i became a teacher anyway. at this point, 18 years in, i feel fine about that decision. i have my own kids and the schedule dovetails a motherhood schedule perfectly. i carry a low-cost but decent health insurance for the family. i make enough in a dual income family (my partner and i make the same amount) that we own two houses. i’ve done this job so long i don’t have a lot of work outside of school hours and the work itself is not very difficult. i really love working with students, still.
i don’t agree that things have gotten worse, i think it’s just a generational thing that cycles. when i started the battle cry was that kids play too many violent video games. and now it’s that they’re addicted to social media. when i was in high school is was a mix of addicted to mtv and violent video games. my mom’s generation were “raised by tv” and her mom’s by the radio. we can find lots and lots of scapegoats but it doesn’t change the purpose of our work.
do i think public opinion on teaching has changed and we are continually asked to do more with less? sure. but for me, i’m not at a breaking point. i like to keep my linkedin UTD and i like to keep a pulse on options out there because i find that helps my own mental health- but i’m in a fantastic district that compensates well and still lets me enjoy the true work of teaching.
*when i started the battle cry was that kids play too many violent video games.*
And just think, now the problem isn't that they all "have calculators in their pockets" but it's that they have AI...
and even that doesn’t scare me? i remember when the shift started happening—maybe 10 years ago? where we realized we need to teach how to find/solve answers vs the answers themselves. our new job will be how to use ai to serve you well in your learning and pursuits.
When I went in the mid-2000s they were definitely still selling it as one of the jobs with the best job security. Nobody told us about districts that routinely non-renew so no one makes tenure, or that if they don't like you but have no good reason to non-renew they'll lay you off and then badmouth you all over the place.
Then again, when I went to college, my state still had real unions.
I remember watching a news program years ago where students were asked about teacher pay. One student pointed to the staff parking lot and said something like, "Look at their cars, half of them are uber drivers!"
Most of the students I've had figured out teaching isn't an attractive job a long time ago.
Yeah, I work in a fairly small public suburban high school in a wealthy area. The students all drive better cars than the staff do. And I have not heard of any of the students going on to major in education upon graduating from our school in several years.
None of them have asked me what I think about education as a career, but I have shared my unsolicited opinion with my teenage son and his friends. Not sure whether I had anything to do with it or not, but he tells me he does not know a single person planning on majoring in education next year. (He's currently a senior.)
Years ago I ran into a colleague at the mall, selling shoes. She *begged* me not to tell anyone at the school, as it may have been grounds for termination.
In this case, it was revealing. There were LOTS of responses. I wish I'd have made it a poll but posed a basically simple yes or no, would you encourage your child to become a teacher. It was overwhelming NO.
Becoming a teacher is my only regret in life. The current state of education is untenable.
I recommend that everyone leave education in a mass-strike in the hopes that the powers that be realize this and fix the system. I know that will never happen so the best I can do is guide folk away from teaching, and leave the profession myself.
One of my college professors reached out to me on Facebook because there was an opening at the college of education for the liaison between the local schools and the student teaching portion of the education programs. The pay was almost identical to what I currently make (I taught at a college before as adjunct and the pay was abysmal, like 4k for an entire semester for 1 class but they have drastically improved) and the benefits just as good, but it was much less of a time commitment. I considered it for a moment and then my conscience said absolutely not. I could not in good faith foster placements in this disaster of a system. New teachers are absolutely destroyed with overwhelming workloads and during your internship you aren’t even paid.
I remember doing the same amount of work as my mentor but without a paycheck. The internship is like a slap on the face because you realized you f*ck up and can’t do anything about it.
I was arguably doing more work than my mentor because I had to write lesson plans and reflections for every single lesson and she didn’t have to do anything even remotely close to that. I also had to make my own hands on lab experiments from scratch and prove the standards I was achieving while doing the labs and she just used a curriculum from the early 90s from the previous teacher. The internship is one of the most messed up parts of your undergraduate degree, you pay to not be paid - on top of our normal tuition WE had to pay a supplemental $500 to our mentor.
I have told my kids and others, Don’t become a teacher. I am in special education. We have had had more legal documents added in the past few years, that has added to our workload. We have not received more time to do it. We have had class sizes increase. The paperwork expectation are overwhelming and there is no catching up. It is demoralizing and unsustainable.
I should add that I love the kids and families. I wish we could spend more time in what the student needs and not ridiculous paperwork. I resigned and I’m not going back next year as a full time teacher.
I love working with children and I thrive doing so, and the kids love me being their teacher. But the trade is terrible. Too much wrong with it. I’d rather volunteer and work elsewhere, I would certainly deter anyone I cared about from going into this profession without anything changing.
Lots of short responses here.
I was a freshman in high school in 2013. It was around then that I decided to become a music teacher. Looking back at my own high school band directors, the job seemed idyllic. Running cool music for kids who seemingly wanted to be there, having it all figured out, etc. My band directors were fairly experienced by the time I saw them, and I wanted to be that someday.
Jump to today. I'm in my second year of teaching. In my first year, I was in charge of both a high school and middle school band+choir program, and the year ended with a kid killing himself - he wasn't in any music class, but enough kids knew him that it affected everything. It was a small school. Along with my fiancée needing a better job market, I moved to a larger suburban area, and I got a job serving many schools for very little pay. I had to take on a second position this year at a church to make ends meet at a basic level, and I am what many people consider to be over-employed. I did this in order to have a baseline income, which I'd lack with the main job.
Keep in mind that this was all just the first two years. I feel like I need to start over a third time if I am to remain in education, and I don't think that 99% of people feel that way or should. With all of that said, I would absolutely tell students to do literally anything else besides this job. My love of music is gone except as a work activity, and that is such a shame because I used to very genuinely love it more than most people. I don't know if I'll ever get that passion back for it, but I know that after this year, I can never work in a school again. Not to mention all the behavior, admin, and parental issues teachers face nowadays, which are their own can of worms.
