way too many student teachers who are entering teaching because they think it is easy , the money s good and they want summers off. Thoes are not good reasons to become a teacher!!!! Enter the profession with these skills and abilities in place:
* you love children and you enjoy spending time with them
* you are able to explain things in many different ways without getting frustrated
* you are organized
* you are commited to doing a good job
* hard work doesn't bother you

Answer 2

Some days are absolutely wonderful! You have a wonderful class discussion, the kids ask fabulous questions and do terrific work, and things seem to go well.

Other days you'll think, "Why did I go to college for this?" And you'll be ready to go work at Burger King or start drinking heavily.

Sometimes you won't know you made a difference until much later when you meet a student or their parents later on and they tell you about something you've forgotten about.

The hours are great, but many times there will be work to take home, and your first year chances are good that you'll be spending much of your weekends and after school at the school, preparing for the kids. After a while, though, especially if you stay in the same grade level/subject, you'll get to the point where you know what you're doing and you don't have to stay after/bring as much work home.

Everyday is different, and everyday is a challenge. The good things about teaching are the kids, the parents, the paperwork that can actually help a child, the moment a kid "gets it." The hours and vacations are also a plus.

The bad things are the kids, the parents, the paperwork that seems needless and all the different things that you're required to do with not enough time in the day. Taking time off is often a hassle, since it can be harder to make sub plans than it is to just be in school, and you can't call in sick like you can if you work retail.

Some days you're going to wish that your son still had to go to school while you had the day off!

Even though there's extra paperwork, and some would say it's not worth the trouble, consider special ed. It can be very rewarding, and you'll always be guarranteed a job.

It's not easy, especially at first, but it can be a lot of fun and one of the most rewarding careers in the world.

Answer 3

Good questions!
1. Yes, it is very rewarding. I teach "in the ghetto". I know that when I leave everyday that I have made a difference in those kiddos lives because they came here to me for 8 hours, they were warm, the had food to eat, they were safe, they didn't have to worry about things, I listened to them, they got to learn and explore new things, and they knew someone cared about them. What other job can you say you do that?

2. It is not an easy job. For those of you who think it is, I'd like you to spend a day with my first graders, or any grade for that matter. There is a TON of planning, paperwork, meetings, staff development, rules, tests.... There is never one moment where I don't have something to do. However, I see that as a bonus because the time flies by so quickly.

3. If you think you will get to spend more time with your family, I hate to tell you that's not necessarily true. Your kids will have to spend a LOT of time at school before and after, or go to a daycare. I have never heard of a single teacher that does not spend at least an hour and half EXTRA at school to get things finished. And those that only spend an hour and a half spend most of their weekends, and hours upon hours at home grading papers, planning, etc. That hour and a half, does not take into consideration meetings (staff and other), professional development, conferences, tutoring, duty, etc. Summers are the same way, there is planning for the next year, meetings, conferences, staff development, etc.

4. Pay. In my district, we get paid once a month, it must be direct deposited, for 12 months, so we don't have to worry about money in the summer. If you wanted more than that sorry.

I hope this helps. If there is anything else let me know. I just want to say that I think teaching is the BEST, MOST REWARDING, yet UNDER APPRECIATED job there is. You have to love what you do, and love your students like they were your own. The minute that you stop doing either one, it is time to find a new job. Good luck!

Answer 4

I agree with everything that TeacherLady said, so I won't repeat any of her remarks.
The worst part of being a teacher is the beginning with so much preparation. After a few years, you will know what works and what doesn't, in your classroom. It is mentally exhausting!
As a high school teacher, I have had things thrown at my car, a scratch put along the side of it, water balloons thrown at my class door....kids can be vengeful and mean because they were not 'given' a good grade.
On the other side, I have students come back and thank me for all I did for them. When a former student tells you that they think you were the most influential teacher from their high school years, then yes, it is all worth it. It's a great feeling!
Just one more thing, it is a great job for keeping the same schedule as your son, but keep in mind that when you go on vacation, you go when everyone else does.
Pay starts out low (although it has gotten better), and you gradually increase over the years through a step system. You can try to get extra pay by chaperoning or advising activities.

