Thinking of becoming a teacher, PLEASE need advice.

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I am seriously considering changing careers. I would have to go back to school, and $ is of course a consideration in this. I have been toying with this idea for at least 5 years, and on Sunday I decided to go for it. I know that it can be a tough field to break into, and I met some teachers in the grocery store who really were trying to discourage me from even trying. stating the low amount of jobs available, that it is almost impossible to find a job. I don't know what to do now. Should I even pursue this? And I don't even know where to begin to look into requirements and all the above, any advice????

 

[travel with kids]

I am going to send you a PM!!

 

[kidzmom3]

If you already hold a college degree, there are programs you can go through to get your ceritifcation, sometimes with no or minimal additional schooling. It works sort of like an internship with workshops. We have this program in Massachusetts, I forgot to look at what state you are from.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I live in Wisconsin. How can I find out about these programs? Any place on line that I can search, or should I just start calling around?

 

[Pin Wizard]

You could probably call the counseling office at your local college and find out. Let them know what you've got and ask them what you need. Someone I know says teaching jobs are hard to come by in TX. Her husband was apparently lucky to get his own 4th grade class. This is his first year at teaching. Here in FL they're practically begging for teachers. I'm headed in that direction but really don't know if I should do it.

 

[JustHolly]

I say go for it! I would highly recommend a specialized field such as Reading Specialist, or special education because these are often areas of "critical shortage"

If you already have a bachelor's degree in something, many states, inlcuding NH allow you to begin teaching with a plan to get in your required courses for certification.

In NH, school psychologists, speech pathologists, math teachers, special educators, and many others fall in this category. The benefit? You can try it out and know if you hate it before its too late. Also, many districts will pay for the courses you need.

 

[Cindy B]

Well, I am doing it as well. I currently decided to do teaching versus what my previous major was.. theater! (Yeah, I'm going to get a lot of work with my 32 year old body/voice....! HA!)

I'm excited about it. Reading specialist does sound like fun to me, I am currently working as a educational assistant in my local school district, so I have seen the good, (student understanding reading, getting concepts, writing well), the bad (the kids who show up maybe twice a month, with tons of special services that still get F's!) and the ugly (getting called every name in the book and then some!)

I have seen the good and the bad. And I still want to do it.

I am kicking around the idea of special education, but not sure about it.

 

[JohnTBap]

I work in a urban district in Texas and we beg, borrow and steal teachers every year. A good teacher preparation program makes all the difference. Best of luck to you!