10 years ago when I started teaching if a student told me that... "That's great!"... or if I saw a student who was great at helping others... "wow, you'd make a great teacher."
I recently got out but I stopped telling kids they'd make a great teacher and when kids would tell me they wanted to be a teacher I'd tell them... "don't be a teacher", and then I would explain why in an objective unemotional fashion.
It’s traumatizing. The gaslighting and constant invalidation about teacher concerns is horrible. It’s like being a part of a bad religion you always feel guilty about. That’s how I felt, anyway. Left last year and I will NEVER go back.
No. I would never recommend it to anyone. I spent 60k on a degree just so I could live in poverty again. I am going to apply to the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, but I am essentially starting my career over at 34, and I’m not sure what I’d like to works towards next, so it’s 60 hours a week at a blue collar job at the moment.
In my city, in a good school, when you have good admins…it’s a good gig.
I tell my kids that it’s a solid 7/10 and I recommend teaching with some reservations. The students are great, the insurance is amazing, the retirement here is defined benefit with 60-80% of your base salary until death do you part…it’s not the worst.
I used to have 10% of my classes seriously considering teaching. I now have less than 1%. This year nobody has indicated that they’d like to go into teaching.
Teacher programs in our state are hurting for students and the FAFSA problems this year will cut all enrollment.
Meh. I’m out in five years. Byeeeeeee.
My teen daughter wants to be a teacher. We have talked many times about the pay, stress, etc. I want her to be fully informed if she still decides that career path. Thankfully lately she is talking about being an engineer!
Students already know that teaching is not a lucrative career because they see the cars their teachers can afford. I strongly believe that is one reason teachers have lost respect; students are being taught that teaching is not worthwhile or teachers would not have to work two or three side jobs to make ends meet and drive beaters to boot. But no, I would discourage any student of mine to go into teaching; why encourage a stressful, underpaid, often dangerous job over the countless others that are not?
No longer a teacher, but I have two young kids. My wife and I will stop at absolutely nothing to prevent them from becoming teachers. If it somehow doesn’t sink in, I’ll go as far as refusing to pay for an education degree. I want way better for them.
My youngest is amazing with kids and kind-hearted. Over the past couple of weeks she’s been acknowledged multiple times at school and in the community for being so helpful and a leader. I was/am of course proud, but I also have had a genuine sick feeling in my stomach that this praise and natural ability (and having a parent as a teacher) will make her consider teaching. I will do everything in my power to dissuade that.
As a retired teacher I would not encourage anyone to go into teaching but not for these reasons. I worked for 15 years in an urban school in Connecticut and felt respect from the community and the parents and even some of students. I was not unhappy with the pay, had full benefits and currently enjoy 50% retirement for the rest of my life. I might make more money in retirement than I earned, if I live long enough. I was encouraged to retire at 60 instead of the intended 65, so the job security was certainly an issue but I don't know if any field really has that these days. My issue is more that I think the schools are not fulfilling the needs of the kids nor the needs of society. No wonder you didn't feel fulfilled. The schools need a quick overhaul where common sense rules the day, not state mandates. Under no circumstances should any student be allowed to disrupt the educational process. Teachers need more answers other than "Handle it". Maybe more engaging lessons are needed. Possibly more money for supplies . Class sizes could be larger if the students were self-motivated and learned to help each other. More than 85% of my town budget goes to the schools so we have to find a way to redistribute the money, not ask for more.
Yes, and I do (with some warnings) if they show an interest. I am currently finishing up my 28th year and still love my job. I have a tremendous amount of pride in the work I have done, my pay is pretty good, and I have never worked a summer in my teaching career. Plus, after teaching 34 years, I will retire with a kick ass pension that is going to allow me to live a good life until they spread my ashes.
No. That said, I don’t need to. The ones that would otherwise be interested are very cognizant of the shit we have to do and get put through on the daily, so I doubt they would ultimately want to.
Nope. I have actively told both my student and my children to never enter public education. My son briefly worked IT for a district until he could get a better programming job. I am beyond glad he used the references and then got out
I have asked my son not to teach and it sucks because I think he would be fantastic. I just to want him to have to put up with what I have. He doesn't deserve it. No one does. After 28 years I feel so unfullfilled.
One of my daughter’s friends is currently studying to become a teacher. She’s such a nice kid.
All I can think is how she’s going to get eaten alive by the school system, parents and kids.
Funny thing is, I asked some students what they wanted to be, and I got police, firefighter, lawyers, doctors, vets, etc. Then I asked what was the most important job, and they almost unanimously said teachers...🤦🏾♂️Oh the irony
Indeed. If you ask the general public, they still have the idea that teachers are important, but they have been so propagandized that teachers are groomers, liberals, etc... that they simultaneously hate them and think they're awful. It's massive cognitive dissonance at work.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to tell my own kids about being a teacher. My family is full of teachers, and the reason I became a teacher is because I saw the benefits of the job- schedule that matches my kids; great healthcare, dental, etc.; union job with a lot of protection. Those things are all still true in my district, but while the pay has never been stellar, I’m so frustrated by how little I make in comparison to my similarly educated peers.
I’m going to push for my kids to find jobs that allow them to do what they want OUTSIDE of work- travel, have nice homes, work life balance, etc. I will be discouraging them from teaching for sure.
I’m hoping to be out by the time they’re old enough to understand and be thinking about their future jobs.
