If your son/daughter wants to become a teacher...

Parents Forum
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<p>... do you try to talk them out of it? I'm a junior in HS and have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember (I used to play "teacher" when I was in elementary school, with my older, slightly challenged middle-school-aged brother being the student). Not necessarily because I love kids (although I do), but because I love knowledge, I love learning, and I love sharing what I learn. I guess I'm more attracted to the intellectual aspect of teaching than the dealing-with-children aspect. I also am attracted to the psychological aspects of learning, how to appeal to different kinds of learners, effective teaching, etc. </p>

<p>However, my parents (mainly my mom) try to talk me out of it every time we discuss my future. They say it (1) would be a waste of my talent, (2) that teachers hardly make any money (for some reason, they think money is my priority -- it is not), and (3) that teaching is no fun. I disagree completely.
(1) Money is not the biggest factor in my career choice; teachers seem to survive perfectly fine with their salaries. (2) It wouldn't be a waste of my talent, because part of my talent includes being able to quickly learn and effectively convey information to others. And (3) teaching may be no fun to them, but if it's my "passion" or something that I look forward to each day, and keeps a smile on my face, doesn't that make it a fun and enjoyable career path for me? ("If you do what you love, you'll never work a day of your life")</p>

<p>Even some of my friends say things like, "you're way too smart to become a teacher." How does that make any sense? Is teaching a career for dumb people or something? Do less-intelligent people make better teachers? Am I missing something, or do you agree that this mindset hardly makes sense (if at all)?</p>

<p>Anyways, I've tried explaining my view to my parents, but they still don't see teaching as a viable option for me. Now, I am a rather intelligent straight-A overachieving student with a unique ability to always do well, no matter how little I prepare. To them, I should be becoming something like a doctor (which was once a desire of mine, but not so much anymore). I do understand that I certainly have the ability to become something "better", but that doesn't mean becoming a teacher is a waste of my talent.</p>

<p>For now, I just go with, "I can always do something else, and become a teacher after I retire from my primary career." But how do I convince my parents to embrace what I decide to do, no matter what? Since you all are parents yourselves, I'm hoping you can offer some insight as to how I can get my folks to see things the way I do, in terms of my future. It doesn't feel good to be constantly told I shouldn't do what I envision will make me happy.</p>

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<p>I would be happy if one of the kids wanted to teach. One thing to consider is where you want to teach. Teacher certifications vary from state to state so as a parent to me, it makes the most sense to go to school in the state where you want to teach.</p>

<p>Secondly, IMO the classes and major/minor status are relevant whether or not you decide to teach right after undergrad or wait. If anything a teaching certificate plus a degree in math or history or English or is more valuable than the degree without the teaching certificate in my opinion. Perhaps your parents haven’t stopped to consider that scenario. </p>

<p>You can go to graduate school with just about any undergraduate major.</p>

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<p>I think we will always need excellent teachers … intelligent young people who are passionate about teaching should absolutely be encouraged to follow their hearts!!</p>

<p>I will be blunt … I have met a number of teachers whose intelligence has not impressed me. The joke has long been “Those who can’t, teach.” However, I have met people in EVERY profession whose intelligence is less than impressive!! I think teachers get a really bad rap. </p>

<p>Let me share this: I was in high school in the 70’s, when women were just beginning to be able to become whatever they wanted to be. I was a top student with stellar test scores. I really wanted to be a nurse. Everyone told me it would be a waste of my talents, telling me that I should be a doctor instead. I didn’t want to be a doctor! Guess what? I went into another field entirely. If I had to do it over again, I would probably follow my own heart instead of listening to what others said. I am quite happy with my life today & don’t have a desire to return to school & be a nurse … but I have since learned that I do know myself better than anyone else knows me, and I now do what I know is best for me.</p>

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<p>Doing what you want to do is great.</p>

<p>But it’s important to acknowledge that teachers’ pay is not the highest, and this may require some sacrifices.</p>

<p>For example, in the community where I live, teachers often can’t afford to live near where they work. Many teachers commute from the next county, which is farther from the central city of our metropolitan area and therefore has lower housing prices. So for them, the downside of their career choice is a long commute.</p>

<p>I would also suggest that if you’re planning to major in education, you try to choose a college that you can attend without going into debt. It wouldn’t be easy to pay off student loans on a teacher’s salary.</p>

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<p>Teachers make a lot more than I do!! :)</p>

