I want to be a teacher.

[Agathon]

Wait until you've been a teacher – then you will long to do something else.

[Spec]

Re: I want to be a teacher.

Liar. You just want the 2 months vacation.

Lazy ass.


*I know there's a bit of truth in here*

[mrmitchell]

Teaching in high school would be rewarding enough. When high school students hate history it's because they have had a bad teacher.

If you get a master's you can teach at a community college although you don't have to right off the bat if you don't want to. After you hit retirement age for schoolteaching and you're an old man, community college teaching would be a logical continuation if you're up to it.

At high school, you can do a lot such as sponsor clubs, meet with parents, attend sports events and other extra-curricular stuff.

You're right on the money there.

Nonetheless, despite all the positives, teaching will NOT be your BESTEST JOB EVAR. No matter where you teach, no matter how careful you are, no matter how good a teacher you will be, you will face the same problems every teacher faces sooner or later: students that will personally hate you, bad pay, enough paperwork to make you feel like you have an elephant strapped to your back, and possibly even legal troubles. (Don't bond TOO much with the students.) A lot of times a light joke, a mere comment, or a simple self esteem builder for a student can come back to bite your ass if you're not super careful.

And I hate to have to say it, but Boris, you are gay. In certain communities you will have an uphill battle to start with. I'm not trying to discourage you. All in all it seems a wonderful profession and you should go for it. But you just have to consider everything.

EDIT:

Liar. You just want the 2 months vacation.

IIRC teachers don't get paid for summer vacations unless they do work during the summer (basically, teach summer school).

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Usually because they have a bad teacher who doesn't make the subject material interesting. My ideal is to be a lot better than that. I've given lectures before, and have always been praised for keeping things interesting.

No they hate it. They don't care what happened a long time ago in a far away place. They like science, and even home economics - something that they can do. Trust me. You're setting yourself up for a let down. Anyway, it would be way too much work for you to become a history teacher. We're talking 3 - 4 years.

[Dinner]

So first and foremost, how do I start? Should I go back to school and get a masters in history? Or is it better to pursue a degree in education? Any other suggestions/hints?

The first thing you will need is a creditial so go down to the nearest college which offers courses for teaching creditals and look at their catalog.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Nonetheless, despite all the positives, teaching will NOT be your BESTEST JOB EVAR. No matter where you teach, no matter how careful you are, no matter how good a teacher you will be, you will face the same problems every teacher faces sooner or later:

Every job has its problems, and my current one certainly isn't problem-free.

students that will personally hate you,

Better than employees who personally hate me.

bad pay

Not to sound quaint, but I really do mean that money is not an issue for me.

enough paperwork to make you feel like you have an elephant strapped to your back,

Oh, shall I tell thee of the paperwork in an HR department?

and possibly even legal troubles. (Don't bond TOO much with the students.)

Ewwww! No worries there. And I deal with legal issues all the time now. Lawsuit threats abound in HR.

A lot of times a light joke, a mere comment, or a simple self esteem builder for a student can come back to bite your ass if you're not super careful.

Again, not something with which I'm unfamiliar. Despite appearances here, I'm an extremely tactful person professionally.

And I hate to have to say it, but Boris, you are gay. In certain communities you will have an uphill battle to start with.

I've thought about that a lot. I've had no trouble in the past keeping my personal and professional lives very separate on this issue. But wouldn't wat to work in a school where it would be a problem, anyway. I've known plenty of gay teachers who haven't had an issue with it, so I know that's possible.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
you will face the same problems every teacher faces sooner or later: students that will personally hate you, bad pay, enough paperwork to make you feel like you have an elephant strapped to your back, and possibly even legal troubles. (Don't bond TOO much with the students.) A lot of times a light joke, a mere comment, or a simple self esteem builder for a student can come back to bite your ass if you're not super careful.

Don't forget about the parents. Parents are worse than the students. 90% of them don't give a **** if their kid learns anything. All they care about is the grades.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by DerSchwarzfalke
If you get a BA in History, you can generally go right into teaching at a private school somewhere for a salary that is competitive with public schools -- though maybe without the benefits of unions, I am not sure how teachers unions in the parochial sector work. Do you know any languages other than English? Double majoring in one like French or German could also increase your credibility.

The pay is actually lower in my experience. That's why they don't get the credentialed teachers. But that an option if he want's to teach at Catholic school.

[Kidlicious]

Boris,

What kind of personality do you have? Can you be an *******? You are going to have to be one, especially during the first part of the school year or they are going to chew you up and spit you out.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Kidicious
No they hate it. They don't care what happened a long time ago in a far away place. They like science, and even home economics - something that they can do. Trust me.

Are you a history teacher?

My mom is a history teacher, and she would have to disagree with you. She found it very rewarding (she also taught English, but found history much better), and she got her kids into it. You can do that, if you present it well. Of course, some in every class will always dislike it, but that's true of any subject.

I've given history-related lectures to otherwise indifferent students and have gotten great responses, because I have a dynamic style and I do a lot of participation stuff.

You're setting yourself up for a let down. Anyway, it would be way too much work for you to become a history teacher. We're talking 3 - 4 years.

Please don't speak as to what would be "way too much work" for me. As I said, I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not looking to teach tomorrow, it's something I would like to start working towards doing. 3-4 years seems pretty reasonable to me.

[Starchild]

to Boris. Change just a handful of kids lives and they'll remember you forever. I still keep in contact with a few of my old highschool teachers.

And in highschool, there being a successful gay rolemodel for some of the kids will be worth more than they can say. Wish I had one.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Kidicious
What kind of personality do you have? Can you be an *******?

Many on this forum can answer that.

Dude, I'm in HR. Evil is our modus operandi.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Are you a history teacher?

I was. I have a credential in social science. I know what I'm talking about here. History is the most hated subject. It is the least hands on, and it has the least to do with their actual current lives, which is all they care about.

My mom is a history teacher, and she would have to disagree with you. She found it very rewarding (she also taught English, but found history much better), and she got her kids into it. You can do that, if you present it well. Of course, some in every class will always dislike it, but that's true of any subject.

She sounds like a great teacher. Just because you are the son of a great teacher doesn't mean you are going to be one. Do you have a personality like your mom? It takes a certain type of person to do that.

I've given history-related lectures to otherwise indifferent students and have gotten great responses, because I have a dynamic style and I do a lot of participation stuff.

You can't do fun stuff everyday, but that's a good idea if you do go into it. I did a lot of that stuff, and it's fun, but it's not everyday.

Please don't speak as to what would be "way too much work" for me. As I said, I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not looking to teach tomorrow, it's something I would like to start working towards doing. 3-4 years seems pretty reasonable to me.

It sucks pretty bad when you invest so much into it and either hate it or quit like most people do.

[mrmitchell]

Don't forget about the parents. Parents are worse than the students. 90% of them don't give a **** if their kid learns anything. All they care about is the grades.

I don't call it that bad.

5% of the parents are *******s. 5% of them will be your best friend and help out. Another 67% will just come to parent teacher conferences and be nice but won't get in your way. Although honestly you'll probably never see the rest of them.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov




Many on this forum can answer that.

Dude, I'm in HR. Evil is our modus operandi.

Well good then. We need good teachers. Just substitute for awhile first. If you don't like that don't teach. It doesn't get better.