I'm thinking about becoming a teacher. What should I know before I decide to pursue this?

Question

And if I do decide to become a teacher, what should I prepare for?

Answer 1

you should decide on how old the kids that you want to teach are. and know that all of them, no matter what the age or gender, can be a handful. And that you have to be confident, and know a lot about the subject your teaching. be organized. make a teaching plan so youll always know what your doing. stay on top of things. be patient with questions. give grades back asap. you have to like the subject your talking about and fully understand. make sure your students are learning. don't be too strict. oh! always make quizzes before a test. if your going by a textbook with chapters and sections. quiz on each section before you have the chapter test! it will help your students a lot. also, i would suggest learning the different way kids learn. some people are auditory learners, others visual, and others kinesthetic. become familiar with those so you can help kids individually reach their full potential. oh and make sure you have a degree in teaching. oh and get familiar with ADD and other learning disabilities and be aware of that. NEVER let a kid say "i forgot my homework at home." warn them that that is a day late for homework. believe me. they didnt forget it. also, be aware that some students are quieter than others. some don't always want to participate in class because they get nervous in front of other people. be friendly and make your students feel comfortable. but remember. kids are very judgmental. so dont be weird or anything. dont be too nice. because thats weird. being funny helps! but dont try to be funny. also. keep in mind that there are always goign to be students that hate you. and ones that love you. and its unfair. but its true. dont play too many games and stuff. because kids dont really learn from that. also, STAY AWAY FROM BORING MOVIES. dont even try teaching by movies. kids hate it. and it hardly ever works. also know that students will talk in class, and doodle, and pass ntoes. that has nothing to do with you. they are kids. it happens. dont do any stupid games like basketball games. the games you wanna do is like jeopardy and family feud or something.

also be aware that the pay isnt always good but the job seems to be very rewarding! oh and idk if i said this, but dont worry about decorating your classrooms. i noticed some other people said make it pretty with posters and stuff. but honestly, that just distracts the ADD students. i mean make it a little homy. but dont go all out. some of my past teachers had like cozy corners and stuff. if your teaching like 10 or 11+  forget about it. oh and my advice is if your willing to teach like...not kindergardeners. but like...yeah...okay.

freedom writers is a good movie to watch!

ps. im a very decisive student who pays very close attention to see how well my teacers are doing. and there mistakes and the good things and everything.

hope i helped!! good luckkk

Answer 2

   1. Decorate your classroom. Put up one wall that says something like Kids at Work. Another wall should say, Focus Wall, that shows what the class is learning (a Word Wall of vocabulary is good for any new concepts). The last wall should be about a special topic such as reading, spelling, social studies, or upcoming tests.

   2. Update displays and walls as they need to include current subject matter to be effective and interesting. They are good for review and for reminders.

   3. Arrange your students' desks (depending on how many students you have) by half. Put about four or six rows and have a walkway in between. Your students' desks should allow easy view of the whiteboard.

   4. Get a nerf basketball and a basketball hoop. This is called Learnball. Divide the class by two, and in the front of the class, tape places on the floor or wall where the basketball hoop is about at the end of the classroom, and the 20 pointer by the end of the classroom, 15 pointer goes closer, 10 goes closer, etc.

   5. There should be a Scorekeeper, Assistant Teacher (to help you with certain things) and a President and Vice President for each team.

   6. Teams are good, since you can, when one team is noisy, give another team points, and they'll all learn to be quiet. If your class walks noisily to recess, or anywhere, let them out five minutes later then they're supposed to, or if they're good, let them out a minute early.

   7. Set class rules. Perhaps just five, at the most. An effective way is to let your class decide the rules, and this way your class should follow them.

   8. Be strict, but let a student occasionally have an oops! An oops! is when a student is good, you give them an oops! card which allows them to miss one night's homework.

   9. On the whiteboard list topics of what they need to do, and for the worksheets, give out packets(daily).

  10. Balance your subjects. Every week, have a "Math Day" and "Language Arts Day". Every other week have a "Science Day" and "History Day". This way you'll be sure that your students have tons of things in mind.

  11. Have a class bank. During the beginning of every trimester or semester, have your student's parents each donate five dollars or ten dollars. This way, for parties, or anything, there is no need for parents to donate repeatedly.

  12. Have a room mom or dad. They will volunteer weekly and help students that need help.

Answer 3

I definately think that before one goes to college to pursue a degree they look into all the salary scales within your area.  I feel that teachers in no way, shape or form make the salary that they deserve and are willing to put up with.  Look into area schools at the degree requirements.  Look up each class in the catalog for the school and make sure that they are something you are passionate about.  Meet with area colleges and speak with advisers or career counselors to give you more info on what to expect.  

Or another thought, if possible, why not go back to the school you attended and meet with a teacher.  Ask about pros and cons of the job.

Good luck!!  It truly takes someone kind and patient to be a teacher.

