Teaching as a possible career, general questions?

Question

I'm headed into my freshmen year of college and right now i have little idea as to what i want to do, right now i'm tossing around teaching, radio broadcasting, and business, but i just don't know enough yet about each one to make a firm choice.

As far as teaching i would probably be looking at a history or english degree, i'm not that great at math and i'm o.k at science so it just seems logical. I have heard that the majority of students in college are also going for either history or english because they are easier, does this make finding a job out of college harder? are there a surplus of history and english teachers?

About how much time off per year do teachers really get? Do they really get the whole 3 months in summer off?

What are the typical hours per week a teacher puts in? At my school old highschool they started class at 8 a.m and ended at 2:45 p.m so i'd guess that teachers show up maybe an hour before it starts and stay and hour or so after schools out? is that about right?

I see a lot of teachers on the ask boards complaining about salaries and of course it's always on the local news when a school faculty has a strike, but is the pay really THAT bad? 35-50k per year doesn't seem too bad to me, but maybe it's just a lot harder of a job than what i can tell?

i know i have a lot of questions, thanks for reading and i appreciate any responses in helping me learn more. oh, i am an indiana resident btw, northwest indiana near chicago and i would probably plan on staying in indiana to teach.

-thanks!

Answer 1

To represent the middle school/high school teachers -

1.On the west coast, there is a HUGE surplus of history teachers (not english/language arts though...yet). My best friend (and fellow teacher) majored in History and for one position there were 300 applicants. Most looking to teach history/social studies obtain what's called a dual endorsement, usually in language arts/English as most schools are moving towards Humanities (combined english/history).

2.Time off. Well, it depends on what you mean by "off". Yes, we do have Christmas break (usually 2 weeks), Thanksgiving break (1 or 2 weekdays), Spring Break (1 week), and about 2 months in the summer. However, most teachers use the breaks during the school year to get caught up on grading and prepare for the weeks ahead. I spend my spring breaks grading statewide writing assessments for extra cash. During the summer, young single teachers like me spend our hours working a second job.

3. I'm required to be at school by 7:45 (classes begin at 8) and allowed to leave at 3:30 (classes end at 3). I often will stay late or arrive early to meet with a student (or group) for extra help. However, when I go home I'm not finished. Most teachers actually put in about 60-70 hours a week. When we go home, we don't leave our work at school or at the door in a briefcase. We not only take home papers to grade, lessons to plan, projects to invent, and ideas to think up, but we also "take home" the problems of the day - we re-hash what Johnny said in class, why Sarah didn't turn in a good paper, and how we can make the grammar lesson more interesting next time. We worry about our kids (students) in their home lives and what choices they may be making. It doesn't end at the bell!

4.The pay is terrible. It's not just a low wage, but it's a lot of work for a low wage. Generally, starting salary for a teacher with a Bachelor's and no experience is around 25,000$/year. With a Master's degree, average is about 30,000$. Pay increases (slightly) with each year of experience and with certain numbers of extra graduate coursework. So, not only do we require loads of expensive schooling BEFORE getting a job, but we have to continue paying for college credits AFTER getting the job. Plus, we spend loads of our own money on classroom supplies...

5. There isn't a pay difference between the levels. It's based on years of experience and amount of education.

6.I personally love teaching 7th-12th graders. They're goofy, funny, talkative, and yet somewhat mature. It's fun to talk "college" with them and listen to their way too active social lives. I couldn't teach 6th grade and under, but that's just because of my personality. :)

In short, teachers teach because we want to. Because we feel - no, we KNOW - that we can make a difference. We can educate the youth of today to become the conscious, intelligent, decision-makers of tomorrow. We teach because we feel that a solid education is important, but also that being a good human being happens in the classroom as well. I don't just teach my subject, I teach my kids how to live. How to be successful, confidant, polite, respectful, and still maintain that youthful silliness. To me, it's the best profession in the world and nothing could ever make me leave.

Answer 2

I think you need to teach what you like.  Good teachers like what they do and like what they teach.  This is especially true for secondary teachers.

No we do not get 3 months off.  Most of us go to workshops, conferences and/or teach summer school.  Because we are only paid for the days we work, we either do not get paid for 3 months or your salary is divided by 12.  So you really aren't getting your full pay each month because it is saved for your checks in the Summer.  Most teachers I know, especially younger ones do some sort of work in the Summer.  But the freedom of this time is very nice as is the time for Winter and Spring breaks.  One reason I became a teacher was so I was able to spend this time with my family and future children.

