Teachers in here, plz read!!

[SolarGarlic]

Hey friends.

Im considering going back to school to become a teacher, so I can be in school forever (gaaassp!!). I would like to know a few things from those that are already doing it:

What grade do you teach? What grade would you prefer to teach?

W/C subject(s)?

How long have you been at it?

Positives about being the teach? Negs?

How does it mix with your "heady" lifestyle?

Regrets?

And anything else you want to add.

I figure that I can get a better feel for this topic from folks that seem to share similar ideals/hobbies/etc.

[hamilton]

Hey.

I've been teaching for three years now. I spent two years teaching high school, all different grades (10, 11, 12). I would take Grade 12 advanced level courses if I had any say in the matter at all, which I don't, so I'm likely to end up teaching Grades 9 and 10 until my seniority gives me some upper level classes. I'm supposed to teach History and English, but the reality is that you teach whatever they give you, which means that I have also taught Media Studies (awesome!), Civics, Anthropology, and a little Geography.

I am currently teaching English to adults in Seoul, Korea.

Positives: holidays are good; some kids are great, and some aren't bad; the occasional warm feeling when some kid that you worked hard with achieves something; the kids that say, "Thanks," and mean it.

Negatives: students; politicians; argumentative or uncooperative parents; workload (too many jobs being taken away from secretaries/ teacher assistants/ librarians and given to teachers); students; the way half of the public hates you; low pay for the first 5-8 years; students.

Have I mentioned students? You'll love about 20% of them; you'll hate about 60% of them; the last 20% you'll have no opinion on, because they'll make themselves indistinguishable from the desk, or they won't come in, or they'll just be so unremarkable - good or bad - that you won't notice them.

As for the "heady" lifestyle thing, it doesn't interfere as much as you'd think it might. You can't do overnight mid-week trips to catch a gig in another city, and you can't come in reeking of booze/pot in the morning, but that's about it. You won't be sparking one in public, regardless of what the law says. Kids like to talk about music, so that can be good.

When I return from Korea, I don't plan to return to teaching, although I will if I can't find anything else. I could say that I regret ever becoming a teacher, but that's not really true - I'm just glad that I found out that it's not really what I want to do...

[mikey d]

im planning on taking teacher's college next year at trent here in peterborough. I want to teach highschool english and drama. Over the past year I was realy inspired by some excellent teachers I've had at school, especially my heady english teacher i had last year. I'd come into class and he'd be blaring the dead, zappa, mmw or something else great. We introduced eachother to alot of music and developed a realy great relationship. I want to teach so that I can develop this type of relationship with students, I think it would be realy satisfying.

[hamilton]

Ummm.... you'll have to do an undergraduate degree first, dude. I don't think that Trent has a concurrent Education program - as far as I know, Brock is the only university that allows you to concurrently earn your undergraduate degree and your B.Ed.

And yes, developing cool relationships with cool students is cool. But that's about 10% (or less) of the students, unfortunately.

[mikey d]

quote:

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Ummm.... you'll have to do an undergraduate degree first, dude. I don't think that Trent has a concurrent Education program - as far as I know, Brock is the only university that allows you to concurrently earn your undergraduate degree and your B.Ed.

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dont worry i got it all planned out. my only problem will be getting in . .

[Super Freak]

Laurier Brantford also has the concurrent B.Ed program. They only let peeps right out of highschool in the program.