Any 2nd career teachers here?

[Dashzap]

I started a MATC (masters with teaching certificate) degree in the fall of 2009. I wanted to start slowly as I have been a SAHM for 17 years. I applied, and passed the state required basic skills test.

However I dropped out after one semester. I had two kids at home and a husband who wasn't supportive of me pursing it. Plus the economy was tanking and teachers were being laid off in our area. Why pay $25,000 for a masters degree and then not be able to get a job??

Now as it turns out I am a single mom who is a full time caretaker of my now quadriplegic son. I wouldn't have been able to teach anyway.

 

[nunzia]

Because the only people who think that teachers have such a sweet deal are those who:

A: never taught

or

B: those who could not succeed as a teacher.

With all due respect I think you not joining the union had nothing to do with your not being able to handle the job. My husband has taught in 2 states where one did not have to join a union (a small school district and a huge one) and has no idea who did or did not belong to the union, nor did he or any other teacher we know care.

Really, if it was such a sweet deal you would have never quit. Every job has difficult co-workers, bosses, and/or clients -- but if the pay is good enough (as you claim your teacher pay way) then you put up with the bs. It would not make sense to quit a great paying job just because there are some challenges, would it?

Very insulting post...I could handle it and chose not to because the school I was in was ridiculous and I could not teach the children who were wiling to learn, or have tools to help those who wouldn't (no, you can't give kids homework, no you can't have 'rules', no you can't give a kid a zero..ever..it is too 'hard for them to bring up'. You have to be their FRIENDS.) I had a room where 5 subs were run out with kids that had been kicked out of every elective. I could not teach the great kids who wanted to learn, I got to spend all my time stopping kids from drinking alcohol snuck in in their backpacks, cleaning up glass from a thrown chair that broke an oven door, trying to find an interpreter for the kid who didn't speak english and waiting for the 13 year old pregnant girl to go into labor. My beef wasn't pay, it was the administration and parents who truly did not care. My life is too short for me to work in a situation that was impossible for the children to learn in no matter what the pay. Money isn't everything. As far as difficult working conditions, teaching wasn't even highest on my list..my current job has as many challenges and my previous jobs in the casinos in Vegas had many more.
Your defensive and insulting reply is really uncalled for.

PS The union steward was a co worker and there was pressure all around to join and why didn't I, etc...so, yes, they knew, and I don't know why so many of the co workers were downright nasty from day one, but that wasn't the issue..

OP..if you chose to teach, good for you, but do realize there are issues that have nothing to do with teaching children. Almost every teacher I knew at that school, and my peers who have been career teachers, are out of teaching in the public schools. They retired as soon as they could, and if they still teach it is in private school settings.

Since my statements about work days being considered when figuring out compenstion was taken just as I thought they would be, I will bow out now.

 

[tonilea]

Originally Posted by rock*mom
Agreed....people also overlook the fact that teacher's day is non-stop. There are no quiet lunches alone, or I feel like I'll take a half-day because the work is light, and no field trips with their children. I love my job. I would others would respect and appreciate my peers as I do. TEACHERS ROCK

That isn't true at all schools. I am working toward my education degree and I sub. In "my" school, teachers are free for most lunches, some teachers choose to allow the kids to bring their lunches into the classroom as an occasional reward. Teachers are also able to go on fieldtrips, if subs are available. In fact, one of the students in my son's class last year was a teacher. We rode together to their fieldtrip.

OP, one of the things I thing will help me get a job is having worked in the school system for three years as a sub. The principal knows I can get the job done. She isn't afraid to give me difficult classes. Also, I am a life long resident of the area. Another teacher (a member of the hiring committee) told me that would be a big plus in my favor.

 

[Colleen27]

Honestly, if you're still in Michigan (and intend to stay) I wouldn't recommend it. I have a lot of friends who have tried to get into teaching as their first careers went belly up, and even though they're in typically high demand fields (math, science, technology) very few have found work. And that was before last year's $170 per pupil cut and the additional $300 cut being proposed for this year's budget...

I thought about finishing my degree in education but my youngest came along and I put those plans on hold. I'm glad I did, because otherwise I'd be graduating right about now with 20K in educational debt (something important to keep in mind - Michigan ranks dead last in funding for higher education, so that degree is going to cost you. I was looking at about 30K for two years at a local public university) and no job prospects at all.

