Good news: I know I want to teach. Bad-ish news: Which route do I take?
March 2, 2016 6:37 AM Subscribe
I am an editor and writer with a BA and an MA. I've been accepted to at least one of the PhD in rhetoric/communication programs I've applied to—and fully funded (albeit with a limited stipend, but that's to be expected). If I decide to go, I start this fall. However, I can't shake the feeling that maybe I want to be teaching high school language arts. But do I really?
More details: My BA is in journalism; my MA is in English, with a focus in professional writing and editing. I love school (and have always loved school; I was the kid who got home from school only to play school), and I am thrilled about the idea of going back (it's only been three years, but, you know). I taught two academic years' worth of freshman composition at my university while earning my MA and loved it. I know that I want to teach, but I don't know whether I'm better suited for high school or for the university. One of my concerns is that, if I choose the high school route, neither of my degrees are specifically in education. Clearly I need to research this more, but is that OK? Are teaching certification options available for people like me? (I'm in PA, if that matters.) Long story short: I know generally what I want to be doing but not specifically, and I'm afraid of making the wrong decision, but also want to get moving on this as soon as possible. Help! (And thanks in advance!)
More details: My BA is in journalism; my MA is in English, with a focus in professional writing and editing. I love school (and have always loved school; I was the kid who got home from school only to play school), and I am thrilled about the idea of going back (it's only been three years, but, you know). I taught two academic years' worth of freshman composition at my university while earning my MA and loved it. I know that I want to teach, but I don't know whether I'm better suited for high school or for the university. One of my concerns is that, if I choose the high school route, neither of my degrees are specifically in education. Clearly I need to research this more, but is that OK? Are teaching certification options available for people like me? (I'm in PA, if that matters.) Long story short: I know generally what I want to be doing but not specifically, and I'm afraid of making the wrong decision, but also want to get moving on this as soon as possible. Help! (And thanks in advance!)
I think these two career paths are actually a little bit more different than they seem at first glance! If you really want to teach, and you don't mind sticking to a K-12 curriculum/parents/teaching to the test stuff you'll find right now in education, teaching certification is a great option. You could fairly easily get your certification (you may even be able to start teaching now and work towards official certification with an MA in places with higher demand). But your career would be really focused on the teaching itself.
A PhD in Rhetoric and Composition will require you to be at least a little bit interested in pursuing research as part of your career. This means you'll write articles and books about topics in rhetoric or composition pedagogy, attend conferences, give papers, etc. If you haven't already, go to the library and read through a copy of the latest CCC journal. While there are jobs at schools which will want you, primarily, to teach courses, many universities will also be looking for at least some commitment to research. This component isn't necessarily better or worse, but it's a different focus than a K-12 job. In most places, one of the primary roles of a professor is to generate this research, and it is often required for you to keep the teaching portion of your job.
Given your background, I highly recommend you look into professional or technical writing as a focus for your PhD. Many programs in Rhetoric and Composition can accommodate this focus, although in some places it may be a different program. Your background makes it a great match for you, and it's one of the few areas in academia where demand is outstripping supply right now. I also recommend you contact professors you worked with as part of your MA who focus in Rhet/Comp to talk to them about their careers.
Good luck!
posted by theantikitty at 7:07 AM on March 2, 2016
A PhD in Rhetoric and Composition will require you to be at least a little bit interested in pursuing research as part of your career. This means you'll write articles and books about topics in rhetoric or composition pedagogy, attend conferences, give papers, etc. If you haven't already, go to the library and read through a copy of the latest CCC journal. While there are jobs at schools which will want you, primarily, to teach courses, many universities will also be looking for at least some commitment to research. This component isn't necessarily better or worse, but it's a different focus than a K-12 job. In most places, one of the primary roles of a professor is to generate this research, and it is often required for you to keep the teaching portion of your job.
Given your background, I highly recommend you look into professional or technical writing as a focus for your PhD. Many programs in Rhetoric and Composition can accommodate this focus, although in some places it may be a different program. Your background makes it a great match for you, and it's one of the few areas in academia where demand is outstripping supply right now. I also recommend you contact professors you worked with as part of your MA who focus in Rhet/Comp to talk to them about their careers.
