Teaching as a second career?

[2TxAgs]

My youngest goes to Kindergarten in the fall. I've been a SAHM for the past 6 yrs; employed in a technical field for 11 yrs before that. I'm considering getting a teaching cert. with a math/science focus.

Has anyone taken up teaching as a second career? What have your experiences been? I'm not naive enough to think it will be easy, and frankly, the thought of uncaring parents and unruly kids scares me to pieces. But, I would like to go back to work, and I do enjoy working with kids (I'm a GS leader and frequent volunteer at the school....).

Any input?


Thanks!

TxAg

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I am also considering this, and would appreciate any info. My focus would be grade school.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I worked full time in the Residence Halls at the University of Colorado till about 6 years ago and then went part time for three years. I loved what I did but it was way too many hours especially at night and on weekends so when my kids were in 3rd and 4th grade I quit my job and became a SAHM ( I did this all backwards-worked full time till they were in school and then quit). i did lots of volunteer work at the school and was very involved with PTO. This year both my kids are in middle school where there just isn't as much need for moms in the classroom. Also I missed working but wanted a job that was flexible so I can still go on field trips and be home if my kids are sick and be home when they get home from school.

I am the Talented and Gifted advisor at my kids former elementary school and I just love the job. I work way more hours than I planned (or get paid for) but that is just me trying to get the job done and enjoying what I do. The kids are just great and I admire the teachers so much. They are so dedicated to what they do and their enthusiasm shows all of the time. Even most of the parents are great.

One of the hardest things about teaching is all of the paperwork and administration. It really takes away from "kid time" so that is frustrating. The pay isn't great but the intrinsic rewards are wonderful (altho that doesn't pay the bills.)

I would suggest volunteering which you are already doing but maybe also lead a reading group (Junior Great Books is a good program) just to get a feel for what teaching really is like. Talk to lots of teachers and hear the good and the bad.

I love what I do and feel fortunate to have a job that I enjoy and is flexible. Just do lots of research.

Good Luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I used to teach. I quit the first time in 1976 to go back to school full time and get an Engineering degree. I taught again in 1986 for one year because I needed some money to pay bills while I went back to grad school full time. That's when I remembered why I quit the first time.

If you can teach in the school of your choice and not get a school where you are unappreciated and have to spend lots of your own money to get your class any of the extras, it might be okay. But usually, the best jobs go to the existing teachers. You might have to start at the bottom of the choices.

How about subbing for a while? That can get you in with a principal and considered for a full time position that comes open.

You may need to be certified depending on your school district. Or get a job as a teacher's aide to see if you really like the day to day stuff.

It can get frustrating when you can't do what you want to do with the class and are limited by local or state regs.

 

[Cindy B]

I am deciding to do this as well. I decided a few months ago to take on special needs 7th graders (mostly boys!) as a teachers aide.

I had always wanted to be a teacher. However, I got married young, had kids young, and couldn't justify the cost of school for me for a LONG time.

Just this summer I am going back to school for two / three courses. (In Education)


As for the teachers aid position, my position is not all what a teacher does but I'm imagining sort of close. I don't compose lesson plans, or attend team meetings.. But I grade papers, make copies, do parent phone calls, arrange meeting/classroom space, teach the class when the teacher is away, tutor, administer test, administer official IEP tests, disciplinary problems, and secretarial stuff as well My "kids" are challenging kids, the ones with emotional/chemical/medical problems. These unfortunately, are the kids no one else wants in a class... (they are in pull out classes.)


Whew! No wonder I am tired when I get home. And I don't get paid much at all, but I do get FULL and COMPLETE health coverage for me and my kids for ZERO COST!


There is nothing I would rather do. Yes, I am a few years away from obtaining my teaching certificate, and then I have to decide on district.

Luckily the district I am in is HUGE.. 12 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high schools... there will always be a need for teachers.

 

[JohnTBap]

Teaching is my second career, and I LOVE IT! It's a lot of hard work and is truly a calling because the money, well, it could be better.

I have been successful, I feel, because of an excellent college preparation program. I highly recommend the best preparation you can afford with regards to time and money.

As far as the kids are concerned, they want limits, clear expectations, consistency, and respect. If you can do that, you should do fine.

As for the parents, well.....


Best of luck to you!

