Elementary Education Teachers - Would you recommend your career to a young adult?

[lucky978]

My daughter is a senior in high school and considering majoring in elementary education for her undergraduate degree.

I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day and she told me her daughter (same age/grade as mine) used to want to be a teacher but then she spoke to some teachers she knows and they all said they were unhappy with their careers. She told me that none of them recommended it.

I realize that it's not a career where she is going to make $200k per year but in my opinion, if you are happy with your career and feel fulfilled you will be happy with your choice. She said "there is no room for promotions and no room to move up".

Thoughts?

 

[wilkeliza]

My cousin is a teacher and adores it. Yes it can be hard and have little pay but she is fulfilled by it especially when she gets to see kids grow and learn something new. My friends who seem to despise it are the ones who never wanted to be teachers but instead got into it because they couldn't make it in their chosen field and getting a teaching degree in some areas isn't so hard. In NYC they were practically giving them to anyone who had a batchelors degree and was willing to work while going to grad school since there was a massive shortage.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

No, and it breaks my heart to say that. I in no way despise it as the pp mentioned. I resent everything that I do being dictated by our state government that has no clue about education. I know my fourth graders are WAY more than a test score on some standardized exam. I have been teaching for several years. I was one of 17 hired in my district out of hundreds of applicants. I teach in a very "sought after" district and you still see the attrition rate of great teachers continue to climb.

I stay because I know I am good at teaching and believe I can still make a difference. I also stay because after many years in I make a good salary, and I will sacrifice a lot to be on the same schedule as my young boys. I would not recommend it to anyone just starting out, however.

 

[sonnyjane]

This is VERY personal. I recommend that she do as your other friend did and have her talk to teachers "in the trenches" now. My mom taught early elementary for 35 years. She has now, as of this school year, semi-retired and is an elementary teacher's aide. With all the stupid standardized tests and many parents taking little to no responsibility for their children, teaching is NOT what it used to be and that really weighed on my mom. Her last 5-7 years teaching were very stressful. The schedule is nice (summer and holidays off), and while she wasn't rich, after teaching for so long she did make a decent salary, but the stress in the end just wasn't worth it.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Sorry to crash the thread. I am not an elementary teacher, but high school, but I can tell you I'm one of those recommending to NOT do it. I never planned on making big money or winning big awards. I just wanted to teach a subject I love in non traditional ways and show kids it could be for everybody. That is not what I'm doing. I'm spending 90% of my time with some cockamamie papers from our admin. Nothing beneficial just to stuff to make admin look good. There is no follow up from admin on student behavior, just a pass the buck for us to call the parents. Which I dont have the time to do with the aforementioned papers. Students are becoming more and more entitled everyday.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

Seconded that it's personal. I am currently a teacher's assistant in 3rd grade; after two years of it, I can tell that being a full time teacher isn't for me (I'm going into school psychology). However, some teachers at my school love their job and can't imagine doing anything else.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I love what I do, but there are pros and cons.

I am a middle school English teacher at a small Catholic school. I teach 6th, 7th and 8th graders - 70 students total. The pay is $8,000 less than our local public schools pay (depending on which county you teach in), but I don't have some of the problems that some (not all) public school teachers have with discipline, lack of parental involvement, emphasis on standardized testing, reports for admin, etc. That said, I could not support a family on what I make. Getting an extra $8,000 as a public school teacher wouldn't make things much easier. Thank goodness my DH has an excellent paying job. That's the ONLY way I can afford to work as a teacher.

I love my subject. I love my students, and I love my school. But it is a ton of work, especially if you really want to do a good job and keep it fresh for your students. I didn't have to work nearly as hard when I was a banker (my first career). The schedule does work well if you are a parent of school age children because you get the same breaks. It is not as great when you are an empty nester because you can only vacation during school breaks when travel is most expensive.

While I would still choose a career in teaching, I have told my DD (a senior in HS) to choose something that pays better, especially if she wants to work part time when she becomes a mom. She is looking at nursing, occupational therapy and speech therapy. All are high demand fields that pay well whether you are full time or part time.

 

[scrhsa]

Not a teacher but I've been a teachers aide and I've been in education a long time. I do recommend it but always with a disclaimer Little pay, lots of frustration in regards to discipline, etc. It needs to be a passion and not just a career. You can get burned out pretty fast. My own dd is going into early elementary.

 

[cjbcam]

Was a teacher to young kids. I now teach in a college. No way no how would I recommend teaching kids these days.
Kids are not disciplined and you basically have no control. There is not one teacher I know that loves to teach. I know a lot of teachers that taught for a few years and went back to University it was so bad.

 

[tarheel618]

No

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

It depends on where your daughter wants to teacher, I feel like location sometimes plays a part in whether or not you'll enjoy it.
I've heard mixed things, I was told by a few teachers they hated it, one teacher she hated it but then got a credential in special education and became a Special Education teacher and absolutely adores it. I talked to others who love it, even when they had a bad year (because not all years teaching are the same) and they wouldn't change.

 

[DawnM]

If she is really wanting to teach, YES, I would recommend it. I have been teaching since 1989 and love it. I have also been a school counselor.

Just make sure she goes in with her eyes wide open. She should research all the pros and cons and decide for herself.

I hear some teachers hate their jobs but I know many who are very happy doing what they do.

