I am considering becoming a teacher...

FearTheBeard · November 2010

but do not even know where to start. One of my best friends was a teacher so I am going to talk to him this weekend.

Are any of you teachers, specifically in California? Is it hard to get a job right now? Where can I go to get questions answered? Any advice would be appreciated.

Sambo Baggins · November 2010

i feel bad for you. low pay, bad raises, lots of red tape. i went down the road to be teacher... made it to 90 semester hours before i became an accountant.

Nothingman54 · November 2010

Sambo Baggins wrote:

i feel bad for you. low pay, bad raises, lots of red tape. i went down the road to be teacher... made it to 90 semester hours before i became an accountant.

100% correct.

FearTheBeard · November 2010

Sambo Baggins wrote:

i feel bad for you. low pay, bad raises, lots of red tape. i went down the road to be teacher... made it to 90 semester hours before i became an accountant.

lol, I am considering it. I have been in sales for 10 years and just tried a stint in law enforcement, it didn't work out. Looking for something new to do...

Nothingman54 · November 2010

I'm either going to nursing school or accounting.???

Sambo Baggins · November 2010

ucsbflipflop wrote:

Sambo Baggins wrote:

i feel bad for you. low pay, bad raises, lots of red tape. i went down the road to be teacher... made it to 90 semester hours before i became an accountant.

lol, I am considering it. I have been in sales for 10 years and just tried a stint in law enforcement, it didn't work out. Looking for something new to do...

bless you if you do teaching. i am sure it is comendable and fufilling profession but it has its drawbacks. anything related to technology, healthcare, or $ is much better pay and benefits.

JzP · November 2010

stay away from toddlers they are bad news

marcos · November 2010

ucsbflipflop wrote:

but do not even know where to start. One of my best friends was a teacher so I am going to talk to him this weekend.

Are any of you teachers, specifically in California? Is it hard to get a job right now? Where can I go to get questions answered? Any advice would be appreciated.

Good hours and vacation schedule but bad everthing else!

pjfan31 · November 2010

I'm studying teaching. Got my last exam for the year today. hard work studying. But children are great. They keep you going most of the time.

Great holidays, but I gotta fly, get to my exam starts in just under 2 hrs and I gotta get through peek hour..

Peace out....

InsideMan · November 2010

Become a professor.

Kilgore_Trout · November 2010

you're all a bunch of whiney lil bitches if you think teaching is that bad
if you got the right mindset and are good with people then go into it

40K right out of school with pretty good benefits is nothing to sneeze at... some room to grow too

not to mention, for every shitty moment there is something equally redeeming... and thats coming from a cynic like me

don't go into it if you're trying to relive your glory days or power trip... i know plenty of those types

I just read a list somewhere of the top 15 cities looking for teachers... i think there were 2 in CA, a couple in FL, and most in TX

GOOD LUCK

tinkerbell · November 2010

I used to want to be a teacher. Since having kids of my own I have realised that I don't really like children that much! :? Love my own just not other peoples.

catefrances · November 2010

tinkerbell wrote:

I used to want to be a teacher. Since having kids of my own I have realised that I don't really like children that much! :? Love my own just not other peoples.

yeah any kid you can hand back is a good kid.

p.s. i love my children... seriously.

maj4e · November 2010

has ups & downs
wifey makes about 50g so pay isn't that bad

Lizard · November 2010

My husband teaches high school. Assuming you have a college degree, take the CBEST test and this will allow you to substitute in most districts--see if you like teaching. Be sure to sub at the level you want to teach in.

FearTheBeard · December 2010

Thanks for the info/advice people! I am still considering...

Hugh Freaking Dillon · December 2010

too many people go into it for the summers off. BIG mistake if you aren't passionate about it. But those that are, love it. It's a very rewarding profession (assuming you have a good superintendent and principle). The pay for a teacher up here in Canada is nearly the same as a freaking lawyer if you keep up your studies.

merkinball · December 2010

Lizard wrote:

My husband teaches high school. Assuming you have a college degree, take the CBEST test and this will allow you to substitute in most districts--see if you like teaching. Be sure to sub at the level you want to teach in.

Do that. My wife is a teacher in San Diego, been teaching for 10+ years. It's tough to get a full time job right now, lots of layoffs due to budget constraints. But you can start out subbing, and get a rep at a given school if you do good work. If you can't get a contract, you may be able to get a long term sub position (i.e., someone goes on maternity leave and they need a sub for a few months).

That's pretty much how she started out for the first year, lots of subbing until she got a contract. Also, be prepared to be at a tough school the first few years, until you can get some seniority.

milarso · December 2010

merkinball wrote:

Do that. My wife is a teacher in San Diego, been teaching for 10+ years. It's tough to get a full time job right now, lots of layoffs due to budget constraints.

My sister teaches at a school near Sacramento. She has been in the game for a bit, so she's been dodging the layoffs, however, where do all those students go when the other teachers are laid off? You guessed it, to the few remaining teachers.
She teaches high school and has one class with 47 students in it.

merkinball · December 2010

milarso wrote:

My sister teaches at a school near Sacramento. She has been in the game for a bit, so she's been dodging the layoffs, however, where do all those students go when the other teachers are laid off? You guessed it, to the few remaining teachers.
She teaches high school and has one class with 47 students in it.

