Teacher's Please Answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Question

I am a 14 year old student and I have been wanting to be a teacher ever since I was like 8 or 9. I still have not changed what I want to do. So I was wondering if any of you teacher's out there could tell me some behind the scenes stuff that teacher's have to deal with that students do not know about.

I would kind of like to know how many emails you get a day that is work related, what kind of things need to be turned in to your boss that is on a deadline, how many hours a day you grade papers...etc. Please try not to tell me how stressful your job is because that is what I KNOW already. Thank You!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Being a teacher is a great thing. This is my fourth year teaching and each year I love it more!

As for paperwork, each school system differs. In my school, I have to fill out papers depending on absences (excessive), sometimes I have to fill out weekly progress reports, I have to fill out reports for guidance when they request a student's grades or progress, I have to fill out report cards 4 times a year and progress reports 4 times a year (for every student whether they're passing or failing), I have to hand in my lesson plans every week, give my supervisor copies of my progress reports and my grades at the end of each marking period.

I also have to attend professional development--in NJ I have to complete 100 hours every five years. In addition, I have to fill out and follow a "Personal Improvement Plan" each year.

Grading and creating interesting and educationally sound lessons are what take the most time--grading can take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours a night, depending on what kind of assignments you give, what grade you teach, and how thorough you are when you grade.

I get probably about 10-15 work emails a day, but in my school system, we cannot receive emails from parents or email parents, so the emails are only intra-school.

I have to make an average of 5 parent phone calls a week. I also have to deal with students who aren't happy about their grades or parents who aren't happy with how their kids are performing. You get a lot of angry parents and handful of kids with attitude problems.

It is also a good idea to show you are loyal and dedicated to your school, so you should advise clubs and work on committees. I advise two clubs, volunteer for every extracurricular activity that teachers are asked to help out with and am a member of two committees. I also work with students who need extra help whenever I am available. I put in well over 5 hours a week above and beyond my contract simply for extracurricular activities.

But, there is nothing more rewarding than helping a student to succeed or reach his or her potential. There is nothing better than raising the bar and seeing kids meet it!

Teaching is stressful and teachers are underpaid, but it is the best job you will find!

Answer 2

Hey kid I used to be a teacher and I'll tell you what, it's a mixed bag. I was 21 years old when I did it, and although it was fun, there is plenty of stuff you have to deal with that is just unnecessary. I got treated the best by the students believe it or not. You have to deal with parents, administration(principals), and all sorts of junk that just ends up holding you back from really enjoying or being the best at your job. I set up a system for grading papers and turning in my paperwork, so I usually only ended up spending maybe a couple of hours per week working on that. I hope this helps. I'm glad I have myself a new job now.

Answer 3

I am not a teacher, but I play one when my child comes home from school...haha...I think it is wonderful of you to have this desire to teach....with this desire, then you will more than likely be able to make the most out of any situation, and will probably be an excellent teacher. If you are wanting behind the scenes info. I may be able to help a little, because both of my sister-in-laws are teachers. They both teach at county public schools, they both enjoy and love their job even though they have those days that they are ready to just drop everything. This is typically what I see....they bring home work to grade, and enter grades into grade books...unless you use something like edline. If you get sick you still have to get up early and call in so that they will have time to find you a substitute....you have to deal with parents who are sometimes irate....and parents who do not support you as a teacher. You will see things and know things that will break you heart......The pros are....you get to watch these kids as they grow and learn, you are there when the learn many of their first things...even in HS they to have their firsts. If you teach K or 1st, you get the opportinuity to teacher the children how to learn and be organized, you get to inspire them to be the best that they can be....you are there many times when they loose their tooth and have to put it in a bag to take home to the tooth fairy. I am sure that there are many more....but the pros no matter how many out weigh the cons. Stick with it....You may even want to think about tutoring on the side, this may give a little taste of what it would be like.

Answer 4

I'm not a teacher and just wanted to say that these people are giving great advice. Just make sure you know the difference between the advice for elementary teachers and middle school/high school teachers, seeing as some of the work involved is different. I know that because since I was about 5, I've wanted to be a teacher and in English this year, I job shadowed my 5th grade teacher(my alltime favorite teacher) and found out(more like remembered) how different the classes are scheduled and how the teachers prepare.

Answer 5

Teachers have to prepare each 45 minute or 90 minute class the night before - or earlier, if they can. But a good teacher will consider what was successfully completed on Monday, before finalizing the lesson plan for Tuesday. It is ongoing.

You can see that it is a LOT of prep work. Sometimes you have a week of lessons planned with some pencilled in stuff and then you find that a majority of the class had that stuff last year - let's say the study of the agriculture of Mexico - so then you have to revise all that week's plans, and that means a creative teacher who can jump up with a new plan at the last minute.

Just one bit of the teacher's job. LOTS more is involved.

Answer 6

Some of your answers would depend on what grade level you are interested in. There is a difference between a kindergarten teacher and a high school science teacher.

I have been a teacher for 32 years - the last 26 in kindergarten so I will speak from that point.

In kindergarten you have to be on your toes every minutes of the day - ready for the unexpected (child throwing up on your math manipulatives, child not making it to the bathroom, parents stopping by to chat during school hours, children who come to school on winter days with no coat etcetc). While you may not have papers to actually grade after school, you are constantly looking for new ideas to approach a subject area. Even after 32 years, I am still searching for new ideas because what worked for last year's wonderful class may not work for this year's "opposite" class. There isn't a night or weekend or summer that I am not searching for that new idea I have never used.

Our principal uses emails to communicate with us daily. We probably get on the average 5-10 from him. However our previous principal NEVER used email. I do check my email at least 5 times a day.

There are committee meetings you will belong to that meet at least once a month. There will be IAT meetings (which mean Intervention Assistance Team) for children who have academic or behavior problems. There are board meetings which you should try to attend. You should also make appearances at sporting events. There are special "night" activities during the year such as PTO meetings, yearly art show (ours falls on a Sunday), Christmas/Spring programs, etc.

We have to turn in our lessons plans first thing every Monday with the academic standard noted for each lesson. I am at school one hour before the buses come and usually stay over an hour after the children leave. I also go out to school on weekends just to have the quiet time to do things in the room.

The stressful time comes when you have parents who don't agree with your procedures and/or will not help their children at home. It is frustrating when you see a kindergartener bring in his bookbag with a full weeks work inside that has never been looked at. I am sorry to say that parental help as taken a downslide over the years.

This is just some of the "extras" you will have to deal with. But all in all, if you love kids and you love to watch them grow, go for it! We need all the good, dedicated teachers we can find.

Answer 7

I just retired after 36 years of teaching. The meetings ... arrggh !
The paperwork.... arrrggh! Parents who do not want to hear the truth.... arrggh! Poor pay..... arrggh! BUT.... I met and worked with students I will remember all the days of my life. They were a joy to see each day and a joy to teach. That's why I truly loved it. Oh, and on many days, how they made me laugh !! What other job has that kind of benefit!! I still hear from students I taught 10- 15 years ago. How special is that!! And I taught 14 and 15 year olds !! Hold fast to your dream. It was a career choice I never regretted a day in my life.