What do YOU like about teaching....

[kittenicole]

I am interested in finding out what you like about teaching. I am a college student that is majoring in Education and I was wondering what you like and dislike about your job? I also was wondering how you feel about the pay....if you are single or if you are married and your husband doesn't make alot of money....do you feel that you can afford things or do you feel you live paycheck to paycheck? Can you purchase a house? How about a car? Is it difficult to make ends meet? Mainly what I am looking for is for you all to look back when you first started out; could you afford this stuff? What is rewarding about your job? Would you change your major if you could go back and do it again? Thanks for all your help...I just need some feedback. I don't doubt that teaching is what I want to do,. but I am conserned about the pay, I want to make sure I can afford some of these things, because I would like to have my own house and a newer car and my husband works in a factory for 8.50 an hour, so I want to make sure I am not going to be living paycheck to paycheck.

 

[pawla]

Hi I'm a teacher

Hi I'm a grade 3 teacher. This is my 4th year of teaching. Let me try and answer all your questions. There are many things i like about my job:
1. The children get to love you
2. It's motivating to see your chiildren learn
3. When you get positive feedback from parents it's the best thing in teaching

What I don't like:
1. The fact that I have a lot of correcting
2. The fact that it's difficult to do everything on my own
3. My throat suffers at times!

I'm single but I'm getting married this year. My husband is also a teacher so we get the same pay. I can't grumble about the pay however I wouldn't grumble if they had to increase it:-) I have a house not a car but we want to buy a car soon.

I think teaching is indeed a wonderful job with all it's ups and downs. Good luck and hope I was of some help to you

 

[molly]

Make sure you spend time in a classroom before you decide for sure if you want to be a teacher,,, the reality is so much different then what you think it will be. Volunteer in a grade that you think you may want to teach..
The pay is pretty bad, depending on where you live.... but the benefits are great,,, medical, retirement, etc. You can tutor to help supplement your pay and work in the summer....

 

[hanan]

i m a teacher at a secondary school.i ve been teaching for only two years(i m 25years old)..i ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher and i ve fulfilled my dream..as a matter of fact, teaching is not an enjoyable job as i used to think..u ve to be strong enough to bear the students noise and to face different faces each day u get in ur classroom..
sometimes, i really dont feel like speaking to anyone, yet i have to..i ve to be in good humour in order to successfully reach the objectives i set for my lessons..

 

[mgf91280]

teaching

I'm 25 years old and in my 4th year of teaching. Initially, I did not want to follow in the footsteps of my mother and become a teacher, however, a year into college I dropped my art major and decided to give teaching a whirl.

What I love most about teaching:
* The creativity
* The moment when you realize a student "gets it"
* Having a positive influence on kids and exposing them to all sorts of thoughts, ideas, cultures, knowledge that they might not get otherwise.
* Having the summer to travel

What I don't love about teaching:
* Insane parents
* Standardized testing that schools seem to live, eat, and breathe.
* Having to be "on" all the time... like another poster said earlier, I don't always want to be perky and in the center of attention. I'm a naturally soft-spoken person and I find that I hate having to take a deep breath before I speak (what seems like yelling to me!) to the class.

With regard to money, I'm a single female living on my own and I manage fine. This is mainly because I lived at home with my parents my first two years of teaching because I didn't know what I wanted to do right after college. Saving money for two years helped immensely. I first paid off my car. I rented a townhouse for a year, then just last August bought a condo. Granted, my mortgage is an interest only and I had to find the cheapest condo possible in an area where I still feel somewhat safe. It's sad that I'm a professional and at this time in the Florida real estate market, it's hard to find a safe place to live for the amount I can afford.

If you and your husband are both working, you should be fine, just modestly. Don't do what so many people do and live beyond their means. Could a teacher afford a car or a house? Yes, but be realistic. Buy a pre-owned Honda (or a new Hyundai for that matter), not an Escalade. Buy a townhome or small house in the outskirts of town. It can be done. Good luck!

 

[spensemma]

I'm a first grade teacher in an At-Risk district and I love teaching here because I feel rewarded everyday! My kids come to school everyday excited to see me and be here! It's also rewarding when they finally "get it"!

As far as the pay-I make pretty decent money-it isn't as much as some workers, but we also get a lot more time off than them! If we were to work the same amount of time, our pay would be about the same. I think it's worth it. It's worth having less pay since I'm able to come towork everyday feeling good about what I do! My day is never the same and it's like I'm my own boss. I wouldn't change this career for anything!

 

[2ndGradeChick]

Teaching

I've been teaching for many years and I wouldn't leave it for anything. I took time off to raise my own kids...but then got right back into it. The best thing about my job (2nd Grade for the last 7 years) is the students. I love them. I love listening to them tell me about their weekends, their families, their sports....it doesn't end. I love to watch them learn, try to figure out what their thinking and how they learn. I enjoy watching them interact with each other, getting cards they've made, and pictures. (I also love my co workers, but they come and go)
What I don't like about my job, is all the paperwork. I like to give a lot of grades so when they bomb a paper it won't show so much in their grade, or if they don't get it the first time there are more chances to improve. I grade everything they do, some I don't record and send home, but most I put in the gradebook. I work at a small private school and don't get paid much.($25,000) My reward is loving my job!
Don't be worried about pay at this stage in your life. You will have money for those things you feel are important. Your husband may not always work in a factory for 8.50 an hour. Cars come and go... but your job needs to be fulfilling, enjoyable and challenging.
My husband has tried, over the years, to encourage me to take a stab at administration, but I just think i'd miss the kids too much. We've been married for 28 years, i have two grown kids (one is just graduating from college this may and my son is in Iraq-army) and we are at stage in our life where we are comfortable with each other and our careers. I wouldnt change mine ever...although I have begun to think of retirement, but I think i'd miss the kids too much!
Spend time in several classrooms...not just a day or two, but go back consistently for several months-be a volunteer and be sure you enjoy working with children as they are too precious to give to someone who doesn't want to be a teacher.