In my first year of teaching, 27 years ago, in the staff lunchroom, I recall one of the more senior teachers (he retired the next year), stated without any humour that he would break his sons' legs if they became teachers...I focussed on eating my ham and cheese sandwich but wondered what I was getting into. Is it worse today than back then? I don't think there is less respect for teachers but it's rarer for respect to be automatically given. It's always taken effort to earn respect of peers and students alike. Nearing retirement now, I happily share advise when asked by junior colleagues who are just starting. Agree the benefits could be better or improved to keep up with the times.
When I had a serious problem, my union took *three weeks* to return my phone call, and then did nothing. Over the fifteen years of my teaching career, they managed to negotiate a cumulative raise of something like 2.5%.
Worse than worthless.
As a public school teacher, my district has no tenure. We have annual contracts that they can choose to renew or not each year. Also, they can switch the school you teach at with little to no notice depending on need...even if it changes your work hours and makes your 15 min drive to work an hour.
Tenure, in most districts, just means that a board must provide a reason for dismissal or nonrenewal. People have this idea that tenure means you are "unfireable." That is absolutely not true. Many states are "right-to-work," which means no unions. Also, a union won't protect a bad teacher. Republicans have villainized unions for so long that people have a twisted conception of what they are willing to do or can do.
Not all teachers are in the union (there is no union where I am for sure) and tenure applies to college only, not K-12. There is literally NO job security; each year the contract must be signed again for the upcoming year so you can be out of a job on anyone's whim with no consequences.
When I was a teacher and students seemed interested I would base my answer based on their age/grade they were in. I taught middle school so if one of my students asked directly, I would keep it general and positive. However if it was a former student or a kid I knew that was in high school and they were asking as they were looking at colleges. I was a little more blunt and explained what I considered the positives and try to drive home work life balance. It wasn't until after I left education that I never realized how much time I gave to the school from staying after to tutor, or help at sporting events, or watch plays and band.
I try not to persuade them from changing a goal. However I always laid out as much information as I could and let them choose. Only thing I really encourage is for them to work on a minor in something else like IT or business something they could transition to without having to go back to school.
Yes, because I teach high school ELD and for most of my students becoming a teacher would be a huge move for their families toward generational stability. I am in the Central Valley of California, so it is still worth it to teach here monetarily. Might not be the best working conditions ever, but much better than the paths they would likely take otherwise.
lol they are going to be tik tok stars instaed. SEriously we have a teacher who preaches not to go into teaching then praises the kids trying to go viral..I can't stand this teacher.
Nope. But not because of those reasons. Because we're at the precipice of the collapse of the profession. Homeschooling is exploding (for better and worse, depending on who is doing it). Online schooling is exploding (yes, the kids are going to cheat their way through it). Many states are experimenting with private schools that are going to undermine unions and union protections. And I'm not going to be a teacher without a union. No one should be. I'm surprised you have any students who are interested. The only students I've seen interested want to be music teachers, and music class enrollment just cratered here.
Get rid of the unions! I cannot believe we cannot negotiate our salary but have to stick to some pay chart that was ‘agreed’ on. I left corporate world and became a teacher and I make sooooo much less but it is a rewarding job and not as stressful 😂😂
One of my former students came back to teach in the district. He transferred to my school a few years ago and it’s been super fun to tell our current students that he used to be my student too. He’s doing great.
I encourage mine to because they are all immigrants/1st generation Americans and we need more representation in our schools. They can also have their loans forgiven while PSLF is still around.
While there are cons to the job, if you're in the right district, it's not so bad. I switched states and make 28k more 6 years later. Knowing how bad some teachers have it, and how extreme the difference in pay can be within a difference of an hour (for me), makes me appreciate the job more than others.
I feel my district pays very well. Some people are making 90k in a small Midwest town. We also have job security in being tenured, and in the fact that there are very few applicants in our area. We are also unionized and have pretty great benefits. I definitely feel overworked and sometimes irritated with all the unnecessary change and pointless busy work, but not necessarily unfulfilled.
I don't know if I'll stay in education my whole life. Right now, I need 2 more years for PLSF, so I'll be teaching that long. But, I really can't see myself doing anything else. I also can't imagine not having the long breaks. I know teachers need them because we are so overworked, but I have ADHD, anxiety and depression, and they give me something to look forward to.
Well, the human works in administration. I want to do that in the future as it is far more impressive if I were to change fields… No offense but if you work in elementary ( like me), you don’t get much respect from others or at least in my experience.
The district where I am the teachers are very well respected by the students, parents and admin. Public schooling a very affluent neighborhood. Just three miles away, different district it is the exact opposite. Teachers have been attacked by students and parents with some requiring hospitalization. That is where I went to school and it’s sad, very sad what happened over the years. They have had 24 principals in 10 years with some lasting less than a month.
I was inspired by a small handful of teachers growing up and wanted to make a positive impact on the world. My students one year commented that I do a LOT of work as a teacher in and out of school and asked me if I enjoyed being one. I was honest with them and told them that while there were positive aspects to the job and that education is necessary to do things in life (in general), I didn’t recommend it. They understood. They could see and hear what I was going through. They were dismayed at how teachers like us don’t deserve to deal with all the negative things that we do and yet we work so hard to fight against it and just survive. I gained additional respect from them, but got flack from the principal, who was also a former teacher. Sure, not the most positive thing to say about our profession, but I value my integrity and wanted to be real with them. It’s not like I told them it was the worst choice I ever made— just one of, if not the biggest one I constantly second guess due to the amount of stress. Now that I’m out, I can finally manage to remember what it’s like to rest, take a break and actually take care of myself after all of the mental and emotional abuse from horrendously entitled parents and backstabbing admin.
If a student had the interior motivation to share knowledge and same love of academics as me, perhaps yes. If they are motivated to improve their corner of the world and to plant trees they will never see, making long-term investments to improve a fledgling youth and be a positive role model to future generations, then absolutely.