Good luck!
posted by theantikitty at 7:07 AM on March 2, 2016
I taught high school ELA and now teach college. On top of that, I teach teachers how to teach. So I have experience in both classrooms, and in your content area specifically.
soren_lorensen is absolutely spot on when they say get into the HS classroom first before making any decisions about what to do. Substitute teach or volunteer as a classroom assistant. You may have to jump through a lot of legal and approval hoops just to do that, and if so, welcome to Education. There is a lot going on in terms of standards, training for working with children and teens that is not content-related (in my state there are lots of things one must do related to bullying, child abuse, drug use, etc), and a host of other non-classroom related activities that directly impact a teacher's work day.
This is not to day say that college professors don't do the same. I have accreditation review coming up, as well as research, committees, community service, faculty meetings and departmental work, etc. The difference is that most people understand that a professor has at least some of this going on. The classroom teacher...not so much.
Also, the methods and pedagogy for teaching best practices may look a little different than when you were in school (I have no idea how old you are). Many of my ELA students want very much to talk about how great literature is with their HS students, and that is fantastic! I like doing that too! But being an English Language Arts teacher is much, much more than literature. It is grammar, writing, vocabulary, literacy strategies, the recognition and value of all forms of dialect and dialogue...there is a lot more to the ELA teacher's day than discussion novels and poetry. If you are aware of this already, wonderful! If not, go into a classroom and see what kinds of activities, strategies and pedagogy ELA teachers engage with and in to help students develop.
Should you decide on the HS route, Pennsylvania has an alternative route guide online for you.
posted by oflinkey at 7:12 AM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
soren_lorensen is absolutely spot on when they say get into the HS classroom first before making any decisions about what to do. Substitute teach or volunteer as a classroom assistant. You may have to jump through a lot of legal and approval hoops just to do that, and if so, welcome to Education. There is a lot going on in terms of standards, training for working with children and teens that is not content-related (in my state there are lots of things one must do related to bullying, child abuse, drug use, etc), and a host of other non-classroom related activities that directly impact a teacher's work day.
This is not to day say that college professors don't do the same. I have accreditation review coming up, as well as research, committees, community service, faculty meetings and departmental work, etc. The difference is that most people understand that a professor has at least some of this going on. The classroom teacher...not so much.
Also, the methods and pedagogy for teaching best practices may look a little different than when you were in school (I have no idea how old you are). Many of my ELA students want very much to talk about how great literature is with their HS students, and that is fantastic! I like doing that too! But being an English Language Arts teacher is much, much more than literature. It is grammar, writing, vocabulary, literacy strategies, the recognition and value of all forms of dialect and dialogue...there is a lot more to the ELA teacher's day than discussion novels and poetry. If you are aware of this already, wonderful! If not, go into a classroom and see what kinds of activities, strategies and pedagogy ELA teachers engage with and in to help students develop.
Should you decide on the HS route, Pennsylvania has an alternative route guide online for you.
posted by oflinkey at 7:12 AM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Ah! Thanks for all of the excellent suggestions so far! I think I definitely will look into getting into the classroom in some way before deciding one way or the other. (I'm in my mid-20s, so it's been almost nine years since I've actually been in a high school classroom as a student.)
I also have to say that part of the PhD I'm most excited about is doing that sort of research, so perhaps that's an indicator I am headed in a good direction (or at least one that makes sense, given my interests). Also, the PhD program that I'm leaning toward choosing if I go that route does have a focus on professional/technical writing, so that's very good news!
Thanks again, everyone!
posted by gypsyhymns at 7:24 AM on March 2, 2016
I also have to say that part of the PhD I'm most excited about is doing that sort of research, so perhaps that's an indicator I am headed in a good direction (or at least one that makes sense, given my interests). Also, the PhD program that I'm leaning toward choosing if I go that route does have a focus on professional/technical writing, so that's very good news!
Thanks again, everyone!
posted by gypsyhymns at 7:24 AM on March 2, 2016
You loved teaching freshman comp. You may not love teaching high school. At a college you might teach four classes a semester or fewer and these classes meet two or three times a week. At a high school you're likely to have 5 or 6 daily classes. It's grueling and getting to know your students can be almost impossible.