Answer 5

I am a teacher from the Philippines and being a teacher here is very time-demanding and consuming. Some of us would bring home papers to check, lessons plans to make and visual aids to do. Others would have to stay longer in school to finish a few requirements and other things for some school activities. There will be a few parents who could be so demanding of their teachers. And there will be students who totally get into your nerves.

Everyday will be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining but when you have students who totally respect, admire and adore you, this is where the feeling of fulfillment comes in. When parents are grateful when you've helped their children improve in certain subjects or just even make them like school.

Try asking this question to yourself: Why would I want to become a teacher?

From your questions if it is rewarding, it so is. But if you're asking how hard the work is, the pay, the extra time you can spend with your loved ones... you might have a hard time being a teacher. It should be in your heart to be a teacher. If it is, then the work, time and pay wouldn't matter.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your career.

Answer 6

The job is very rewarding. You are not only their teacher you are like a part-time parent. It is amazing the respect and affection you get from students. ( I teach primary children) With the older children I have noticed that girls look at me and realize that they too can get a job that pays for their basic needs.

It is not an easy job. No Child Left Behind has added a lot of testing and paperwork to the job. In addition to teaching you also have to test your students. While testing you can't teach and you end up reducing your teaching time and students miss out on learning new skills or retaining the skills learned. Students vary at every school and every year. Families tend to be nice and supportive but you may get angry and even violent parents. Administrators range form evil to the best people in the world.
Don't count on going home as soon as the school day is over. There is always copying to get done, grading, bulletin boards, calls to return, etc. You may end up taking a lot work home. The pay is not that great. You can choose to get your pay spread evenly throughout the year by getting the needed forms from your human resource department. A lot or districts are having teachers pay more towards their health insurance. One district has teaches paying $300 a month for themselves and a dependent. Some districts have year round schools so you wouldn't get summers off. In order to move up the payscale you would have to continue your education and get a masters degree. In order to keep your teaching certificate you would have to continue your education.

Answer 7

Hopefully, you don't live in southern CA. It sucks here. I've been doing it for 13 years at a middle school and it just keeps getting worse; largely because of the illegal aliens. They refuse to learn English, so of course the state is making teachers take classes, which they pay for out of their own pocket, to "better teach" our "language learners." Between that and the endless mandated state and district tests, it has become quite maddening. Too much red tape, too much politics, too much b.s. I still enjoy working with most of the kids, it's the idiot parents I can't stand. Basically, they don't let us teach anymore. We just get ready for tests. If you do happen to live in southern CA, start thinking about moving to another state. Seriously. The state of education is going to be in serious trouble in about eight or ten years. If you want to stay in CA, then be a kindergarden or first grade teacher; they don't have testing. Good luck.

If any of you can offer me a better job, I'd appreciate it. I have a BS, a master's in counseling, and have held many different positions in my current district.

Answer 8

Its just a disturbing job cos if a teacher has 8-15 or more students in the class how the hell is he going to look after each one of them and he will always be busy and so on..u'll have a big book and topic that you have to finish by any means and being a teacher is really tiring and ull not take more than 700$ a month/ ( I assum )

Answer 9

Well, I'm a student so I wouldn't know but if you're going to teach in a boys school, and you're...well...unattractive, then you're going to get harassed a lot. The boys will insult you behind your back, and imitate you (from people I know).

Then again, if you're 'attractive', then the boys..well, some of the ADD boys are gonna try and take photos of you with their cameras.

If you're tough, give a lot of work, then expect to be hated.

Answer 10

well it is demanding
not that great about pay
but its for people who would like to have this kind of work preoccupying their daily lives, not sitting in a cubicle and stuff
if u like kids , go for it