I haven't done this, but as a group, teachers are pretty accepting. I think most schools, as a community, would gladly welcome an outsider to see our world. Most teachers are very social, and love to hear new ideas. As someon who has worked in the business world, I'm certain you would be able to bring in fresh ideas. I think the difficulty will be in whether or not you are able to adapt. (There is about a 50% failure rate for first year teachers.)
A few years ago, my school had an outstanding business teacher who revamped our whole program. She had many outside contacts, and was able to get a great program going quickly - a huge bonus for our kids. While there were some jokes about the Mercedes she drove to work, she got along great with our staff and was very popular. Sadly though, we did not have the best administrator (To put it in a PC way), and she got tired of dealing with this principal. (She was used to dealing with effective people. Since she didn't really need the money, she left for another position.
In all fairness, teaching is not an easy job. I don't know you, and I don't want to pre-judge you. I think teching is a very noble job, and sometimes it can be very rewarding, but many people underestimate how difficult the job is. I think your hours will be compatable with having kids to a large degree, but understand that teachers must put in many hours above and beyond the regular school day. Some people mistakenly think our day starts when the kids arrive, and ends when they leave, and that we get all the summers and holidays off. Most teachers take home work every night (Or stay at work several extra hours a day), and often bring work home on the weekends. We also have to take classes and attend workshops. Additionally, at least several times a year, I must grade research papers, and I spend my entire Sunday grading papers from morning until late at night. Also, the NCLB Act has made working in a school a rather stressful high pressure job. We have weekly meetings where were asked what we are doing to improve scores, improve AP enrollees, raise SAT scores, etc. WE have frequent parent contact, which can be stressful. In a public school, we must educate all of the public - the children of criminals, the children of the mildly insane, the children of drug users/drug dealers, etc. We must constantly avoid offending everyone, and some parents don't trust us. If a child is unruly, in truth, there is very little a teacher can to to discipline him/her. About the best we can do is send the child out of the room, spend 30 minutes writing a report, and the HOPE the administration will respond. Two years ago a girl reported being molested on the school bus, and the administration NEVER disciplined the boy involved (And we couldn't even tell the girl's parents about it!). I have yet to work in a building with quality AC/heating, and I have worked in a number of buildings in several different districts, at both the MS and HS levels.
Having said all of that, there are moments of teaching that are amazing! I once taught a learning disabled boy who had great difficulty writing. He was a seventh grader who wrote as a first grader (content and penmanship). Somehow, nobody had ever given him a word processor - since he could barely write, maybe they thought a keboard would be too difficult for him. Well, he started writing a story, and he couldn't stop! He turned to me and said, "Thank you, this is SO much easier for me." I'll never forget that moment, and what it meant for him to finally be able to express himself in writing!
Sorry this is so long! Hope this helps!