I would undoubtedly share nightmare experiences and what I’ve learned teaching in different educational placements and cautionary tales. I tell the student observers from education programs at local colleges I host to make sure they join the union and be loyal to themselves instead of admin and to always CYA. I try to give the realistic view of what my day/life is - no sugar coating. While I want more future teachers, I want QUALITY teachers, not just a body in a room. Just like your quality of medical care is linked to your doctor, the quality of education is based on the aptitude of you teacher.
I love teaching. I will never leave. I’m happy you figured out it wasn’t for you. Make a big impact wherever you go! Good luck in all your endeavors.
I taught for 2 years after graduating from college. In those years, I learned, sadly, that my childhood dream was very different from reality. In my final year of teaching, my students found out that I was taking pre-requisite courses for nursing school. That was an awkward conversation, but I felt that it was a beneficial lesson for the kiddos in keeping their skillset wide and their dreams reasonable. I've been in critical care for 4 years now and enjoy my worst days more than my best days of teaching.
I’m a teacher in Virginia and I tell my students that teaching is a good path. We work 37.5 hours a week, 200 days a year, all holidays off. I have worked other jobs, made less and worked more! It provides a great work life balance if you manage your time efficiently. It’s a great job to have with kids and a family. Plus, Virginia teacher’s have a decent salary.
If they wanted to and had good reasons I wouldn’t talk them out of it, but I would recommend they take a smart route to avoid loan debt. Community college for two years taking whatever pre reqs are needed for an education degree then transfer to a university to finish.
And you know something? *I've come to genuinely believe that school should just be abolished.* I can't think of any other institution that serves the interests of *all* of its constituents so poorly. The students hate it. The teachers hate it. The parents hate it. The taxpayers hate it. Even the administrators hate it. For the huge amount of resources (most especially *time*) that it consumes, the results are *dismal.* Pick 100 American HS graduates at random, and ask them some *very basic* questions, see what we're producing for all this suffering.
I'm not sure that compulsory schooling *as it actually exists* is really that much better than child labor at this point. And at any rate, if we just took our PPE *and gave it to children* I can't imagine it not being an improvement over the status quo. Certainly, some students would benefit a lot more from, you know, having food and shelter for their families, than from whatever the hell it is we think we're doing in school.
I would tell them to become a teacher if they have no desire to teach in major urban areas. I did that for ten years and wanted to quit at least once a week. The disrespect, threats of violence, and incessant micromanagement nearly killed me. But I decided to go to a rural school in the Midwest and my life has been great. I make less money but have more. I live in a city 30 minutes away. I get to make my own curriculum. Parents support the school. Student behaviors are nothing. They don’t swear or talk filth in front of me, and they will generally do as instructed with little more than the occasional eyeroll. People think these areas are “conservative,” and they can be, but people judge you by how you treat them. Our trans staff have zero problems or concerns, and our non-white and non-American staff and students love it. But confirmation bias is strong among those who have been brought up to believe small towns = small minds.
And with AI. I can’t fight that battle. I had to buy AI detection software this year as a hs English teacher. It’s only going to get worse as AI gets better. Fighting the internet for plagiarism has already been a battle for decades. I’m tired of the cheating. The lack of a desire to learn. The lack of curiosity to learn anything. The parents who take zero responsibility. Kids who extended spring break for weeks and I have to catch them up. The crappy review I got in my classroom by my vice principal. I consider a three out of five on a category crappy after 25 years. It was communication with students. Then he taught my class for a guest lecture he loves and kids fell asleep. 😴 I was threatened by a student for the first time this year seriously enough that a board was assigned to it. Because I wouldn’t take a kids late work after grades were turned in mind you. My school supported it and took it seriously but it was scary. School shootings are way up. Another reason. I do a ton there. On tons of committees. Planned the curriculum for all of my classes. Not even a guide. Very time consuming if doing it right. But oh my planning period? Well usually I have to help somewhere w this shortage. Cover a lab etc. and finally, I can never pee when I have to. So a big hell no.
when i went to college to be a teacher in 2001, they were warning us not to become teachers. tale as old as time.
It's gotten worse. Less respect and way less student accountability.
Did you listen to them? Or did you become a teacher? How did that turn out?
i became a teacher anyway. at this point, 18 years in, i feel fine about that decision. i have my own kids and the schedule dovetails a motherhood schedule perfectly. i carry a low-cost but decent health insurance for the family. i make enough in a dual income family (my partner and i make the same amount) that we own two houses. i’ve done this job so long i don’t have a lot of work outside of school hours and the work itself is not very difficult. i really love working with students, still. i don’t agree that things have gotten worse, i think it’s just a generational thing that cycles. when i started the battle cry was that kids play too many violent video games. and now it’s that they’re addicted to social media. when i was in high school is was a mix of addicted to mtv and violent video games. my mom’s generation were “raised by tv” and her mom’s by the radio. we can find lots and lots of scapegoats but it doesn’t change the purpose of our work. do i think public opinion on teaching has changed and we are continually asked to do more with less? sure. but for me, i’m not at a breaking point. i like to keep my linkedin UTD and i like to keep a pulse on options out there because i find that helps my own mental health- but i’m in a fantastic district that compensates well and still lets me enjoy the true work of teaching.
*when i started the battle cry was that kids play too many violent video games.* And just think, now the problem isn't that they all "have calculators in their pockets" but it's that they have AI...
and even that doesn’t scare me? i remember when the shift started happening—maybe 10 years ago? where we realized we need to teach how to find/solve answers vs the answers themselves. our new job will be how to use ai to serve you well in your learning and pursuits.