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<p>I don’t think you will convince your parents or change the minds of those people who say “you’re way too smart to be a teacher.” So I wouldn’t try. I notice you may still be in high school, in which case you still have a couple of years before you need to resume this discussion. For now, continue what you’re doing - which is doing well in school - and try to get into a college that will give you the breadth of knowledge necessary to be a great teacher. Explore different fields, open yourself to many opportunities. And then, if you’re still passionate about teaching, simply tell your parents - I’ve looked at many options, taken a lot of classes, and the thing I’m still most interested in is teaching. State it as a fact and in a way that doesn’t invite your parents’ opinion. If they still chose to be critical you may just have to do what a lot of us did: go with your gut, knowing your parents aren’t 100% on board. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.
PS If your parents really see you LOVE teaching and are happy, they may very well come to embrace your choice.</p>

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<p>Both my girls think they want to be teachers. One was a National Merit Finalist, the other is a HS sophomore with a 4.3 GPA in the most challenging courses. My heart wants them to be happy in their careers and adult lives no matter what they choose. My brain does kind of balk at the idea of them becoming teachers. Partially because of the pay (and anyone who thinks that teachers only work 180 days from 7:30-2:30 is crazy) and the other is because of the working conditions in some districts.</p>

<p>My girls went/go to public school in a high socio-economic demographic district. They really admire a couple of teachers that they had, and that in turn inspired their interest in teaching. I think they have a rose colored view of teaching based on their own experiences. Discipline & parent issues in our district are pretty mild & I know enough teachers in more average districts that don’t get to “teach” very much; they have to deal with disciplinary issues & issues that arrive because of unsupportive/uninvolved parents. And politically now, it’s easy to blame the teacher for classroom failures of students when a lot of it has to do with what goes on (or doesn’t) at home. </p>

<p>Since both my girls want to teach at the high school level, I’m encouraging to major in the field they’d like to teach and then get a masters in Education.</p>

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<p>My story is similar. I really wanted to be a librarian, but that didn’t seem to be a viable career choice for a top student in the 1970s, when all sorts of career fields were opening up for women. The reaction would have been “You were a valedictorian! You’re going to do WHAT!?!” So I ended up doing something completely different. Sometimes I still regret it. I would have loved to be part of the transition from printed to electronic information resources.</p>

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<p>Not sure where you live, but you might apply for a summer job with the Breakthrough Collaborative (in many cities in the US). It is an academic program for disadvantaged middle school students that have the potential to go to college, but many barriers. The teachers teach core academic subjects (English, social studies, science, math). They really run their own classrooms, write their own lesson plans, etc. They do get guidance from experienced mentor teachers. One of my kids taught there for 3 summers. Most of the teachers want to teach for a living. It is a GREAT way to get some experience and figure out if you really want to teach for sure. I am not sure about all the cities, but they do pay the teachers a reasonable wage in ours (~$2,500 a summer last year).</p>

<p>One other benefit is that in our city they have a program for the families at the end. One young man who was teaching last summer had the same problem you did, his family was dead set against it as a profession. But after they came to the program and saw these kids demonstrating what they had learned and showing so much excitement about school, his parents told him that they now understood why he loved it so much, and that they supported his decision. Not saying it would happen that way for you, of course.</p>

<p>If your city takes applications from high school students, go for it. Don’t be intimitated, our city would actually like more hs applicants – they have tons of college age applications, but would like a mixture of ages in the teachers, and not very many hs kids apply. Even if you don’t get in the first year, try again.</p>

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<p>Where I live, and I believe MOST places (if not all), teachers must major in a subject content area, and then take the necessary courses to become a teacher as well. So…a high school biology teacher would major in …biology. A secondary school math teacher would major in…math. </p>

<p>Here, elementary teachers also have to have a content area major.</p>

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<p>One of my D’s best friends is studying to be a high school math teacher. She is majoring in math, but she has also been working in classrooms since her freshman year as part of her college’s teacher preparation program. It’s such a great program. She has had a chance to find out what it’s really like to be in the classroom. If she found that she didn’t like it, it would be easy to transition into some other field.</p>

<p>I have long been an advocate of interning, co-op’ing, researching, field work … whatever would be appropriate for the field of interest. It’s easy to say “I think I want to do that.” However, once you actually try it, you may not like it … or you may find that you like a different aspect of the field than you thought … or you may find that you made the right choice. No matter how it works out, it’s always for the best.</p>

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<p>I’ve considered being a teacher (though I am not currently considering it), and no one tried to talk me out of it (except a teacher, who said I should shoot straight for a PhD and be a professor and not get “trapped”, haha). My mother did try to talk me out of being a Catholic priest, and most everyone I knew questioned my thoughts of being a social worker. Now no one knows how to respond to social revolutionary, and that’s how I like it.</p>

