Is teaching high school students really that bad?

Question

I am in the process of becoming a teacher, and I've decided that I want to teach secondary school students. That's ages 12-16.

I told my friend this and he said "Good luck, I'll be at your funeral"...

Is it really that bad? I know what people are like at that age, but do I really have to worry that much?

Also, how would you get the attention of your class if they were noisy and disruptive?

Answer 1

It depends on the school system. In Detroit the school system the classes are not run by the teachers but the students. Find out what type of area that you plan to teach. If you are a good teacher you do not have to be afraid to teach. Best of luck.

Answer 2

It depends on the teacher

im a student between those ages and i hate when kids make a lot of noise or whatever when the teacher is trying to do something

but it depends on two things

if the students get a vibe from the teacher that makes them afraid of them then they act good

if the teacher does not do good in taking control then the students will try and get away with things

also stay away from History classes those seem to be the worst

maybe try teaching higher lvl classes, i mean like 7th grader is algrbra of freshmen in geomety or honors english those are ususally good classes to teach, cus the students actually care about learning

goodluck;-)

Answer 3

I teach middle school which is ages 11-14ish... they are GREAT!  The key is to remember that they are going thru a TON of emotional, physical and social changes and they don't even realize it!   Don't try to be their friend... that is the worst thing you can do.  Kids/teens want and need boundries - set them early and things will be fine.  By the way - I speak from experience... I have taught inner city and middle upper class schools.

As for getting their attention, I use a chime and they know when they hear it that means ALL eyes and ears on ME!

Answer 4

Be nice and im sure they will be nice in return

Answer 5

It depends on the school and the neighborhood. If you get into a school with high academic goals, you will be fine. Check Newsweek's list of top schools. That's where you want to be.

Answer 6

No, teaching high school students is not that bad, unless your teaching in a bad school district. What really determines how good or bad your students will be is how well you connect with your students. If you are able to connect with them on a personal level then you can really make a difference in their lives. And if your class was noisy or disruptive you could always either yell at them, tell them that you'll give them a detention/ other form of punishment, or this one chem lab/ physics teacher I had, because experiments could get noisy, would use a air horn to get the class' attention