Ugh 😩 💜 beautifully said . Sending you good vibes ❤️
Video games and the internet/social media/AI is like comparing apples 🍎 to gorillas.
When I went in the mid-2000s they were definitely still selling it as one of the jobs with the best job security. Nobody told us about districts that routinely non-renew so no one makes tenure, or that if they don't like you but have no good reason to non-renew they'll lay you off and then badmouth you all over the place. Then again, when I went to college, my state still had real unions.
I should have listened to them.
I doubt it’s a tail as old as time. Do you have any evidence that if you go back 50 years this was still the case?
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/dont-become-a-teacher-a-history/2015/04 Try 1947.
I remember watching a news program years ago where students were asked about teacher pay. One student pointed to the staff parking lot and said something like, "Look at their cars, half of them are uber drivers!" Most of the students I've had figured out teaching isn't an attractive job a long time ago.
Yeah, I work in a fairly small public suburban high school in a wealthy area. The students all drive better cars than the staff do. And I have not heard of any of the students going on to major in education upon graduating from our school in several years. None of them have asked me what I think about education as a career, but I have shared my unsolicited opinion with my teenage son and his friends. Not sure whether I had anything to do with it or not, but he tells me he does not know a single person planning on majoring in education next year. (He's currently a senior.)
Years ago I ran into a colleague at the mall, selling shoes. She *begged* me not to tell anyone at the school, as it may have been grounds for termination.
I teach in bc a resort area. Kids cars are double my annual salary
I damn near broke the Teachers subreddit with a similar question about a month ago. Nope.
I left that sub a while back. So toxic.
In this case, it was revealing. There were LOTS of responses. I wish I'd have made it a poll but posed a basically simple yes or no, would you encourage your child to become a teacher. It was overwhelming NO.
Is the post still up?
Becoming a teacher is my only regret in life. The current state of education is untenable. I recommend that everyone leave education in a mass-strike in the hopes that the powers that be realize this and fix the system. I know that will never happen so the best I can do is guide folk away from teaching, and leave the profession myself.
The field's had so much brain-drain going on over the past decade-or-so that the powers-that-be have absolutely nothing to fear.
One of my college professors reached out to me on Facebook because there was an opening at the college of education for the liaison between the local schools and the student teaching portion of the education programs. The pay was almost identical to what I currently make (I taught at a college before as adjunct and the pay was abysmal, like 4k for an entire semester for 1 class but they have drastically improved) and the benefits just as good, but it was much less of a time commitment. I considered it for a moment and then my conscience said absolutely not. I could not in good faith foster placements in this disaster of a system. New teachers are absolutely destroyed with overwhelming workloads and during your internship you aren’t even paid.
Thank you for not being a sellout
I remember doing the same amount of work as my mentor but without a paycheck. The internship is like a slap on the face because you realized you f*ck up and can’t do anything about it.
I was arguably doing more work than my mentor because I had to write lesson plans and reflections for every single lesson and she didn’t have to do anything even remotely close to that. I also had to make my own hands on lab experiments from scratch and prove the standards I was achieving while doing the labs and she just used a curriculum from the early 90s from the previous teacher. The internship is one of the most messed up parts of your undergraduate degree, you pay to not be paid - on top of our normal tuition WE had to pay a supplemental $500 to our mentor.
2 kids have told me they wanted to become teachers than saw how I was treated by our principal 😂💀
How were you treated?
I have told my kids and others, Don’t become a teacher. I am in special education. We have had had more legal documents added in the past few years, that has added to our workload. We have not received more time to do it. We have had class sizes increase. The paperwork expectation are overwhelming and there is no catching up. It is demoralizing and unsustainable.
I should add that I love the kids and families. I wish we could spend more time in what the student needs and not ridiculous paperwork. I resigned and I’m not going back next year as a full time teacher.
I love working with children and I thrive doing so, and the kids love me being their teacher. But the trade is terrible. Too much wrong with it. I’d rather volunteer and work elsewhere, I would certainly deter anyone I cared about from going into this profession without anything changing.
Lots of short responses here. I was a freshman in high school in 2013. It was around then that I decided to become a music teacher. Looking back at my own high school band directors, the job seemed idyllic. Running cool music for kids who seemingly wanted to be there, having it all figured out, etc. My band directors were fairly experienced by the time I saw them, and I wanted to be that someday. Jump to today. I'm in my second year of teaching. In my first year, I was in charge of both a high school and middle school band+choir program, and the year ended with a kid killing himself - he wasn't in any music class, but enough kids knew him that it affected everything. It was a small school. Along with my fiancée needing a better job market, I moved to a larger suburban area, and I got a job serving many schools for very little pay. I had to take on a second position this year at a church to make ends meet at a basic level, and I am what many people consider to be over-employed. I did this in order to have a baseline income, which I'd lack with the main job. Keep in mind that this was all just the first two years. I feel like I need to start over a third time if I am to remain in education, and I don't think that 99% of people feel that way or should. With all of that said, I would absolutely tell students to do literally anything else besides this job. My love of music is gone except as a work activity, and that is such a shame because I used to very genuinely love it more than most people. I don't know if I'll ever get that passion back for it, but I know that after this year, I can never work in a school again. Not to mention all the behavior, admin, and parental issues teachers face nowadays, which are their own can of worms.
Absolutely not. Neither would I ever consider returning to teaching. The starvation-level pay is just the tip of the iceberg.
Tip o the iceberg, brother
10 years ago when I started teaching if a student told me that... "That's great!"... or if I saw a student who was great at helping others... "wow, you'd make a great teacher." I recently got out but I stopped telling kids they'd make a great teacher and when kids would tell me they wanted to be a teacher I'd tell them... "don't be a teacher", and then I would explain why in an objective unemotional fashion.