 

[disykat]

No I would not. Twenty years ago, yes, ten years ago, maybe, now, no. My reason is mainly societal changes that are making kids (and their parents) harder to deal with juxtaposed with changes such as less recess etc.

I still love teaching, but I feel my days numbered. If I weren't headed toward retirement age I'd be planning ahead in case things get worse.

 

[nugov2]

I haven't taught for many years due to being home with my kids, but I felt like the pay was actually good and as you get your masters and add more years you do have a lot of room to grow with your salary. I would be making almost 80,000 if I wouldn't have left to stay home. You get promotions by going back to school and getting your masters if you wan to be an administrator. Now that being said, most of my friends still teaching feel like the job has changed dramatically and while they make too much to leave always tell me to stay home or do something else when I decide to work again. I will go back to teaching because I love working with kids. The pay is good IMO and the hours are great. All the days off are a perk and summers off. All great for working when you have kids. If I didn't have kids I'd probably work in a different field.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I haven't taught for many years due to being home with my kids, but I felt like the pay was actually good and as you get your masters and add more years you do have a lot of room to grow with your salary. I would be making almost 80,000 if I wouldn't have left to stay home. You get promotions by going back to school and getting your masters if you wan to be an administrator. Now that being said, most of my friends still teaching feel like the job has changed dramatically and while they make too much to leave always tell me to stay home or do something else when I decide to work again. I will go back to teaching because I love working with kids. The pay is good IMO and the hours are great. All the days off are a perk and summers off. All great for working when you have kids. If I didn't have kids I'd probably work in a different field.

To hit $80,000 a year in my county, you would have to have 41 years of experience!!!

 

[aristocatz]

No, and it breaks my heart to say that. I in no way despise it as the pp mentioned. I resent everything that I do being dictated by our state government that has no clue about education. I know my fourth graders are WAY more than a test score on some standardized exam. I have been teaching for several years. I was one of 17 hired in my district out of hundreds of applicants. I teach in a very "sought after" district and you still see the attrition rate of great teachers continue to climb.

I stay because I know I am good at teaching and believe I can still make a difference. I also stay because after many years in I make a good salary, and I will sacrifice a lot to be on the same schedule as my young boys. I would not recommend it to anyone just starting out, however.

Most days, especially lately, I have to agree with you The field, itself, is remarkable. Teaching is the most important job in the world, aside from medical, in my opinion. 10 years ago, I loved teaching. I felt that we, as teachers, had more say in what we teach. But sadly, our state government no longer seems to be in the best interest of the child. They are solely in the best interest of the test score, & in the best interest of the wallet. & for students who are not involved in those test scores (ie severe special needs) there is no motivation to ensure that they receive high quality education. The world of education can be dirty, political, & deceiving once you experience how it works from the other side of the desk. I stay because I am in my 15th year of teaching and I am just not in a place in my life where I want to try to make a career change (nor could we afford for me to do so). I stay because I'm good at what I do & when I am able to "work the system" I am able to make a difference. I stay for the families who believe in me.

If I could do it all over again, I would have gone into a field that is much less political.

 

[Scootypuffjr]

No. I absolutely would not recommend it. I've been in 16 years and I loved it when I first started, but so much has changed now. Most decisions are made by people who have not stepped foot inside a school since they were a student. After 13 years, I moved into administration thinking that I could make a difference. I was wrong. The further up I go the more I see just how messed up the system is and how hard good administrators work to shield their students and staff from the BS. My mom just retired after 34 years and said if she knew then what she knows now she would have begged for me to do anything else. I feel sorry for the people just entering the field. As a teacher, you used to be respected and trusted to do what's best for your students. We used to have "teachable moments" and the ability to use discretion to adjust our lessons to benefit our students the most. Now, the pacing guide is all that matters. The curriculum shoved down our throat by the state and federal dept of Ed is all that matters. Our test scores are all that matters. It's very depressing to have a front row seat to the demise of our educational system. The one good, actually great, thing is the students. It's the only reason we "veteran" educators stay in the game.

 

[tvguy]

To hit $80,000 a year in my county, you would have to have 41 years of experience!!!

You bring up a good point about how wildly teacher salaries vary across the U.S. I live in the San Juan Unified School district where teachers start at $44,600* for a 9 month contract. We have lost 6 people this year to teaching this year because the pay, benefits and time off are so much better than our industry. And very few people who are changing careers hire in at bottom scale, you can get boosted up 1 step for every year experience for another job that is related to your teaching job up to 10 steps, so if I were to teach High School Journalism or TV Production, with 41 years experience, I would get 10 step ups and start at $79.037. Not my cup of tea though. I prefer to do, not teach. But for people with school age kids, it can be a god send when it comes to dealing with child care since you have the same schedule for holidays and vacation.

*http://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/lib8/CA0...es/2016-2017 K-12 Regular_Salary_Schedule.pdf

 

[Disney_traveler]

I have to say:

Thank you to all who have posted similar feelings to mine. I'm 10 years in and sometimes wonder if it is JUST me. Thanks to what you've posted, I see it isn't just me, my school or my state. Here's a big "hang in there" to those of us already in!

 

[tvguy]

I have to say:

Thank you to all who have posted similar feelings to mine. I'm 10 years in and sometimes wonder if it is JUST me. Thanks to what you've posted, I see it isn't just me, my school or my state. Here's a big "hang in there" to those of us already in!

I do have to wonder if that is the same in almost any job. There is a reason work is called "work". Especially in jobs that have changed for the worse.