What is being an elelmentary teacher like? Really?

Question

I am thinking about being a teacher. I would love to hear honest answers and genuine feedback! What has been the most difficult issues for you? What have you enjoyed? In hindsight, would you have picked a different career?

Thanks!

Answer 1

It's like smearing your legs with jelly and putting a colony of ants down your pants, then trying to smack them dead with a baseball bat.

Answer 2

being a teacher is an awesome experience and very rewarding. The pay is not all that but the benifits are great!!! one of the most difficult issues i would have to say is that not every child is the same, they all learn differently and all have special needs that need to be treated in different ways. Some learn slower than others, ohers are more hyper than others, and sometimes that could be a challenge. Also you have parents that could be a pain in the butt, calling you every day to see how their child is doing and then you have the other parents that dont care at all.
While teaching you learn a lot of things that they dont teach you at school. U end up being more than a teacher, your an encourager, a counselor and sometimes even a role model. what you do will stick by them forever (especially at the elementary age) and you have the power for them to make it !
i would of never picked a different career, i love it and im glad i picked it! its something that i do look foward to every morning when i get up.
Some of the sucky parts are that you do have to put in a lot of extra work with parent confrences, grading papers, meetings, organzing your classroom, and inputting grades. but when you love what you do, thats never a problem.
my advice to you is to get a job as a secretary in a school so you could see the enviorment and wheather being in the school system is right for you. you will learn soooooo much by working in the office that you will be surpised! so i recommend it!

Answer 3

Teaching has its highs. It can be extremely rewarding and invigorating to influence kids/young adults. I really enjoyed having autonomy to develop my own lesson plans and teach in a way that I thought would have the greatest impact on the students. And when you know the light bulb has gone off in a student's head, or you know that you've said something or supported them in some way that made them more confident, you treasure those moments.

Teaching can have its lows. Teaching a classful of kids who have different learning styles, different skills, and different emotional needs is a huge challenge. This is especially true in the face of decreasing state and federal educational funding that has caused psychologists, counselors, and programs like arts and sports to be cut. At least at the elementary school level, more and more is falling on the classroom teacher to do it all, and we're not trained (or paid) nearly enough to meet all of these needs!

I found that school leadership (having a smart and supportive principal) and having colleagues with whom to collaborate/commiserate is just as important as enjoying the craft of teaching. I lucked out and had the best colleagues -- collaborative, funny, child-centered (not necessarily by the book), and progressive. But our school leadership was weak and that really affected how conflicts are handled with students and parents and how much I felt valued as a educator.

Teaching is a noble career but it can burn you out. In hindsight, I think I was too idealistic entering the field. I was definitely burned out by the end of my run and happy to take maternity leave. I'm not sure if I will go back --- I love working with students but I felt like I carried the world on my shoulders when I came home every night because there were many kids I felt like I couldn't do enough for. Again, I was too idealistic...but idealism is something that students need to inspire them.

My best advice is that if you are thinking about teaching, do your homework (no pun intended). Intern in classrooms for a while, talk to other teachers, and try to get a feel for what it will be like day in, day out so that you will be aware of the pros and cons yourself.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I am a recent graduate from teacher's college and am currently working as a supply teacher. I am enjoying visiting different schools and experiencing a variety of grade levels. I never know what I am going to see each day I go out.

I won't lie, there are many difficult things about being a teacher but the rewards are worth it. The difficulties that arise vary but for me, especially being a supply teacher I find the most common is classroom management. You need to have your little bag of tricks to entertain the students.

I think I am the career suited for me. I can't wait to have a class of my own but in the mean time I will enjoy going into other teacher's classes and picking up different techniques to deal with behaviours and academic issues.

If you are unsure about becoming a teacher, try to volunteer within a classroom. Try out different grades too since you don't know what grade you will you end up teaching. Every grade is different and the way to deal with the students changes too.

Good luck with your decision.

Answer 5

I would have to agree with laurel847 but instead I would try being a para. I am currently a para in 3-k classes. There is tremendous dedication into being a teacher. I have had teachers who enjoyed teaching and it showed as well as those who didn't and it showed. I have decided to stay a para-educator and help the teachers instead as I know that right know if I did finish and become a teacher I would regret not spending as much time with my family. Here's an idea 2 K teachers got to school at 7:30 AM when I drove by at 6:48 they both were still there.

Answer 6

I love my job! I think of teaching as a "calling." I could tell you what my day is really like....the answers are going to be the same...parents are a pain, not enough pay, JUNE, JULY, and AUGUST! I work 60 hour (or more) weeks during the school year, all while balancing a life outside of the classroom with 2 children and a husband. I'm underpaid and generally underappreciated as a profession (although not by my parents). But I got this email a while back and I think it most accurately expresses my feeling on being a teacher. KIDS are why I do what I do! And here is a copy of the email:

What do you make?
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can do. Those who can't teach."

To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."

"I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments."

"I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your
heart... and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them
no attention."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make a difference."

"What about you?"