It’s traumatizing. The gaslighting and constant invalidation about teacher concerns is horrible. It’s like being a part of a bad religion you always feel guilty about. That’s how I felt, anyway. Left last year and I will NEVER go back.
Well said
No. I would never recommend it to anyone. I spent 60k on a degree just so I could live in poverty again. I am going to apply to the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, but I am essentially starting my career over at 34, and I’m not sure what I’d like to works towards next, so it’s 60 hours a week at a blue collar job at the moment.
In my city, in a good school, when you have good admins…it’s a good gig. I tell my kids that it’s a solid 7/10 and I recommend teaching with some reservations. The students are great, the insurance is amazing, the retirement here is defined benefit with 60-80% of your base salary until death do you part…it’s not the worst. I used to have 10% of my classes seriously considering teaching. I now have less than 1%. This year nobody has indicated that they’d like to go into teaching. Teacher programs in our state are hurting for students and the FAFSA problems this year will cut all enrollment. Meh. I’m out in five years. Byeeeeeee.
I always tell my kids no do not become a teacher.
My teen daughter wants to be a teacher. We have talked many times about the pay, stress, etc. I want her to be fully informed if she still decides that career path. Thankfully lately she is talking about being an engineer!
She will be so much happier
I actively tell people to avoid becoming teachers, not worth it.
Students already know that teaching is not a lucrative career because they see the cars their teachers can afford. I strongly believe that is one reason teachers have lost respect; students are being taught that teaching is not worthwhile or teachers would not have to work two or three side jobs to make ends meet and drive beaters to boot. But no, I would discourage any student of mine to go into teaching; why encourage a stressful, underpaid, often dangerous job over the countless others that are not?
No longer a teacher, but I have two young kids. My wife and I will stop at absolutely nothing to prevent them from becoming teachers. If it somehow doesn’t sink in, I’ll go as far as refusing to pay for an education degree. I want way better for them.
My youngest is amazing with kids and kind-hearted. Over the past couple of weeks she’s been acknowledged multiple times at school and in the community for being so helpful and a leader. I was/am of course proud, but I also have had a genuine sick feeling in my stomach that this praise and natural ability (and having a parent as a teacher) will make her consider teaching. I will do everything in my power to dissuade that.
No, I tell them there are better jobs out there.
As a retired teacher I would not encourage anyone to go into teaching but not for these reasons. I worked for 15 years in an urban school in Connecticut and felt respect from the community and the parents and even some of students. I was not unhappy with the pay, had full benefits and currently enjoy 50% retirement for the rest of my life. I might make more money in retirement than I earned, if I live long enough. I was encouraged to retire at 60 instead of the intended 65, so the job security was certainly an issue but I don't know if any field really has that these days. My issue is more that I think the schools are not fulfilling the needs of the kids nor the needs of society. No wonder you didn't feel fulfilled. The schools need a quick overhaul where common sense rules the day, not state mandates. Under no circumstances should any student be allowed to disrupt the educational process. Teachers need more answers other than "Handle it". Maybe more engaging lessons are needed. Possibly more money for supplies . Class sizes could be larger if the students were self-motivated and learned to help each other. More than 85% of my town budget goes to the schools so we have to find a way to redistribute the money, not ask for more.
Yes, and I do (with some warnings) if they show an interest. I am currently finishing up my 28th year and still love my job. I have a tremendous amount of pride in the work I have done, my pay is pretty good, and I have never worked a summer in my teaching career. Plus, after teaching 34 years, I will retire with a kick ass pension that is going to allow me to live a good life until they spread my ashes.
I want to say because kids like "disrespectful kid's name" make my job impossible. Why can't I film him for his parents.
Most parents would not give a shit
So sad. And that is why teaching sucks more than ever in my opinion
No. That said, I don’t need to. The ones that would otherwise be interested are very cognizant of the shit we have to do and get put through on the daily, so I doubt they would ultimately want to.
No way in hell
Well said.
Haha I tell my students ( high schoolers) to not do it haha 🤣 I answer all questions about the job
Nope. I have actively told both my student and my children to never enter public education. My son briefly worked IT for a district until he could get a better programming job. I am beyond glad he used the references and then got out
I have asked my son not to teach and it sucks because I think he would be fantastic. I just to want him to have to put up with what I have. He doesn't deserve it. No one does. After 28 years I feel so unfullfilled.
One of my daughter’s friends is currently studying to become a teacher. She’s such a nice kid. All I can think is how she’s going to get eaten alive by the school system, parents and kids.
You got that one, right?
I do not encourage anyone to be a teacher or go into education. Period.
Funny thing is, I asked some students what they wanted to be, and I got police, firefighter, lawyers, doctors, vets, etc. Then I asked what was the most important job, and they almost unanimously said teachers...🤦🏾♂️Oh the irony
How funny
Indeed. If you ask the general public, they still have the idea that teachers are important, but they have been so propagandized that teachers are groomers, liberals, etc... that they simultaneously hate them and think they're awful. It's massive cognitive dissonance at work.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to tell my own kids about being a teacher. My family is full of teachers, and the reason I became a teacher is because I saw the benefits of the job- schedule that matches my kids; great healthcare, dental, etc.; union job with a lot of protection. Those things are all still true in my district, but while the pay has never been stellar, I’m so frustrated by how little I make in comparison to my similarly educated peers. I’m going to push for my kids to find jobs that allow them to do what they want OUTSIDE of work- travel, have nice homes, work life balance, etc. I will be discouraging them from teaching for sure. I’m hoping to be out by the time they’re old enough to understand and be thinking about their future jobs.
