Why are you staying in education
November 17, 2022 7:14 PM Subscribe
I am planning on getting a masters in teaching -elem ed, graduating in august 2024. There are a lot of reasons I believe this is the right move for me. I am 51 and am hoping this is my last job/career. I am excited. But everywhere I turn is negative about teaching and education. Low pay, long hours, crappy politics. For me my starting salary would be higher than any I’ve ever had. And long hours and politics are ubiquitous in the us working culture. I would really like to hear from teachers who still love teaching and aren’t planning on leaving. Please tell me all the reasons why you are staying. Thank you.
I like the kids and I hate hate hate office work. New York State Teacher's Retirement System is still pretty cushy. You (should) get a raise every year in NY. You only have to report to work during standard work hours about 185 days a year versus a 12 month job, which is around 260 days a year not counting PTO and holidays. I think the long hours and low pay depend on where you are, and both of those issues should improve the longer you are in the career field. After the first couple of years, you should have your curriculum developed and lesson plans written, so you would only be making changes for the most part. And you would know what assignments work and are not overly burdensome to grade. At the end of the day, I want to have a career in education because I really enjoy working with the kids.
I am a school librarian, currently working in an academic library because school hiring is so competitive. I changed careers to become a school librarian in my 20s. It took me 3 years to get a job as a school librarian because I had no teaching experience, and I've been trying to get a different school librarian job in a better district for 3 more years and haven't had any luck. If you are able to try substitute teaching without your certification, I highly recommend it. It will be beneficial in a myriad of ways. You will see how school politics work; you will see if you like the kids and have a knack for teaching; you will get your face out there in districts so that they know you; Most of all, you will have teaching experience to put on your resume.
posted by DEiBnL13 at 9:16 PM on November 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am a school librarian, currently working in an academic library because school hiring is so competitive. I changed careers to become a school librarian in my 20s. It took me 3 years to get a job as a school librarian because I had no teaching experience, and I've been trying to get a different school librarian job in a better district for 3 more years and haven't had any luck. If you are able to try substitute teaching without your certification, I highly recommend it. It will be beneficial in a myriad of ways. You will see how school politics work; you will see if you like the kids and have a knack for teaching; you will get your face out there in districts so that they know you; Most of all, you will have teaching experience to put on your resume.
posted by DEiBnL13 at 9:16 PM on November 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Like Iteki, I am inspired by my students. Just today, a piece of student work was passed around the staffroom. It was far from objectively brilliant work, but it demonstrated such improvement in the student, both in skill and learning attitude, that it bouyed us all and justified the effort we all make with all our students.
Like you, I became a teacher in my 50s. I'm coming up for 6yrs now and I keep learning new skills, new modes of thought, new ways to reach my students. For someone who gets bored easily, I am never bored in teaching. Tired, yes. But always excited to teach and learn.
posted by Thella at 9:18 PM on November 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
Like you, I became a teacher in my 50s. I'm coming up for 6yrs now and I keep learning new skills, new modes of thought, new ways to reach my students. For someone who gets bored easily, I am never bored in teaching. Tired, yes. But always excited to teach and learn.
posted by Thella at 9:18 PM on November 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
My FIL became a substitute teacher late in life and seemed to really enjoy it. Less stress, with all the fun bits of teaching. Would that be an option? In Chicagoland substitutes are in high demand since the pandemic. Might be the same in your area of the US/the world.
posted by EllaEm at 10:12 PM on November 17, 2022
posted by EllaEm at 10:12 PM on November 17, 2022
After working in an administrative role for many years, I decided to go back to the classroom because I truly missed making positive connections with kids. While I’m exhausted most days during the school year, my daily work with students is energizing and inspiring.
Things that matter to me:
- The poor/broke teacher trope is largely state/district dependent. I work in a district with a strong teachers’ union; this has meant highly competitive salaries (six figures at the top of the pay scale), flexibility in what we teach, and good resources.
- High schoolers are hilarious, tragic, inquisitive, and resilient. In the course of a single day, I can go from consoling a crying student to encouraging someone to take a writing risk to sharing book recommendations and bantering about pop music.
- Writing cards or emails of gratitude is highly normed within my district. I can’t think of many other careers where I’d regularly receive sincere thank-you notes and letters from teens and families.
- Being a teacher means that you truly have the opportunity to be the change you want to see in the world. That sounds unbelievably corny, but it’s real. My classroom is a place where social-emotional learning is valued and expected alongside academic outcomes.
- My work allows me to improve myself constantly - whether it’s trying something new with students, taking a professional development course, or talking about pedagogy with my fellow teachers.
- Teaching in 2022 can be complicated … we’re asked to be a lot of things to a lot of people. Because of that, it’s critical to me that I work in a district that supports its teachers and recognizes the value strong schools bring to our community.