There are lots of positives and negatives for each job. Working with younger kids can be intrinsically rewarding in so many ways.
I was just about to mention research when your response popped up. Yeah, you won't get much of a chance to do research when you're teaching high school.
posted by mareli at 7:27 AM on March 2, 2016
There are lots of positives and negatives for each job. Working with younger kids can be intrinsically rewarding in so many ways.
I was just about to mention research when your response popped up. Yeah, you won't get much of a chance to do research when you're teaching high school.
posted by mareli at 7:27 AM on March 2, 2016
You don't need an education degree to teach high school. You will be limited to teaching in the area of your degree(s), which sounds fine for you. All the advice above is good advice.
Schools are complicated places with a lot of moving parts and the actual instruction bit is only a tiny part of what happens during a regular school day as a teacher.
This is true in high school, but if you want more time with kids and fewer 'moving parts', you might consider teaching in a k-5 setting (k-6 in some districts). I have a journalism degree and teach 2nd grade, and I spend most of my time teaching and interacting with students. You would have to teach all or most subject areas, though.
If I had gone into teaching high school I would have quit long ago... it turns out I hate all those moving parts, and the actual teaching is what keeps me going.
posted by Huck500 at 7:28 AM on March 2, 2016
Schools are complicated places with a lot of moving parts and the actual instruction bit is only a tiny part of what happens during a regular school day as a teacher.
This is true in high school, but if you want more time with kids and fewer 'moving parts', you might consider teaching in a k-5 setting (k-6 in some districts). I have a journalism degree and teach 2nd grade, and I spend most of my time teaching and interacting with students. You would have to teach all or most subject areas, though.
If I had gone into teaching high school I would have quit long ago... it turns out I hate all those moving parts, and the actual teaching is what keeps me going.
posted by Huck500 at 7:28 AM on March 2, 2016
I'm going to echo what oflinkey said above. Teaching ELA in high school is not all book discussion of great literature. In fact, it's mostly not. If you are looking to work in a low-income community, odds are that your students will be several years behind in their reading levels, so high schoolers may read and write like 5th graders, and then it is definitely more about teaching reading and writing skills than teaching literature. Not that it's not going to happen, but it's not going to be what most people probably think teaching English is going to be.
I don't know about your area, but you also need to be realistic about the market. English teachers are plentiful, so the jobs are competitive, and you will be starting at the bottom of the chain, most likely with the most struggling and behind students, not the AP Lit class.
But from what I understand, getting hired full time tenure track at a university is equally as competitive.
posted by archimago at 8:29 AM on March 2, 2016
I don't know about your area, but you also need to be realistic about the market. English teachers are plentiful, so the jobs are competitive, and you will be starting at the bottom of the chain, most likely with the most struggling and behind students, not the AP Lit class.
But from what I understand, getting hired full time tenure track at a university is equally as competitive.
posted by archimago at 8:29 AM on March 2, 2016
I would ask a LOT of questions about how many students from the PhD program you are considering actually get jobs in academia, and where they get those jobs. It will not matter how much you love teaching college students if you a) can't get a job teaching college students or b) the only jobs you can get teaching college students are adjuct positions where you work an insane number of hours for poverty wages and few if any benefits.
K-12 English teacher positions may also be tight, as commenters above note, but my sense of the higher ed market, especially for non-STEM jobs, and especially especially for people wanting to teach composition, is that it is pretty damn dismal. I'm not saying no one should ever pursue a PhD, but go into it fully aware of the challenges (and don't think "Oh, I'm sure I'll be the exception because I'm so amazing!" No offense, but that way leads to heartbreak and being completely broke.)
posted by rainbowbrite at 9:12 AM on March 2, 2016
K-12 English teacher positions may also be tight, as commenters above note, but my sense of the higher ed market, especially for non-STEM jobs, and especially especially for people wanting to teach composition, is that it is pretty damn dismal. I'm not saying no one should ever pursue a PhD, but go into it fully aware of the challenges (and don't think "Oh, I'm sure I'll be the exception because I'm so amazing!" No offense, but that way leads to heartbreak and being completely broke.)
posted by rainbowbrite at 9:12 AM on March 2, 2016
One other thing to consider are independent schools - they generally don't require a teaching certification (though a lot of places have a mechanism to support you getting one over time if you want it), and the MA is a bonus.