 

[airhead]

DON'T DO IT!!!! I live with a very dedicated and hard working teacher. Many of my friends are teachers. Believe me,they work WAY beyond a 40 hour week! The teachers I know work at least until 9pm every night and part of the weekend.They love the teaching part of their jobs and the children. What they hate most is the lack of support they get from parents who feel like homework and anything school related is not their job! This floors me. So,be ready for that mentality. And be ready to buy most of your supplies. Schools here in MA don't provide their teachers with books for every kid in the class! That means the teacher must copy enough pages for every kid in his/her class!
Now that wouldn't be so bad if teachers were given a good supply of paper,but they aren't. Teachers are buying paper with their own money inorder to make these copies for their class to complete lessons!!! Please ,I could go on and on about this....
Then there's the MCAS. This has got to be the most waste of time and money in the history of education! Making a teacher be responsible for scores that are effected by children who just
enrolled in the class,non-english speaking students,sped kids,
and best of all test questions that some children can not relate to.(this just happened,a major portion of the test was based on a question that had to do with "snow day". 6 of my friend's students had never even seen snow,nevermind knowing what a "snow day" was!!!). Our Governor wants teachers,whose classes don't do well on these stupid test to go to summer school!!!! Gimme a break.....
I'm stopping right here because my blood pressure is soaring....
So,anyone thinking of teaching,talk to a teacher and think real hard about this choice.

Airhead

 

[glo]

ditto to what airhead said. It is the most draining and unappreciated job around...been doing it for 15 years, and though I love what I do...I would not do it again, if I had to start all over.

 

[yoopermom]

If you already have a bachelor's degree (in anything, I think), many school districts will let you sub (since most are desperate for subs). I know this isn't the same as "real" teaching, but will give you a feel for the daily grind, so to speak. It's good that you already volunteer, but subbing/teaching is something else. I've been at it over ten years, and would hate to see you take a bunch of classes and then see the reality of it. The kids are great, but the beaucracy is unbelievable...
Terri da Yoopermom

 

[Fizban257]

My wife teaches second grade and we looked into my teaching high school English while I work on my PhD. But, they require you to take a multitude of "education" courses which basically amount to an indoctrination in the teachers union's current pop psychology. The idea was for me to help out the District with their teacher's shortage, while putting food on the table and working on my degree. But I would have spent years taking all of the required classes before being certified and they wouldn't let me teach unless I was currently enrolled in these classes. It would have delayed finishing my PhD by years, so I work in the private sector as an editor.

Ironically, I teach 18-year-old freshman at my University, but the School District and Teachers Union say I'm unfit to teach the same material to 18-year-old high school seniors -- go figure. They have a teacher shortage, but turn away folks with Masters Degrees in their field.

Anyway, if your kids are young and you're looking to do this as a second career, but still want to be there for them... think long and hard. You will bring tons of work home every night and every weekend, and spend even more time attending college courses and doing the assignments for the same. Your time with your kids will be severely limited. You're probably much better off taking a part-time position in the school so you'll still be free for your kids.

My wife struggles daily to get the work done so she can be with our boys and she already has her teaching degree. I don't imagine we'd see very much of her if she was off to class at night as well.

 

[disykat]

I'm amazed by all the negative answers on this thread! I used to teach before becoming a SAHM and plan to go back someday (I would love to do 1/2 time). I thought teaching was a great profession - very fulfilling and often fun! Teaching is not always a 40 hour a week job, but it does have some great benefits.

*Usually the insurance is very good.
*You will have the same approximate schedule as your children.
*Some of the kids are terrific (of course you have to put up with a few who aren't!)
*I usually limited my "take home" or "stay extra late" days to one or two a week and managed to limit extra course work to several weekends a year - that's not too bad considering the benefit of following the same schedule as your kids in general.

I do have to say there were a couple of years that were awful because of my class makeup - but in general I think I had more fun teaching than I would have doing anything else. I still miss having my own class (I do sub now that my kids are in school).

 

[jamsmom]

I formally taught and had wanted to all my life. But, 40 hour weeks are a joke as is parental/administrative support in many areas. I hate the thought of ever having to go back, but may have to.

The insurance paid by the districts around here are not that grant if you have anyone on the policy other than yourself.

Many teachers have to put in extra weeks during the summer. I think there are other jobs that offer a more stable time with your children. Even though you may have to work summers, at least you are more likely to spend some evening hours and hours on the weekend.

It is wonderful to realize a light bulb goes off when a student "gets it", but the paperwork is getting way out of control.

Teachers must be classroom manager, counselor, motivator, nurse,......... never ends. Although, I DO KNOW that teachers must have a true calling for what they do.

My sister has a good friend who is working on her emergency certification and readily admits that her job has gotten where it comes over family (and children) because of the time and dedication required. She does love teaching my sister said.

 

[Popsicle]

Hate to be one of the Negative Nellies, but that's what happened when I tried teaching as a second career.

Left a job in private industry to teach. It was 10 years ago, but it's still fresh in my mind.

First, most of my children were wards of the state. Home guidance and assistance was practically non-existent.

One of the posts mentioned not having enough books. The only book every child could have a copy of was the health book.