 

[Tink2Day]

I recall when I first graduated and started teaching (now mind you that was almost 40 years ago), we started school after Labor Day and school ended June 1 or close to that time. Now we have several year round schools here.
The rest of the schools began classes in late August, now they are starting the second week in August and school is out for the year either the end of May or the first few days in June, depending on make-up days (we had some unusually cold weather here and pipes burst all over the area with one HS having 4 FEET of water! So those days will carry them until probably mid June).
The people interested in it for the 'summers off' or the holidays?
I prefer having my time when I want to take it, that way I can avoid all of the crowds. If you have school age children then it's a benefit, if not then it becomes a pain in the neck.

Frankly with lesson plans, grading papers, evaluations, preparing the various projects and areas for my classes (not to mention paying for the supplies myself since my school usually had ONE color of construction paper and not much else in the way of supplies) I had virtually no time for anything outside of those tasks.
Many of my friends who still teach (including a Special Ed teacher in H.S.) also teach summer school to make ends meet and many hold other jobs either in the summer or after school.

Sounds like we're not alone here in cutbacks, increasing class size, increasing employee responsibility for insurance premiums and decreased pension contributions.. This is in a State where the recession hit much later than the rest of the country( and we're already starting to come out of it), the foreclosure rates are still low, unemployment is at a lower average than the rest of the nation and our State budget while out of balance can still be fixed relatively easy. I just cannot imagine what some of these severely depressed states who are reeling from foreclosures, unemployment and so forth are surviving this.
I also wonder what lasting effects to the negative this will have on the education and future of this generation of youngsters.

 

[NYEmomma]

I answered this in the Family section, but I'll post my answers here too FWIW.

I had a BA in History, worked in human resources for a couple of years, was miserable, so I want back for my M.Ed.

1. It highly depends on your undergrad degree & what subject you're specializing in. I went for secondary social studies & since I had a bachelors in history, the majority of my "subject area" classes I had already taken. It took me 3 years for my masters & that was taking 3 classes a semester. I had to take a class while I was student teaching, which is HIGHLY advised against, but because of scheduling, it's what I had to do to graduate... if I didn't, I was going to have to wait another year. It was a pain in the butt but it was an easy class (Comparative Politics) so it worked out fine.

2. Going back to school wasn't hard at all. I love school & learning. I'd go to college for the rest of my life if I could. It was intimidating to student teach at first, but I got over it quickly enough. Public speaking has never bothered me... when I worked in human resources, I always ran & organized meetings and events, so I'm comfortable in front of people. And honestly, it was probably EASIER for me to be older (well, I was 26) than to be a 21 yo. I taught seniors... so I couldn't imagine only being 3 years older than my students!

3. I don't like corporate America. And as I've mentioned before, I love learning. When I was going to my bachelor's, I was an education major for a year so it had been something I contemplated in the past.

4. IMPOSSIBLE. I graduated in 2007... I don't know a single person that I graduated with that's found a teaching job. I certainly haven't and my license lapsed in '08 so now I have to go back to school again and take more classes to get my license renewed so I can TRY to find a job. And with what our state (and many other states) or doing to the education system and the unions, I can't imagine it's going to get easier to find a job anytime soon. School districts have to pay teachers with master's degrees more money, so they typically hire undergrads first.

5. I was super unhappy working an office job. It just wasn't me. Teaching was my only opportunity to do anything with the field that I love (history). And I wanted a job that would be more compatible with being a mom once I had kids. Plus, my parents paid for my master's degree (it was my undergrad graduation present... I always knew I'd go back for my master's in SOMETHING) so it wasn't going to cost me anything.

6. I honestly wouldn't do it again with the state the public education system is in right now. I'd LOVE to teach.... I thoroughly enjoyed my teaching experience and am dying to have the opportunity to show kids that history can be fun & interesting. And be able to make a difference in kids lives. It was just so... fulfilling, I guess. But right now, it just seems like a waste of money & time to try to get a teaching degree. Especially when you already have gainful employment. I'm hoping by the time I'm done having children & they're both in school that something will have changed and I'll finally get a chance to put my degree to use. Right now it's just an expensive wall decoration.