Is being a teacher a good career?

Question

im not a guy who needs a lot of money..im fine living off nothing if im happy

i know they get a lot of time of and pensions and it seems like the perfect job for me...id probobly be a gym teacher as well as math or science (my best/favourite subjects)

its a career im seriously considering and it seems right for me in every way but everyone says its very stressfull but what kind of stress do they mean?

i love being a leader to people so would this be right for me?

Answer 1

It is rare that a teacher is a leader to his or her students. How many teachers did you look up to in school?

Teachers make little money and often get little respect. Getting into good schools are hard, and the bad schools that take new teachers are often far worse than you imagined!

Teachers don't get off work at 2 or 3 like the students either. They often work late into the night grading papers or creating the schedule for their classes. They put in weekends and summers into those students who need it as well.

Being a teacher means you have to keep the students interested. You have to earn their respect (so many have already made them believe teachers aren't worth listening too). You have to deal with bully's, they don't just bully other kids but can try to intimidate teachers too. Also, bully kids normally have bully parents, which they can give a teacher a hard time too.

If you look at it as fun, teaching will turn you sour. If you look at it like a job that will be hard, stressful and demanding. Give you little pay and way more hours than you ever dreamed.. and still want to do it... go for it! There are students that make it rewarding at times... but for every one there are hundreds that make it horrible.

There is no job that will make you happy, it's a lie perpetrated by the college industry to continue to get your money. Jobs are work.. period. They are a means to earn enough money to live on. And yes, you may not need much money now.. but what about if you get married or have a family in the future. Earning little money isn't goign to be appealing in that situation. Earning enough to pay the  bills and have money left over for eating is important and cannot be done on too little of pay.

But i make it sound like i am against teaching. I think it's one of the most noble careers out there. I thank God daily that there are those with enough passion to follow the teaching bit. Though, i have found many bitter teachers becasue it wasn't the cake walk they thought it would be.

Make sure you have the temperment to teach.. it's not easy to teach others. Good luck!

Answer 2

Teaching is an extremely stressful profession... but the benefits outweigh the negatives incredibly.  There is a ton of paperwork.  Administration and parents have very little understanding of what actually is going on in the classroom.  You spend half your life planning your lessons... and the other half worrying about some kid in your classroom.  That being said, there are very few things in the world better than seeing a child finally understand a concept... or getting a letter from a former student letting you know how important you were to them.  I love teaching.  I get to be an educator, a surrogate parent, a counselor, and sometimes even a circus performer.  Life is never dull.  I get the summer off and I know that I have a decent retirement.  Teaching is wonderful!

Answer 3

Yes it is a good job however even though they say that there is a teacher shortage it is almost impossible to get a job. One small school I applied to had 500 applicants for one job. Specialize in  math or science. There seems to be a need .

Answer 4

working for the government is the best kind of job to get. You usually don't even have to produce like you would working for private enterprise.

Answer 5

It all depends on how you look at it. I love teaching, but remember the grass is not always greener on the other side for everyone.

It's good that you're not materialistic because you will never become rich as a teacher. Your salary will not rise in comparison to the cost of living and when you do receive an increase, it will be offset by the increases in health care premiums.

We do get more time off than other professions, but remember that you will not spend most of this time lounging around the patio drinking margaritas with your feet dipping into a pool. Instead, you will be inside the house grading papers, adjusting lesson plans, creating diagnostics and other assessments, and pursuing additional professional development (conferences, workshops, college courses).

Many people assume that teachers have their lives set in stone after retirement. The truth is our teacher retirement systems do not provide enough money to live off of during retirement, which is why many teachers continue to teach beyond the retirement age. If they do retire, they often find another part-time job. You must have a 401k and another type of retirement account and you must contribute to all three.

Teaching is a stressful career. It is a thankless career and the only time people will look at you is when things are not going right. In the past, teachers were respected. Today, most parents and students do not give teachers the respect we deserve for dedicating our lives to educating the future generations of society.  Parents will always be a continuous source of stress, no matter what the school environment. If you are in a well-to-do neighborhood, you will complain of parents that think they are more qualified to teach than you and who will come in with notebooks analyzing your every move and making recommendations. If you teach in a not so good school, you will complain of parents who are not involved in the classroom. When you call about misbehavior, parents, often times, will not  back you up. The administration can be a source of stress in suffering schools as well, as the stress of not meeting adequate yearly progress will be passed along to your shoulders. You will feel like you are simply teaching to the test. You will be judged based on the standardized test scores. It doesn't matter that little "Suzy" made two years of growth in reading all in one school year and that now she reads on a second grade reading level instead of a Kindergarten reading level. What matters is that she didn't pass the yearly test. In some cases, your job will hang in the balance if you are not able to provide test scores.

Students will challenge you quite frequently. It does not matter that you are the adult. In certain cases, they will curse at you, make lewd remarks, and sometimes, a few students will hit you or throw your belongings across the classroom.

No one can tell you whether or not to be a teacher. I think it takes a special person to be able to deal with today's children and our changing society. The ultimate question is can you handle all of the above? Will this be true in all cases? No, of course not. As with choosing to buy a house, you want to be particular in where you go. You need to understand the circumstances of each situation.

If you are able to I would recommend "shadowing" a teacher for several days, probably around January or early May. That will give you a better indication of whether this is something you would like to do. :)

Answer 6

well, one thing i know is that you will have a lot of vacation and day-off. LOL!

Answer 7

Yes being a teacher is a rewarding and succesful career.That is one of my main choices in life personally to be a high school Foreign Language:German & Spanish Teacher!

Answer 8

if you have the passion for it than go for it you will never regret it.