It was bad enough without sufficient books, but our classroom didn't even have enough desks and chairs. (Had to scrounge for them whenever a new student was added to the classroom.) Had a fifth grade self-contained classroom. When I left, I had 38 students.

One of my breaking points came when the Assistant Principal castigated me for making copies of WORKBOOKS. There weren't enough so I had to copy them. (Not photocopies because classroom teachers weren't permitted to use the copy machine, but those old ditto things.) She told me I was breaking copyright laws. (There should be a lot of IP lawsuits going on if you used her logic.) Forget about paper and pencils and things like paint and crayons. It came out of the pocket. There was an allowance for that, but I never even asked for it.

I'll never forget a social worker coming to my class and asking about one particular little girl. Wanted to know if her brother had been around the class. If he had, I wouldn't have known him. When he told me to alert someone if I saw him, I was told that the girls had been removed from the home because he was molesting them. I broke down at that point. I was always breaking down about something that was happening to those children.

It takes a very special, strong person to deal with inner-city schools. I wasn't that person so I RAN back to the corporate world. If you're in a better community, you might have a different type of problem.

I don't regret going back because if I hadn't, I'd always wonder about what might have been.

Don't let any of us dissuade you. Good luck to you!

 

[Pumbaa_]

I have to say I am so glad that y'all have posted so honestly about this. This has been in the back of my mind for some time and I have been thinking about pursuing it. My certification has lapsed and I would have to get recertified and not sure if I should or shouldn't since I was laid off. I will continue to oursue private industry now. The pluses are outweighed by the negative and all the things I have been concerned about are real.

Thank you!

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you like teaching, how about training adults? Or working for something like these tutoring companies (can't remember the names)? I enjoyed teaching but not the stuff that went along with it. So while I love my current job, I have taught Sunday school for seven years - 3rd graders - to keep at it. It was fun. Only an hour each Sunday.

 

[Talking Hands]

I am going back for a second (third) career but instead of teaching I will be doing sign langauge interpreting. Still have the contact with the kids, still do teaching (at request of teacher) and don't have the huge amounts of paper work plus when I go home I don't have to worry about them. Plus I can free lance as well in the community. Will probably get both QA and EIE then definitely go for national certification throuhg RID.
I've been teaching and it is really a thankless job. Love most of the kids but the parents are the pits. Don't ask me about the number of parents who don't even sign and don't communicate with there kids.

 

[antnee]

I made the switch last year from a full time computer programmer to a high school computer science teacher. I disagree here with sime who think it is a thankless job. True you may not get many kids that come back and thank you for the way you touched their lives but your rewards will be know when in years to come you run inot some of your former students and realize how much you may have touched their lives. They may never say "Hey Thank you" but just seeing them as productive members of society will let you know who was responsible for helping to mold them.

I have not regretted my decision one day since I made the decision to do this full time


Good Luck

 

[2TxAgs]

Thanks so much for the insights.

I was at the school this AM, and saw a kid go tramping on other kids backpacks, completely maliciously. Before I could say anything, he saw the asst principal and took off. I was PO'd and ready to take the kid by the back of his shirt and drag him to the office. How DARE he treat other people's things with such disregard! Then I thought - I'd probably have been fired if I was a teacher and had grabbed him like I was tempted to. Do I want to deal with kids who have so little respect for others? Can I look past the discretions and see where I can help a kid like that? DO I WANT TO????

I have much to think about.....

TxAg

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by 2TxAgs
Thanks so much for the insights.

I was at the school this AM, and saw a kid go tramping on other kids backpacks, completely maliciously. Before I could say anything, he saw the asst principal and took off. I was PO'd and ready to take the kid by the back of his shirt and drag him to the office. How DARE he treat other people's things with such disregard! Then I thought - I'd probably have been fired if I was a teacher and had grabbed him like I was tempted to. Do I want to deal with kids who have so little respect for others? Can I look past the discretions and see where I can help a kid like that? DO I WANT TO????

I have much to think about.....

TxAg

That is really something to think about. I work with four teachers, and one gave me some wonderful unsolicited advice. Pick your battles wisely. I work with emotionally disturbed, mentally challenged 13 year old boys.

Sometimes it just challenges me to see what others are saying, doing and acting disrespectfully. I have been called every obscenity in the book (in English and other languages) I just write them up, and send them to the office. And when they don't want to go to the office (happened today.. its a 200 plus lb/ 5 10 kid who does have a history of violence) I have to get a male teacher/principal/guidance counselor.


I'm really learning how to sweat the small stuff.. like when they mumble under their breath about me.. unless I hear certain words.. I let it go. If they call me woman.. I let it go unless I hear a certain word (obscenity or rhymes with witch)

But honestly you have to have tough skin, lots of patience, and lots of compassion/love all at the same time. If you can do it.. thats great..