Competition is very tight for English jobs, usually, but it's smaller class sizes than public schools, and somewhat more focus on literature than pure how to write. You might get lucky and find a school near you that needs someone to fill in for one class (due to particular quirks of their schedule/teacher on leave for a semester or year, etc.)
However, they're also their own dynamics, which some people do great with, and some people not so much, and there's a lot of variation school to school that can be hard to figure out from the outside.
Feel free to MeMail if you'd like more: I worked in one for 10 years as a library assistant and librarian.
posted by modernhypatia at 10:23 AM on March 2, 2016
Competition is very tight for English jobs, usually, but it's smaller class sizes than public schools, and somewhat more focus on literature than pure how to write. You might get lucky and find a school near you that needs someone to fill in for one class (due to particular quirks of their schedule/teacher on leave for a semester or year, etc.)
However, they're also their own dynamics, which some people do great with, and some people not so much, and there's a lot of variation school to school that can be hard to figure out from the outside.
Feel free to MeMail if you'd like more: I worked in one for 10 years as a library assistant and librarian.
posted by modernhypatia at 10:23 AM on March 2, 2016
I'm seconding what rainbowbrite wrote:
posted by brianogilvie at 12:11 PM on March 2, 2016
I would ask a LOT of questions about how many students from the PhD program you are considering actually get jobs in academia, and where they get those jobs.Except for community colleges and bottom-tier regional schools (and even for many of them), the higher education job market in the US is a national market. A program's placement record is important to consider, and if the program avoids giving you a direct answer about it, that's a bad sign. I did my Ph.D. in history and was one of the lucky folks who got a job the first year on the market. I had four first-round interviews, at institutions in Sherman, Texas; Urbana-Champaign, Illinois; Davis, California; and Amherst, Massachusetts. I had two campus interviews, in Davis and Amherst. And one job offer, which is why I moved to Massachusetts. Still, I feel like I won the tournament: a good job in a great area to live in.
posted by brianogilvie at 12:11 PM on March 2, 2016
Something to consider, though; as a PhD with no teaching experience, you're pricing yourself at the TOP of the market. Compared to you, schools could hire two teachers with more experience and lower credentials, and many districts will do that.
So beware, a PhD may price you out of the teaching market.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:19 PM on March 2, 2016
So beware, a PhD may price you out of the teaching market.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:19 PM on March 2, 2016
If you want to try teaching at an independent high school, NAIS.org is a great place to find openings in your area. Part-time, adjunct or long-term subbing are good ways to determine if it is a match for you. Now is the time to look for fall gigs. In some states, you can be on the public school substitute teaching roster without an education degree.
posted by coevals at 12:37 PM on March 2, 2016
posted by coevals at 12:37 PM on March 2, 2016
Former HS ELA teacher here. Nthing volunteering or job shadowing in a classroom. Do this a few times so you can get a feel for different situations that arise and what the rhythm of the day is like.
I also recommend checking out the Common Core ELA standards. I can't recall offhand if PA is a CCSS state, but they'll give you a sense of what ELA teachers are responsible for. These days, there is very, very heavy emphasis on the reading and writing of technical texts in ELA classes and less time for lit (which was my love, too).
As for skill deficits, this is very true. That said, some creative instructional techniques can help kids far behind access grade level texts. Plus, many of my most challenged readers were the best discussion participants. It's a fantastic job, but not for everyone. I wish I still had the stamina and emotional wherewithal. (Teaching involves a ton of emotional labor.)
(Apologies for typos--blame the phone, not my writing proficiency!)
posted by smirkette at 2:12 PM on March 2, 2016
I also recommend checking out the Common Core ELA standards. I can't recall offhand if PA is a CCSS state, but they'll give you a sense of what ELA teachers are responsible for. These days, there is very, very heavy emphasis on the reading and writing of technical texts in ELA classes and less time for lit (which was my love, too).