- While the past several years have been particularly draining, there is still no job on earth that I would rather do.
If you can, I encourage you to be choosy about where you work. It’s worth it to watch a few school board meetings from the districts in which you plan to apply. What is the tone and vision?
While it took me 2-3 years to really feel comfortable when I came back to teaching, there’s nothing else I’d rather spend my days doing. I get paid to teach teenagers how to see themselves in literature, how to be empathetic, and how to develop skill sets they will use their entire lives. How fucking cool is that?
posted by WaspEnterprises at 11:14 PM on November 17, 2022 [8 favorites]
Things that matter to me:
- The poor/broke teacher trope is largely state/district dependent. I work in a district with a strong teachers’ union; this has meant highly competitive salaries (six figures at the top of the pay scale), flexibility in what we teach, and good resources.
- High schoolers are hilarious, tragic, inquisitive, and resilient. In the course of a single day, I can go from consoling a crying student to encouraging someone to take a writing risk to sharing book recommendations and bantering about pop music.
- Writing cards or emails of gratitude is highly normed within my district. I can’t think of many other careers where I’d regularly receive sincere thank-you notes and letters from teens and families.
- Being a teacher means that you truly have the opportunity to be the change you want to see in the world. That sounds unbelievably corny, but it’s real. My classroom is a place where social-emotional learning is valued and expected alongside academic outcomes.
- My work allows me to improve myself constantly - whether it’s trying something new with students, taking a professional development course, or talking about pedagogy with my fellow teachers.
- Teaching in 2022 can be complicated … we’re asked to be a lot of things to a lot of people. Because of that, it’s critical to me that I work in a district that supports its teachers and recognizes the value strong schools bring to our community.
- While the past several years have been particularly draining, there is still no job on earth that I would rather do.
If you can, I encourage you to be choosy about where you work. It’s worth it to watch a few school board meetings from the districts in which you plan to apply. What is the tone and vision?
While it took me 2-3 years to really feel comfortable when I came back to teaching, there’s nothing else I’d rather spend my days doing. I get paid to teach teenagers how to see themselves in literature, how to be empathetic, and how to develop skill sets they will use their entire lives. How fucking cool is that?
posted by WaspEnterprises at 11:14 PM on November 17, 2022 [8 favorites]
I once said if I won the lottery, I would probably still go to work.
There are bits of teaching that I don't miss, while I'm on leave (the take home work and deadlines- though I've learned a lot about myself and potential executive function issues while I've had minute to reflect) but over all I really love it.
posted by freethefeet at 12:26 AM on November 18, 2022
There are bits of teaching that I don't miss, while I'm on leave (the take home work and deadlines- though I've learned a lot about myself and potential executive function issues while I've had minute to reflect) but over all I really love it.
posted by freethefeet at 12:26 AM on November 18, 2022
The people I know who are still in teaching have (1) made their peace with the hours and expectations, (2) live in areas where a teaching salary pays enough to live reasonably, (3) have good colleagues and fairly decent management, and (4) actually enjoy teaching children and have decent classroom management skills. It sounds like you already have 1 and 2 down already. 3 can be a bit of luck of the drawer, but if you're somewhere where you can move schools to a better job if you need to that will help. 4 you just need to realistically assess as much as possible before starting your course and during any teaching placements.
posted by plonkee at 2:00 AM on November 18, 2022
posted by plonkee at 2:00 AM on November 18, 2022
Many teaching jobs have pension plans, and you may need to be in a school district long enough to be vested. This is a really big consideration, plans vary a lot. When you get a government pension, any social security payments may be affected, which many feel is unfair, but govt. pensions have tended to be structured with the assumption that the recipient will get no soc. sec.
Lots of teachers like kids and teaching. Call some local schools, see if you can volunteer; that will help you know more.
posted by theora55 at 7:39 AM on November 18, 2022
Lots of teachers like kids and teaching. Call some local schools, see if you can volunteer; that will help you know more.
posted by theora55 at 7:39 AM on November 18, 2022
When you get a government pension, any social security payments may be affected, which many feel is unfair, but govt. pensions have tended to be structured with the assumption that the recipient will get no soc. sec.
This is only the case if you don't pay into Social Security, which is only true in some states.
posted by praemunire at 7:41 AM on November 18, 2022
This is only the case if you don't pay into Social Security, which is only true in some states.
posted by praemunire at 7:41 AM on November 18, 2022
Kids are great. Infuriating sometimes (I work with middle school so YMMV) but great. And I get a lot of pleasure from working with them. I've also generally liked my colleagues and felt like I was doing work that mattered. That's a lot more satisfaction than a lot of people find in their jobs. Best of luck to you!
posted by jeszac at 4:59 PM on November 18, 2022
posted by jeszac at 4:59 PM on November 18, 2022
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posted by Iteki at 9:04 PM on November 17, 2022 [2 favorites]