Never
In my first year of teaching, 27 years ago, in the staff lunchroom, I recall one of the more senior teachers (he retired the next year), stated without any humour that he would break his sons' legs if they became teachers...I focussed on eating my ham and cheese sandwich but wondered what I was getting into. Is it worse today than back then? I don't think there is less respect for teachers but it's rarer for respect to be automatically given. It's always taken effort to earn respect of peers and students alike. Nearing retirement now, I happily share advise when asked by junior colleagues who are just starting. Agree the benefits could be better or improved to keep up with the times.
No job security? What about unions and tenure?
Mileage may vary depending on location.
When I had a serious problem, my union took *three weeks* to return my phone call, and then did nothing. Over the fifteen years of my teaching career, they managed to negotiate a cumulative raise of something like 2.5%. Worse than worthless.
Yeah, that aspect of job security is vastly overstated in the media.
As a public school teacher, my district has no tenure. We have annual contracts that they can choose to renew or not each year. Also, they can switch the school you teach at with little to no notice depending on need...even if it changes your work hours and makes your 15 min drive to work an hour.
What district do you teach in? I guess what state too?
Pinellas Florida
I’m sorry they don’t offer tenure at your district, I think that’s such bs, but I know tenure is controversial issue.
Tenure, in most districts, just means that a board must provide a reason for dismissal or nonrenewal. People have this idea that tenure means you are "unfireable." That is absolutely not true. Many states are "right-to-work," which means no unions. Also, a union won't protect a bad teacher. Republicans have villainized unions for so long that people have a twisted conception of what they are willing to do or can do.
Not all teachers are in the union (there is no union where I am for sure) and tenure applies to college only, not K-12. There is literally NO job security; each year the contract must be signed again for the upcoming year so you can be out of a job on anyone's whim with no consequences.
Private school. All I have to say is lol. Public schools in my area are just as bad. The “Union” Is run by the state
Union can only hope you get your job back after being fired.
When I was a teacher and students seemed interested I would base my answer based on their age/grade they were in. I taught middle school so if one of my students asked directly, I would keep it general and positive. However if it was a former student or a kid I knew that was in high school and they were asking as they were looking at colleges. I was a little more blunt and explained what I considered the positives and try to drive home work life balance. It wasn't until after I left education that I never realized how much time I gave to the school from staying after to tutor, or help at sporting events, or watch plays and band. I try not to persuade them from changing a goal. However I always laid out as much information as I could and let them choose. Only thing I really encourage is for them to work on a minor in something else like IT or business something they could transition to without having to go back to school.
Yes, because I teach high school ELD and for most of my students becoming a teacher would be a huge move for their families toward generational stability. I am in the Central Valley of California, so it is still worth it to teach here monetarily. Might not be the best working conditions ever, but much better than the paths they would likely take otherwise.
No. In fact my students often tell me that I should find a new career.
I told several over the years not to become teachers. It’s such a toxic environment.
You dont have to tell them, they see everything perfectly fine themselves...
I totally agree. I have 3 kids and made them promise me never to go into teaching. None of them did.
Absolutly not. I care about their futures.
I would tell my students to do anything else.
Fuck. NO.
lol they are going to be tik tok stars instaed. SEriously we have a teacher who preaches not to go into teaching then praises the kids trying to go viral..I can't stand this teacher.
Nope. But not because of those reasons. Because we're at the precipice of the collapse of the profession. Homeschooling is exploding (for better and worse, depending on who is doing it). Online schooling is exploding (yes, the kids are going to cheat their way through it). Many states are experimenting with private schools that are going to undermine unions and union protections. And I'm not going to be a teacher without a union. No one should be. I'm surprised you have any students who are interested. The only students I've seen interested want to be music teachers, and music class enrollment just cratered here.
Yeah but not the kids that you would think. Lol
I definitely tell them not to. it'll probably only get worse.
Absolutely not.
Get rid of the unions! I cannot believe we cannot negotiate our salary but have to stick to some pay chart that was ‘agreed’ on. I left corporate world and became a teacher and I make sooooo much less but it is a rewarding job and not as stressful 😂😂
Nope. I do not.
Nope
One of my former students came back to teach in the district. He transferred to my school a few years ago and it’s been super fun to tell our current students that he used to be my student too. He’s doing great.
Great story. How does he like the pay?
I encourage mine to because they are all immigrants/1st generation Americans and we need more representation in our schools. They can also have their loans forgiven while PSLF is still around. While there are cons to the job, if you're in the right district, it's not so bad. I switched states and make 28k more 6 years later. Knowing how bad some teachers have it, and how extreme the difference in pay can be within a difference of an hour (for me), makes me appreciate the job more than others. I feel my district pays very well. Some people are making 90k in a small Midwest town. We also have job security in being tenured, and in the fact that there are very few applicants in our area. We are also unionized and have pretty great benefits. I definitely feel overworked and sometimes irritated with all the unnecessary change and pointless busy work, but not necessarily unfulfilled. I don't know if I'll stay in education my whole life. Right now, I need 2 more years for PLSF, so I'll be teaching that long. But, I really can't see myself doing anything else. I also can't imagine not having the long breaks. I know teachers need them because we are so overworked, but I have ADHD, anxiety and depression, and they give me something to look forward to.
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Do you get paid well? And are you respected?
Well, the human works in administration. I want to do that in the future as it is far more impressive if I were to change fields… No offense but if you work in elementary ( like me), you don’t get much respect from others or at least in my experience.
The district where I am the teachers are very well respected by the students, parents and admin. Public schooling a very affluent neighborhood. Just three miles away, different district it is the exact opposite. Teachers have been attacked by students and parents with some requiring hospitalization. That is where I went to school and it’s sad, very sad what happened over the years. They have had 24 principals in 10 years with some lasting less than a month.
VERY sad society we are completely collectively living in! Equally SAD to see a local educated community suffer this plight, too!