As for skill deficits, this is very true. That said, some creative instructional techniques can help kids far behind access grade level texts. Plus, many of my most challenged readers were the best discussion participants. It's a fantastic job, but not for everyone. I wish I still had the stamina and emotional wherewithal. (Teaching involves a ton of emotional labor.)
(Apologies for typos--blame the phone, not my writing proficiency!)
posted by smirkette at 2:12 PM on March 2, 2016
smirkette mentions what I came in to mention: teaching involves a ton of emotional labour, and that is not acknowledged and most of the time, not something you get explicit support on in the teaching profession.
The question is really this: will you be able to survive the soul-killing parts of the job? At least half of teachers, sometimes more like 2/3 leave the profession in the first five years.
You know why? Incompetent leaders, lazy colleagues, colleagues who backstab and run to admin to tell on you, colleagues who refuse to share their curriculum, colleagues who insist on you using their curriculum, students who need more help and support than the school can or will offer, parents who refuse to answer your calls/emails, parents who assert your incompetence to administrators, board members pulling favours, divisive and abusive staff culture, long hours, extra duties that never seem to stop piling on, amount of work to grade and for which to give feedback, technology that breaks more often than it works....it's a shit-ton, and it will break down even the most stable individual.
Don't get me wrong. I have taught for 12 years in California public schools. I love my job, and I can't imagine doing anything else. For me, the kids make it worthwhile. Sometimes, the colleagues help. The joy of passing on the love of your subject matter can be the best thing in the world. Those moments can be few and far between, but they're glorious. Seeing students make better choices as a result of your counsel, or grow in skills they struggled with earlier in the year...that is magic.
Teaching can be wonderful. And it can kill your soul and burn you out. The question is whether you can withstand the onslaught of unpaid and unacknowledged emotional labour and its impact on your life.
I agree with others that the only way to find out if you can handle it is to spend a week shadowing a teacher in the type of school you want to teach. But when I say shadow, I mean literally see ALL the work that teacher does for a full week. That will help you make the choice.
Good luck. Memail me if you want to talk more about all of this.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:49 PM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
The question is really this: will you be able to survive the soul-killing parts of the job? At least half of teachers, sometimes more like 2/3 leave the profession in the first five years.
You know why? Incompetent leaders, lazy colleagues, colleagues who backstab and run to admin to tell on you, colleagues who refuse to share their curriculum, colleagues who insist on you using their curriculum, students who need more help and support than the school can or will offer, parents who refuse to answer your calls/emails, parents who assert your incompetence to administrators, board members pulling favours, divisive and abusive staff culture, long hours, extra duties that never seem to stop piling on, amount of work to grade and for which to give feedback, technology that breaks more often than it works....it's a shit-ton, and it will break down even the most stable individual.
Don't get me wrong. I have taught for 12 years in California public schools. I love my job, and I can't imagine doing anything else. For me, the kids make it worthwhile. Sometimes, the colleagues help. The joy of passing on the love of your subject matter can be the best thing in the world. Those moments can be few and far between, but they're glorious. Seeing students make better choices as a result of your counsel, or grow in skills they struggled with earlier in the year...that is magic.
Teaching can be wonderful. And it can kill your soul and burn you out. The question is whether you can withstand the onslaught of unpaid and unacknowledged emotional labour and its impact on your life.
I agree with others that the only way to find out if you can handle it is to spend a week shadowing a teacher in the type of school you want to teach. But when I say shadow, I mean literally see ALL the work that teacher does for a full week. That will help you make the choice.
Good luck. Memail me if you want to talk more about all of this.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:49 PM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
My recommendation for people who think they want to teach but are unsure is to try to do something that gets you inside a school providing some sort of instruction. Volunteer, tutor, shadow a teacher, something like that. It might be exactly the way you think it will be, but... it might not. Schools are complicated places with a lot of moving parts and the actual instruction bit is only a tiny part of what happens during a regular school day as a teacher. English is also the subject-area that involves the most homework for the teacher. Good language arts teachers assign and grade a lot of writing assignments (as a secondary level teacher you will likely have 150-200 students) because that's what students need to learn how to write well.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:00 AM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]