I’m a junior Journalism major. From the time I was 12, I wanted to be a journalist. I wrote for my local paper, I was editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper. I’ve wrote, anchored, and produced a news show in college. I had doubts about the major I chose my freshman year. But I’ve always loved news. I thought the things I was good at - public speaking, writing, interviewing, presenting information - would all fit to make me a good journalist and if not a journalist - then what? My second year I studied abroad in Spain. I was getting general education credits and finishing up my elective requirements. Back at my home university, I’m either taking or have taken all the core classes in my major except two. I’m two area of specialization classes deep. And I know that I don’t want to be a television news reporter. It’s a lot to explain. But basically when I picture my life, I don’t picture myself being happy as a journalist. Many in the field despite expertise get low pay. You work weekends and holidays. You work odd hours, you work 12 hour days. But the professionals I’ve spoken to say, “But you’ll do it because you love it. To be in this business, it’s very competitive and you have to love it.” I think journalism is important. I’ve enjoyed some of the work of the done but I don’t love, it would feel like a job, if someone stuck me on it for 12 hours, I would be miserable.
When I was abroad, I loved my language and cultural classes. I’m really interested in foreign languages, language acquisition, and foreign cultures. I’ve traveled to over a dozen countries. I’ve always loved school and thrived in the school environment. I tutored kids in English and really enjoyed teaching those passionate students. I think I want to teach English abroad. I’m finishing my journalism degree and studying to get my TEFL certificate this summer. I think those skills I was good at that I thought would make me a good journalists would also make me a good teacher. And after a few years, if I want to teach in the U.S, get a pay raise, etc., I could get a Masters degree. But I’m just nervous because I spent eight years thinking I wanted to do one thing. And now I’m changing my mind. I only seriously thought about teaching a month ago. I figure the most practical way to figure out if I want to teach is how I figured out if I wanted to be a journalist - get experience. But the schools near my university to volunteer at are in a high crime area of the city with a high dropout rate in a food desert. I volunteered with these kids two years ago and while I liked tutoring itself, these kids would make me so emotional, I quit the tutoring. But I can’t judge teaching on that alone because every teacher has a group they want to work with. I was tutoring these elementary kids in Math/reading. The majority of the kids in the school, I was told were testing at a below average level in those areas a.k.a this is a difficult area to teach. Just because I wasn’t happy with those students doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy teaching other types of students.
I don’t know what else I can do except after I graduate to take a teaching job abroad with the program I’m looking at. It’s a 1 year contract and see if I like it. If I don’t - there’s other things I could do besides being a reporter.
You wrote a long, three paragraph post about becoming a teacher.
And not once did you mention loving the kids. Stop and re-read your post… would you want that person as your teacher?
If you don’t love working with kids, reconsider teaching. They’re what make the job phenomenal. They’re what get me through the paperwork and the planning, the testing and the parent conferences and the professional development. Each day, each period, is different from the last and the one to come, and mostly in a good way. I’m incredibly fortunate in the kids I’m honored to work with every day.
I’ve been teaching math since 1980, and I love what I do. I love being part of my kids’ lives, if even for 38 minutes a day for a single year. I love when graduates come back-- now with kids of their own, touring the same school mom or dad went to. I love those “Aha!!” moments. I love the fact that my kids are mature enough to love the corny stickers I put on their papers when they get a grade of 90 or better. I love that even the lower scoring kids appreciate that they get their tests back the next day. I love that when I unexpectedly missed a day 2 weeks ago (my daughter had the flu) I got a host of questions asking whether everything was OK. I love working with those kids who struggle, helping them to gain a skill that will put them one step closer to reaching their ambitions. I love when a kid comes to extra help after a test-- not for a bump, but to understand his errors.
If you don’t love all that, don’t teach. It’s not about the pay or the vacations. At it’s most fundamental level, it’s got to be about loving the kids. Please don’t enter the classroom as a last resort. Do it because there’s nothing else that will make you as happy as working with and mentoring and being with those kids… all of them, not just the kids at the top of the class…
They deserve nothing less.
Perhaps your post was just a late night stream of consciousness, and not representative of how you feel. But if those three paragraphs really do describe your attitude towards teaching, my suggestion is that you keep looking.
As to whether or not you’ll love teaching: there’s really no way to tell. There’s no substitute for being in your own class with your own kids. It’s why the burnout rate is so high-- there’s no litmus test other than actually teaching. And the first year or two can be rough for some, until they find their teacher persona… that combination of caring and compassionate and tough enough to get the job done.
It’s a total leap of faith. But, for me at least, absolutely worth it. I’m good at what I do-- better than I would have ever thought as a kid.
So if you think you can love it, can love the kids even when 17 year old act like 7 year olds (That first snow of the year is always an adventure, even for teens in NY, where it snows EVERY YEAR! ) Then teach. But don’t try teaching, teach. Dive in with your whole heart and soul. Be prepared to learn as much from your kids as they’ll learn from you.
I think I can be useful here because I’m a teacher engaged to a journalist. I’d say his hours are actually way more consistent than mine. He gets home and he’s done for the day. I get home and now I need to start lesson planning for the next day, grading a bunch of stuff, making sure everything is set for the week… you have no downtime, that’s the annoying thing. You can’t just say “eh, I’ll finish that tomorrow at work” because your lesson for tomorrow needs to be completely finished.
This is why I got into teaching, not because I loved the kids. I assume we grew up in similar environments, in a very good, high-performing, well-behaved school district where it was easy to cultivate a love of learning. What you should know is that you shouldn’t bank on getting a job in that kind of area. When I was job-hunting in NYC, all of the positions were in the Bronx, east New York, Harlem, etc. The openings in the great schools in Chelsea or the UWS were very competitive to get and I didn’t really stand a chance as a brand new teacher.I also had a vision of working with passionate, hardworking students who loved education. Ha ha fool me once, right. It’s very likely that you’re not going to end up in an environment like that and you need to be prepared for kids cursing you out, kids refusing to do work, kids unable to write a paragraph, whatever. That was my first year, this year was better. Personally, I feel like I’m in a good place with it. I don’t LOVE my kids. Bjkmom has way more experience than I do, so maybe that’s a bad omen. but my relationship with the students is that they’re endearing. They make me laugh, I love when they’re interested in the topic and when they produce something wonderful and when they show amazing growth. But they can also be pretty annoying. When I go home, I stop thinking about them. I’d much rather spend my lunch break in peace than with one of them coming to make up work.
Sorry for that word vomit. All I can say for sure is that everyone in my grad school program (affluent, starry-eyed new teachers like you and me) were NOT prepared for what actually awaited us in the classroom. We had years of tutoring, teacher assisting, essay editing, etc but the reality was something totally different. Some of us adapted and did well, others quit after year 1. Probably it isn’t what you’re imagining it’ll be, but it can still be quite nice.
Another idea is to continue with your journalism degree…and then do something like Teach for America.
You could then get a Masters and then teach English/Journalism in HS.