<p>Anybody out there going to be a teacher? Any advice for students contemplating this profession?</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>Are you just looking for general comments? I would search this site for information. If you have a specific question, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Teachers do NOT Major in Education: Prospective teachers major in an academic subject or group of subjects, while at the same time taking special courses related to educational topics.</p>
<p>That’s from my school’s long-term planning website.</p>
<p>^ This is true only if you are interested in becoming a middle/high school teacher. Elementary educators are encouraged to major in education.</p>
<p>Requirements for teaching credentials vary by state and grade level of certification. I was just searching for any perspective from education majors regarding program content (classroom vs field experience), employment opportunities, career satisfaction, etc.</p>
<p>If anybody here is a teacher or an education major, I would like to hear from you!</p>
<p>I am a teacher and I think that it is a wonderful profession for the right person. It requires full commitment and a true love of education and children. It is not an easy job but worth it if you are really passionate about your subject and your students. I disagree with the statement that those interested in elementary education need to major in education. This is not necessarily true.<br>
I think that if you choose teaching for the right reasons, it will be very rewarding. Don’t be seduced by the summer vacations and “short” work days. Most teachers that I know stay late getting ready for the next day or meeting with parents or committees. And by the time summer arrives, you are exhausted! Many teachers work summers anyway to compensate for lower pay (especially in the first few years when you are low on the salary steps). Having said all that, I am thankful, every day, that I have the opportunity to do this job. Nothing is more important.
I do believe that there will always be teaching jobs. Even in this economy, there are openings. I think they will become more numerous as the baby boomers retire. I strongly recommend taking every opportunity to get into the classroom to see if it is the right direction for you. You will know if it feels right and it will give you exposure in the school systems so that, when openings occur, you might have a foot in the door. Substitute teaching during school breaks is another great way to get experience, get your feet wet and let the schools know how capable and enthusiastic you are. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you EPTR! My daughter is the one who aspires to be a teacher. She is doing a shadowing experience in this, her senior year, which has been great. I figure that she will either love it or hate it, and either way it will have been time well spent. So far, she loves it! Hopefully she will be able to find a job when she is done! :)</p>
<p>What is the age of your students, EPTR?</p>
<p>I teach Elementary Art. Grades 1-6. I love it though and it makes such a difference in the kid’s lives. I’m glad your daughter seems to love it. If you hear a lot of stories about the kids she is in contact with and the special moments of her day, that’s a good sign that her heart is in it.</p>
<p>Yes, lots of stories, so I guess that’s good! Do employment opportunities vary widely by area? What do you think the outlook is in general?</p>
<p>Hmmm… I don’t know. I know that where we are right now there have been layoffs in many towns but my school system has been stable. When I graduated back in 1983 Massachusetts had just passed Prop. 2 1/2 which limited taxation and made it necessary for towns to vote an override to raise taxes. There were no teaching jobs. Alot of my classmates gave up and went in different directions. I put my name on several sub lists and was very poor for a year going from town to town everyday filling in for teachers from k-12. What it did for me was created opportunities. One of those sub positions became a job offer the following year.<br>
I think you can go to the dept. of labor to see job outlook projections. I do think that there are specific teaching positions that are in greater demand than others. I will ask a few questions at work today for you. One of my daughters wants to teach, too so it would be good information to know. Also, check into loan forgiveness programs for teaching at-risk populations. Inner cities, low income will have faster turn over in job openings and, if I am correct, you may be able to have student loans waved if you commit to teach in one of these populations for a few years. I’m not sure of the details but check it out.<br>
It seems to me that I recently read an article about job prospects that said that teaching was one that had a good outlook. The other was anything in the medical field (that’s my other daughter’s interest). This week, anyway!</p>
<p>Thought you might find this helpfu from the Department of Labor.</p>
<p>Job prospects. Job opportunities for teachers over the next 10 years will vary from good to excellent, depending on the locality, grade level, and subject taught. Most job openings will result from the need to replace the large number of teachers who are expected to retire over the 2006-16 period. Also, many beginning teachers decide to leave teaching for other careers after a year or twoespecially those employed in poor, urban schoolscreating additional job openings for teachers.</p>
<p>The job market for teachers also continues to vary by school location and by subject taught. Job prospects should be better in inner cities and rural areas than in suburban districts. Many inner citiesoften characterized by overcrowded, ill-equipped schools and higher-than-average poverty ratesand rural areascharacterized by their remote location and relatively low salarieshave difficulty attracting and retaining enough teachers. Currently, many school districts have difficulty hiring qualified teachers in some subject areasmost often mathematics, science (especially chemistry and physics), bilingual education, and foreign languages. Increasing enrollments of minorities, coupled with a shortage of minority teachers, should cause efforts to recruit minority teachers to intensify. Also, the number of non-English-speaking students will continue to grow, creating demand for bilingual teachers and for those who teach English as a second language. Qualified vocational teachers also are currently in demand in a variety of fields at both the middle school and secondary school levels. Specialties that have an adequate number of qualified teachers include general elementary education, physical education, and social studies.</p>
<p>The supply of teachers is expected to increase in response to reports of improved job prospects, better pay, more teacher involvement in school policy, and greater public interest in education. In addition, more teachers may be drawn from a reserve pool of career changers, substitute teachers, and teachers completing alternative certification programs. In recent years, the total number of bachelors and masters degrees granted in education has been increasing slowly. But many States have implemented policies that will encourage even more students to become teachers because of a shortage of teachers in certain locations and in anticipation of the loss of a number of teachers to retirement.</p>
<p>Thanks, EPTR. My D thinks she wants to teach secondary math, so that is probably good. OTOH, she would probably like to teach in the suburbs of our city, which may present a challange. Who knows…too early to worry about it, I guess.</p>