Most typically probably 45 hours a week.  We are only required 40, but many work more than that.  Some work much more, some leave as soon as they can.  Frankly you generally need to spend more time at school than 40 hours a week to be an effective teachers.  I do know some who can pull this off but most have been working for years and years and could do it with their eyes closed.  Some coach as well....this adds many many hours and in most cases not a lot of pay.  But many enjoy it none the less or it simply helps pay the bills or those little extras we all like.

Pay is not horrible, but it is horrible for all of the education required and all of the time and energy we put into it.  I have had sleepless nights because I stay awake worrying about students...it is VERY difficult to "leave work at work".  Pay varies greatly depending on where you live.  I live in Missouri, schools are required to pay 23k...some do.  That is before retirement and taxes are taken out.  If you were to be paid this you would probably bring home about 18k....not too far from the poverty level.  However many inner city schools will start you off at 50k because they are dying for teachers and can hardly keep them.  If you can handle the inner city...run with it.  You can make good money, but it takes a VERY special person to do this successfully and enjoy it.

As far as elementary vs. secondary...do what works for you.  I LOVE teaching the younger kids.  Though I like teens I would not want to teach them.  I know people who say just the opposite.  It all depends on what you prefer.

There is generally no pay difference.  Pay is based on education and years experience in most districts.

Best of luck.  Science and Math teachers are in demand, but like I said before good teachers like what they teach.

Answer 3

You've gotten some great answers already.

I teach Elementary School and therefore don't have to coach any sports or worry about getting beat up by any of my students.

I agree with the person who said you should talk to some local teachers and ask to observe them to get a better idea of what their job is like. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.

My personal advice would be to avoid teaching if you can.

Teaching keeps you so freakin' busy that you hardly have time to pee.

At most other office jobs, you can take a phone call and go to the bathroom as needed.

That said, I know many folks who LOVE teaching and are able to get off from work and feel great and still have some energy to do fun stuff, but the first 5 years it wasn't that way for me.  

Answer 4

Wow, you've got a buttload of questions to answer.  :)  

I can't speak for teaching in Indiana, but I know that in North Carolina there's not really a surplus of English and History teachers.  In fact, there's still a lot of turnaround in education.  Really great teachers get bogged down from all the beauracracy of teaching in their first few years of teaching, and a lot of them unfortunately leave the profession.  I'm still too idealistic to give up myself though.  I'm assuming you're a guy (Rusty).  The first thing principals want to know of male teachers is if you can coach.  It's certainly not something you have to be able to do to get a job, but it definitely helps.  

In my state, students are in school for 180 days, and teachers are there for 194.  However, most of us are attending workshops and taking classes, or at the very least, finding resources to use for the coming year.  Don't get me wrong- having summers off is nice, but there's still work to be done year round.

I'm required to be at school by 7:40am, students at 8:05am.  Students leave at 2:45pm, and teachers are required to stay til 3:15pm.  Again though, it's pretty rare for most of us to leave right at 3:15.  There's always parent conferences, grade level/department meetings, faculty meetings, committee meetings, PTO meetings, etc.  A lot of that depends on the grade you teach and the school you're in.  I worked in a school that was really laid back about faculty meetings- they were only called when there was something that actually needed to be said to everyone.  Some schools (like the one I'm in now) has a faculty meeting every month.  

I don't complain about my salary.  My husband and I are both teachers, and we're doing just fine.  In NC health insurance comes with the job, but extras cost money (including dental, which isn't really worth getting the way it's set up if you ask me).  You get a raise every year whether you suck or not, and if your state's salary is below the national average, they try to work in bonuses that help get you up.  There are also other bonus incentives based on standardized testing, and there's some upward mobility regarding salary as well.  For example, a masters in NC gives you a 10% pay increase.  If you're Nationally Board certified, it's a 12% increase.  If you've got both, you're doing great!  As for it being a harder job than others, in a lot of ways it really is.  Some study was done to see how many times teachers have to answer a question or resolve an issue or something every day, and elementary school teachers averaged over a thousand a day.  You're dealing with all sorts of personalities all the time and trying to find new ways to teach the curriculum.  You've got to get your kids to pass standardized tests but still teach them what they REALLY need to know for life.  You've got kids coming from abject poverty in the same class as kids who visit the country club every week.  You've got kids whose parents couldn't care less about their education, and you've got kids whose parents are TOO involved to the point where it's difficult for you to do your job.  On top of that you've got catty women all working in the same place and administration to deal with.  There never seems to be enough supplies for you to really get the job done, so you spend a lot of your own money doing it because you want what's best for the kids.  It can be intellectually and emotionally grueling.  However, it's a great job to have as our economy continues to struggle.  Our country will always need teachers, ya know?  It's also all worth it if you're meant to be a teacher.

