Teachers and your job?

Question

If you are a teacher please tell me if you like your job and if it was the right choice for you. Please tell me some of your likes and dislikes about your job, and how much work on average you usually take home at night.

Answer 1

I have taught in public schools for 30 years and it is wonderful! I have always loved children and helping them to learn. Currently I am a middle school counselor. Wouldn't trade any one of those years. Besides the obvious reasons for becoming a teacher, I also like that I am in school and on breaks when my children are. I know who their friends are and usually a little about their friends' families. I am with my children and involved with their lives a lot through working in the schools they attend. You should be knowledgable in the academic area or level you wish to teach and enjoy that subject. Subbing is a good suggestion, but keep in mind that when you have your own classroom full of your own students it is different. You are the one they will have on a day to day basis and you will become close to each of them and learn their individual needs and learning styles. It is exhausting work, but very rewarding! Before you invest your time and money in a masters degree, I would teach full time for a couple of years to be sure of what you are doing. It also takes creativity to stay one step ahead of some of the students. You won't be "poor", but will not be wealthy on a teacher's salary. It is a honorable career to get into if you are patient and loving in nature. I was formerly a music teacher and band director and didn't have a lot of work to take home with me, but had other things like music programs, competitions, private lessons, concerts to work on putting together. there were some weekends I had to be gone with the students and some late nights of being gone with the kids. I loved that part of it, though.

Answer 2

Teaching isn't the same as it was 20 years ago. Students are much more apathetic and it is becoming more and more the responsibility of the teacher to get good grades out of a student. There is so much expected of a teacher now...besides teaching and grading papers, there are meetings, curriculum to write, advising groups, trying to find common time with colleagues to collaborate on things, and being there for kids' emotional issues.
On the plus side, many students just make my day with their humor and good effort. It feels so good to have a student come back a few years after graduating to tell you what a great influence you were in his/her life. I love having the summer off, even though I do curriculum work and get ready for fall at least half of that time.
I usually have 1-2 hours of work each night, but it varies. When I first started teaching, it was much more. I try to give tests towards the end of the week so I have a couple of weekend days to get them graded.
Hope this helps you!!

Answer 3

It really depends on your grade level preference. I have been teaching English to 7 and 8 graders for 10 years in a very mixed district. Kids are mostly poor and on free lunch and parents don't usually speak English. It is the toughest job you'll ever do. You have to deal with a lot of things depending on where you work. If administration is not supportive or helpful, your life could be miserable. I love what I do when given the right circumstances. One of my biggest shocks was when i asked for staples for my stapler and I got a tiny piece and I was told that I could forget about getting chalk until next Friday when school was to start the next day. I spend a lot of my own money on supplies and sometimes depending on the principal, teachers are only allowed to make 500 copies a month (craziness for an English teacher!). Your classes may be overcrowded (over 30 students). You will be observed lots of times if you are nontenured. You may be expected to hand in your lesson plans weekly. But the bright side is that sometimes you actually get a kid who tells you that you were one of the coolest teachers ever and that you made them read things that really opened their eyes to something new. The summer perk is good too, of course but remember that the check is prorated. Good luck to you! Do what you love or don't do it.

Answer 4

I am recently retired and taught middle school for 35 years. Teaching is more difficult now because teachers are held to higher standards, both because of continuing education and the standardized test results of their students.
I usually spent about two hours a night in preparation although it was more in the early years and more also to keep caught up on paperwork (grading, lesson plans).
There is nothing more satisfying than teaching a group of students and having them appreciate it and use the information in their own lives. Many come back and thank you for your efforts.
Of course there are those you will never reach and those who you have particular success with.
Teaching is hard work but I can't think of a thing in life that I would rather do. I made a big mistake when I retired -- my degrees expired and my health went South, but I have 35 years of great memories.
Hope that helps.

Answer 5

I have both teaching and corporate office experience.

Teaching is my calling because I feel like I've accomplished something everyday...whether large or small.

Pros:

1. Teaching my favorite electives class.
2. Good hours with weekends off.
3. Lots of creativity
4. My own room instead of a tiny cubicle.
5. I can move around instead of sitting on my butt for 8 hours.
6. Holidays
7. Summer Vacation
8. Not much work to take home--2-3x a week.

Cons:

1. Disruptive/rebellious students
2. Uncaring or overbearing parents
3. Meetings
4. Our job isn't considered as a professional one.

Answer 6

my wife is a teacher and she loves it i can see some of the good thing are paided summer off holiday's off, she really loves it and has been doing it for over ten years, some of the dislikes that i see is all the papers she has to grade... either you love or you don't