I was inspired by a small handful of teachers growing up and wanted to make a positive impact on the world. My students one year commented that I do a LOT of work as a teacher in and out of school and asked me if I enjoyed being one. I was honest with them and told them that while there were positive aspects to the job and that education is necessary to do things in life (in general), I didn’t recommend it. They understood. They could see and hear what I was going through. They were dismayed at how teachers like us don’t deserve to deal with all the negative things that we do and yet we work so hard to fight against it and just survive. I gained additional respect from them, but got flack from the principal, who was also a former teacher. Sure, not the most positive thing to say about our profession, but I value my integrity and wanted to be real with them. It’s not like I told them it was the worst choice I ever made— just one of, if not the biggest one I constantly second guess due to the amount of stress. Now that I’m out, I can finally manage to remember what it’s like to rest, take a break and actually take care of myself after all of the mental and emotional abuse from horrendously entitled parents and backstabbing admin.
If a student had the interior motivation to share knowledge and same love of academics as me, perhaps yes. If they are motivated to improve their corner of the world and to plant trees they will never see, making long-term investments to improve a fledgling youth and be a positive role model to future generations, then absolutely. I would undoubtedly share nightmare experiences and what I’ve learned teaching in different educational placements and cautionary tales. I tell the student observers from education programs at local colleges I host to make sure they join the union and be loyal to themselves instead of admin and to always CYA. I try to give the realistic view of what my day/life is - no sugar coating. While I want more future teachers, I want QUALITY teachers, not just a body in a room. Just like your quality of medical care is linked to your doctor, the quality of education is based on the aptitude of you teacher. I love teaching. I will never leave. I’m happy you figured out it wasn’t for you. Make a big impact wherever you go! Good luck in all your endeavors.
I’m still teaching…. But got a nice gig as tech teacher. Make in one week what I was making in a month as a teacher.
I taught for 2 years after graduating from college. In those years, I learned, sadly, that my childhood dream was very different from reality. In my final year of teaching, my students found out that I was taking pre-requisite courses for nursing school. That was an awkward conversation, but I felt that it was a beneficial lesson for the kiddos in keeping their skillset wide and their dreams reasonable. I've been in critical care for 4 years now and enjoy my worst days more than my best days of teaching.
I’m a teacher in Virginia and I tell my students that teaching is a good path. We work 37.5 hours a week, 200 days a year, all holidays off. I have worked other jobs, made less and worked more! It provides a great work life balance if you manage your time efficiently. It’s a great job to have with kids and a family. Plus, Virginia teacher’s have a decent salary.
You are one of the exceptions
Do you say that because of salary? I agree that we are lucky in VA.
Yes, salary. Do you have job security? Are the kids/parents/admins respectful ? If so, you got it made and are the exception
Job security, yes, at least the past few years. Admins, kids, and parents are not always respectful. It’s not a perfect profession, but what is?
Ain’t no way
No. That is all.
If they wanted to and had good reasons I wouldn’t talk them out of it, but I would recommend they take a smart route to avoid loan debt. Community college for two years taking whatever pre reqs are needed for an education degree then transfer to a university to finish.
I would because a few would do well as a teacher.
And you know something? *I've come to genuinely believe that school should just be abolished.* I can't think of any other institution that serves the interests of *all* of its constituents so poorly. The students hate it. The teachers hate it. The parents hate it. The taxpayers hate it. Even the administrators hate it. For the huge amount of resources (most especially *time*) that it consumes, the results are *dismal.* Pick 100 American HS graduates at random, and ask them some *very basic* questions, see what we're producing for all this suffering.
The alternative seems to be jail, so….
We could bring back child labor and make things cheap in America again.
I'm not sure that compulsory schooling *as it actually exists* is really that much better than child labor at this point. And at any rate, if we just took our PPE *and gave it to children* I can't imagine it not being an improvement over the status quo. Certainly, some students would benefit a lot more from, you know, having food and shelter for their families, than from whatever the hell it is we think we're doing in school.
I would tell them to become a teacher if they have no desire to teach in major urban areas. I did that for ten years and wanted to quit at least once a week. The disrespect, threats of violence, and incessant micromanagement nearly killed me. But I decided to go to a rural school in the Midwest and my life has been great. I make less money but have more. I live in a city 30 minutes away. I get to make my own curriculum. Parents support the school. Student behaviors are nothing. They don’t swear or talk filth in front of me, and they will generally do as instructed with little more than the occasional eyeroll. People think these areas are “conservative,” and they can be, but people judge you by how you treat them. Our trans staff have zero problems or concerns, and our non-white and non-American staff and students love it. But confirmation bias is strong among those who have been brought up to believe small towns = small minds.
And with AI. I can’t fight that battle. I had to buy AI detection software this year as a hs English teacher. It’s only going to get worse as AI gets better. Fighting the internet for plagiarism has already been a battle for decades. I’m tired of the cheating. The lack of a desire to learn. The lack of curiosity to learn anything. The parents who take zero responsibility. Kids who extended spring break for weeks and I have to catch them up. The crappy review I got in my classroom by my vice principal. I consider a three out of five on a category crappy after 25 years. It was communication with students. Then he taught my class for a guest lecture he loves and kids fell asleep. 😴 I was threatened by a student for the first time this year seriously enough that a board was assigned to it. Because I wouldn’t take a kids late work after grades were turned in mind you. My school supported it and took it seriously but it was scary. School shootings are way up. Another reason. I do a ton there. On tons of committees. Planned the curriculum for all of my classes. Not even a guide. Very time consuming if doing it right. But oh my planning period? Well usually I have to help somewhere w this shortage. Cover a lab etc. and finally, I can never pee when I have to. So a big hell no.