As for which one is more worthwhile, that's totally a personality thing.  I don't think I would enjoy teaching high school.  My heart's with the younger crowd.  I like to nurture and inspire and be goofy.  My husband, on the other hand, swears he couldn't teach elementary school whenever he watches videos of my kids.  He likes the independence of students in high school, and he likes not having to watch what he says as much.  He can have really real discussions with them and feels like he can reach lots of kids (around 180 a year).  I like having the same group of kids year round, because I feel like we really bond and I can cater what I teach to their specific needs a lot more easily.  There's not a pay difference.  There IS a difference in planning time though.  I get 40 minutes a day, but roughly 7 minutes of that is taking my kids to PE/art/etc. and picking them back up.  My husband gets 90 minutes a day, and his kids obviously don't need to be walked anywhere.  I teach 5 subjects a day, and he teaches at most 3 different preps within his subject (but he usually teaches 1 or 2 preps).  He has duty free lunch, but I have to be in the cafeteria with the kids.  I have a supply list that I have to order at the end of the year for the following year, and he can just get supplies from a communal place.  Our frustrations are often a lot more similar than you might think, but I think that has to do with the fact that we share the same educational philosophies.  

If I were you, I'd find ways to shadow people in all 3 of the professions you're interested in.  That'll be pretty easy to do in education since we're used to that with student teaching.  You could always intern at your college radio (assuming they have one) and ask to shadow someone at a local station.  Best wishes!

Answer 5

I don't see that an english degree is that easy. In my opinion, most people who want to get into education as coaches at middle school or high school level major in history.... The textbook has all the answers and there aren't really any things to explain like in science or math. It's all right there. In ELA, the curriculum is usually not as straight-forward. There are so many different aspects that are all important: reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, literature, etc.... and it's too much to keep up with while also coaching.

At my school, I have to be there by 8-8:15, but sometimes there are meetings that start as early as 7:45. Classes start at 8:30, and I have two periods "off" out of the eight, so about an hour and a half. Law also requires that teachers have a 30 minute "duty-free" lunch. Around Thanksgiving, we start tutorials for standardized testing (TAKS), so that takes away one of my "off" times.

School ends at 4:00, and it is not uncommon for some teachers to leave at that time, though I still can't see how. Several teachers stay until five or so to finish things up, but in my first two years especially I was often there until 9p.m. every weeknight. Last year I was able to make myself leave by six or seven.

Teachers don't get the whole summer off. We may have two or three days after school ends in May for kids where we have to finish things up. Also, even though school starts on August 25 for kids, I spent two days helping with new teacher orientation this week and yesterday and today there was a training for teachers from my campus on computer programs that our students can use, from 8:30-3:30.

Next week, all teachers have to go back pretty much from 8-4 every day. Plus, they recarpeted our school over the summer so all of our rooms are completely disheveled and we have to spend the evenings next week rearranging furniture and redecorating our walls.

I don't think the salary is so bad, but when you consider how important teachers are it seems like they would be paid more like, oh I don't know, athletes? Haha. My dad was a mailman for 35 years and that was our only income, and my parents raised three children on that. I'm used to doing without some things, and compared to that my teacher salary is pretty nice.

There aren't many jobs to be found in Indiana. The principal and secretary at my school near Houston, TX, are both from Indiana. HISD and our district recruit up there all the time. I'm not sure why it's so hard to find a teaching job up there, but I hope you can.

The difference between elementary, middle, and high school is mostly in what age of kids you can relate to best. I find myself irritated when I'm around elementary age kids, and frustrated by apathy from lots of high school students, so I teach middle school. I think it is the most frustrating (all the puberty stuff)... but it is also a time when they can learn the most. In my district, there isn't a pay difference in grade level; just in specialty, like special ed teachers make more and coaches get a stipend.

Please feel free to email me with more questions. I have no problem telling you the complete truth, as I have seen it in my short 4 1/2 years of teaching. I can tell you some rules to live by, if you do become a teacher.