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<p>I’m another NMF who is teaching. Hours are long, work is hard and long, and administration makes decisions that are not in the best interest of students or teachers. You may not be treated as a professional - I know I and fellow teachers in my district are not. And yet…and yet, we are doing what we can to make a positive difference in children’s lives. I say, go for it! :)</p>

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<p>First of all, a beginning teacher doesn’t make much, but if you start teaching in your twenties, allow your district to help pay for your masters, and continue on into your fifties, you will be making a nice living with a nice retirement to look forward to (unless teacher’s pensions change, which they may.)
More importantly, have you spent any time with kids? Have you shadowed teachers? While you love knowledge, your kids will be more important than what you teach. They will not all be willing recipients of your knowledge. You need to be enthusiastic about connecting with all your students.
Summers off are great.
What age group do you want to teach? Here in Illinois, there are many more jobs in special ed and in certain subjects for high school than there are for general elementary teachers. Find out what the climate is in your area.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>Hey BillyMc, I think you’d make a great priest :)</p>

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<p>I just wanted to say that I find this thread very interesting and useful. I particularly liked the program intparent mentioned and am now looking into applying for it this summer.</p>

<p>OP, I sympathize with you deeply. I have been raised by my parents, both doctors, to pursue a career that helps others, and teaching is one option that I’ve considered all my life thus far. Plus, most of my high school teachers have said that I would be great at it, and I’ve also done some student teaching and some tutoring, so I have some idea of what I’d be getting myself into. It’s not the only thing I’m considering, but I’ve always loved the idea of it.</p>

<p>I gave up trying to convince my parents, who also think that I’m “too smart” and too driven to teach and would be better off in politics or as a lawyer. It’s much more important to me that I find a career that I like and strive to do my best in it, and so I’ve been focusing for a few years now on gaining experience and figuring out what I would and wouldn’t like to do. It also sounds like a lot of what you like about it, if it’s more the intellectual aspect than the working-with-students aspect, could also be a hidden interest in psychology, or more specifically educational psychology. I don’t know if your parents would look more fondly on that, but in any case you might want to look into it at least.</p>

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<p>I probably should have mentioned that the Breakthrough jobs are pretty competitive. Last summer I helped interview teachers for the local program, and I think we had 120 applicants for 19 spots. I am not sure how every city does it, but if you go in for an evening to interview and do practice teaching, make sure you are SUPER well prepared with an interesting lesson to teach. Most of the applicants did not differentiate themselves much in other ways – most were personable and said the right things. The sample teaching was the key for those who were selected. Be sure you have a solid opening and closing, an engaging and academically substantial topic, interactive activity for those you are teaching, and keep track of your time well. A friendly personality is a plus, too.</p>

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<p>Can someone please post the link here to find the summer job? We are internationals though and not residents of any state (U.S Citizens living abroad). Son wants to be a teacher, so was wondering if he could do something like that during summer, thanks.</p>

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<p>[Breakthrough</a> Collaborative |](<a href=“http://www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/]Breakthrough”>http://www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/) </p>

<p>Obviously there are many other types of summer opportunities for future teachers besides this program, though. As far as I know they do not pay for any transportation or housing if you do not already live in the city where the teaching position is However, I know our city did let students who were away at college do their interview and practice lesson via some online process (not sure what they did, maybe a combo of Skype & Youtube?). I know one student who could not come back for the interview who did get hired (but to be fair, one of the interviewers did know this student and recommended her).</p>

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<p>My DD wants to teach as well. She’s high-achieving, NMF, etc., and has student-taught her senior year in high school. Back in my day, teachers were paid notoriously little, but since then the pendulum has swung (at least in our area) and teacher’s pay, healthcare benefits and pensions are much better than virtually any other field. I do expect the pendulum to swing back (hopefully not too much), because teacher benefits are now too high above corporate norms, especially in this economic environment. I encouraged my daughter to pursue her teaching certificate while in college. My thinking is that with her AP credit, she has room to double major (English and education), plus can fit in her student teaching within 4 years. Otherwise, graduating from college and needing to go right into a teacher certification program for her masters will cost her $40,000+. This way, she can teach right out the gate and have her employer help her pay for the masters credential.
Another thought–would your parents be more impressed with your choice if you keep your options open to get a PhD and teach at the college level? That way they get to brag that they raised a doctor, and you get to teach.</p>