Yikes. Elementary is lucky, I guess. Only 30-35 kids to a class. :roll:

Cradles Broken Glass · December 2010

I'm working on becoming a teacher right now and I currently sub. There are alternative routes in some states. My state offers a non-tradition license (I'm not sure if this is available in every state). Essentially, if you have any bachelor's degree and meet the minimal GPA requirements you can get enrolled in this program and teach while you go to school. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that or get my MAT, which will give me my teacher's license while I earn my masters. The former is a quicker route, but depending on what subject area you want to teach or grades, you may have to take a couple of classes before you can enroll in the program. I have a son in first grade and live in an area where my PR/Journalism degree is essentially useless. I love subbing and look forward to a steady job where I can keep the same hours at my son, an added bonus is I'm really trying to get a job at his school. The pay could be a lot better, but I have to say that between the decent hours, fairly good benefits, and great vacation time, I don't think I will have much to complain about if I'm lucky enough to get a job. I would love some advice from anyone who might be familiar with the non-traditional route vs. the master program, I really can't make up my mind on which would be best.

number1PJfan · December 2010

Kilgore_Trout wrote:

you're all a bunch of whiney lil bitches if you think teaching is that bad
if you got the right mindset and are good with people then go into it

40K right out of school with pretty good benefits is nothing to sneeze at... some room to grow too

not to mention, for every shitty moment there is something equally redeeming... and thats coming from a cynic like me

don't go into it if you're trying to relive your glory days or power trip... i know plenty of those types

I just read a list somewhere of the top 15 cities looking for teachers... i think there were 2 in CA, a couple in FL, and most in TX

GOOD LUCK

40K right out of school? I'm in the wrong state! I'm in my thirteenth year, have three degrees (BA, MA, and EdS) and am barely clearing 45K. No, I did not go into it for the money, but it is definately not a glamorous job. The government sticks their grimmy little hands deeper and deeper into education every year taking more and more of a teacher's control of what she can do in a classroom. Pretty soon we might as well be animated robots programed by the government but yet you can not discipline the ones who need it. Big brother is always watching.

LukinFan · December 2010

Lizard wrote:

My husband teaches high school. Assuming you have a college degree, take the CBEST test and this will allow you to substitute in most districts--see if you like teaching. Be sure to sub at the level you want to teach in.

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't suggest trying out substitution first - I think that would push you away from the field. I really don't know how subs do it

Kilgore_Trout · December 2010

LukinFan wrote:

Lizard wrote:

My husband teaches high school. Assuming you have a college degree, take the CBEST test and this will allow you to substitute in most districts--see if you like teaching. Be sure to sub at the level you want to teach in.

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't suggest trying out substitution first - I think that would push you away from the field. I really don't know how subs do it

yah i did it for the first time on friday... without any sub plans cause the teacher had an emergency... though i don't imagine it would be any easier with plans... since you wouldn't know what was going on or where anything is

kids don't respect you... you don't know the class/school disciplinary measures... its babysitting... except for less money than most babysitters make these days... and for 25 extra kids

Lizard · December 2010

LukinFan wrote:

Lizard wrote:

My husband teaches high school. Assuming you have a college degree, take the CBEST test and this will allow you to substitute in most districts--see if you like teaching. Be sure to sub at the level you want to teach in.

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't suggest trying out substitution first - I think that would push you away from the field. I really don't know how subs do it

it's called baptism by fire!!!

PJfanwillneverleave1 · November 2014

Here is what a teacher can be capable of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeX1H7ajOvQ
How has it worked out OP?

hedonist · November 2014

I've come down on teachers who put that work, that necessary dedication, on the back-burner for purposes of their own...agenda.

But the ones who give a shit, who give of themselves, who impact their students years beyond - invaluable.

Mrs. Speigelman, English
Dr. Love (yes, his name WAS Dr. Love), Science
Mr. Schiffrin, History
Madame Pusey, French
Ms. Sasaki, Algebra

I will always remember and be thankful for each of them.

"Old school" takes on a different meaning, since those days are a far cry from what I imagine today's educators have to deal with.

Get_Right · November 2014

My son's fourth grade teacher makes 125K a year, has great benefits and works 10 months a year.

Sounds like a good gig to me. If you can fight through the poverty of the early years, and find the right town, it is a great career. Not to mention the personal rewards.

Thirty Bills Unpaid · November 2014

Get_Right said:
My son's fourth grade teacher makes 125K a year, has great benefits and works 10 months a year.

Sounds like a good gig to me. If you can fight through the poverty of the early years, and find the right town, it is a great career. Not to mention the personal rewards.

This would signify the highest salary I have ever heard for a teacher... by far.

If this is accurate, this is a private school paying this teacher and the tuition for attending is astronomical. The school has the opportunity to attract the finest teachers given what they are paying and I'm sure the programs are second to none.

Congrats on being able to send your child to such a school.

PJ_Soul · November 2014

Such schools also symbolize and perpetuate pretty much everything that is wrong with society.

brianlux · December 2014

PJ_Soul said:
Such schools also symbolize and perpetuate pretty much everything that is wrong with society.

No sure which schools you mean by "such schools" PJ_Soul, but generally speaking, most do exactly that. I used to teach so I guess it's OK for me to say that.

But that said, this is all the more reason we need good teachers. Of all the many teachers I've had through 12 years of public school and over 200 college course credits, the best of them had a majorly great impact on my life. Here's what some did for me:

Miss Painter helped me to discover that I am creative and can write.

Mrs. McGilvery taught me that sometimes the toughest teachers give the best life lessons and that sometimes they are the ones who are tough because they want to to help you learn to be resilient and do your best.

Mr. Jones proved to me that walking a different path is the way of the brave soul.

Mrs. G. let me choose what to read and from that day on, I never stopped.

Professor John Handy taught me the entire history of jazz.

Ms Welty showed me how to see and thus to draw.

Dr. Pender challenged and pushed me greatly and helped me learn how find my own way.

Henry showed me that it is far better to hack rather than to pack.

These are the kind of people you never forget.

I am considering becoming a teacher...

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