Answer 4

I am currently in college with 2 semesters left. I am an elementary ed major. Really think about the age you want to work with. Many people I know chose early childhood (pre-K - 3) but I feel that age would not work for me. Everyone is different! If you have a choice of colleges, research the curriculum. Some schools may require more or less of classes like Math or English. Be prepared for speaking in front of your peers, lesson plans and teaching. Your very last semester will be student teaching. Think of some schools you would like to do this at. In Louisiana we are required to take Praxis I, and II to be certified to teach. Find out what kind of test you will have to take and get prepared ahead of time! Only pursue this is you feel passionate about it! Many people (even veteran teachers) may try and discourage you! Do not listen! There are still teachers out there who enjoy their jobs despite the constant challenges! It will be a rewarding career!  I hope this helps some!

Answer 5

prepare for hard work outside of the classroom, like planning, shopping, grading, preparing, creating, brainstorming etc.

prepare for not getting paid much

prepare for people thinking your job is easy (she just plays in the sandbox all day)

prepare for getting emotionally attached to the kids you work with.

prepare for enjoying yourself most of the time you're at work

prepare for more of a life commitment than just a job (you'll develop a teacher mentality, how you phrase your sentences, your tone of voice will slip into "teacher mode" outside of the classroom)

prepare for hugs/letters/drawings/"Ms Niomi are you coming to my soccer game!!!" (depending on the age)

it's fun, really.  

Answer 6

To find out what to do as a teacher, "job shadow" some.  With this, you will be able to sit down, watch what you do as a teacher and what the kids are like as students.   Do this with a couple of teachers at a couple of schools.  

Answer 7

well, you will have to deal with all the bad and good kids also you have the responsibility teaching them so they know things!

Answer 8

You should set our your objectives and plan how you will complete the syllabus. Normally you will be back up by a headteacher. Some motivating articles on teaching are listed in the source below  

Answer 9

Depending what you will be teaching and level. Usually, teachers are not paid very well. But if you absolutely love it and do not care much about the salary then you should do it. It's very rewarding!

Answer 10

Prepare for exausting work hours with medoicre pay, for kids that will rarely appreciate you.

On the other hand, a lot of teachers are fun and relate to their students, so it can be a friend-making experience ;)

Answer 11

you must be immume to stress because kids can be really annoying in class

Answer 12

You should have an idea of what level of school you want to teach (but you can always change that, I did) and if you decide on the higher grades, you'll need to pick a subject concentration unless you already have an undergrad degree in something applicable. (Math, English, History, etc.).

To prepare you, the university where you decide to get your teaching certification will make sure you have experience with students before you go out student teaching. Then, the semester of student teaching will definitely give you a taste of what teaching will be like.

Before you are certified you will need to take Praxis I (reading, writing and math basic skills) as well as Praxis II (skills in whatever your concentration for certification is) which are standardized tests. You'll need to be fingerprinted which you register and pay for online then do on campus usually.  These requirements are standard American certification requirements and needed if you get your certification at an American school. I'm Canadian but go to an American school, so I too need to complete these requirements to be certified through the Department of Education.

Good luck!  

Answer 13

You should know that teachers don't make very much money, they have to put a lot of their own money into their classrooms, and kids nowadays don't have any respect for anyone.  I wouldn't be a teacher for anything.  

Answer 14

Teaching is a highly rewarding job, good pay and great holidays. If you love kids then this is the job for you. It is often hard and it is often highly stressful but it is an amazing experience also. You also have to give up loads of your own time to make lesson plans, mark books etc etc but at the end of the day if you're a good teacher and you get on with the kids then I would recommend this job to anyone interested in this genre of work. It is the most amazing feeling to have a kid say to you "Yes, thanks I get it now". Nothing beats the feeling of pride which hits you. So, yeah go for it. Work hard and don't beat the kids up too much haha. If you listen and understand them then they will appreciate you for it. Good luck!

Answer 15

I refer to two controversial dismissal cases at Rathmore Primary School, Rathmore Road, Bangor, Co, Down, Northern Ireland.The single most important feature of teaching today is that the children rule the roost. Look at them in the wrong way, speak to them firmly to maintain or restore order and you are in serious trouble. If you have classroom assistants (the spy within) they will be jealous of your seniority and professional position and will almost certainly be vindictive and report you for any type of conduct which they may consider inappropriate. Make no mistake if that should happen you will be suspended without having the opportunity of stating your case at that time and will go through h**l until the case runs its long and usually predetermined course which will probably result in you being summarily dismissed. I am not,nor never was a teacher but I do know a number of grossly unfair incidents as I have just explained.Think long and hard before you enter this "mine field" profession where the children, the head teacher, the parents, the classroom assistants and the board of governors will all conspire to make your life a misery.Hope I haven't painted too black a picture. For instance,two cases,similar to those quoted occured in Rathmore Primary School, Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland within 2 years of each other. The two teachers were experienced and both were the victims of extremely "rough justice".

Answer 16

Kids that are absolutley rude it's hard to become because all the smart mouth kids but good luck