A lot also depends on the students and their background. In addition new state, federal, and local mandates happen all the time. That might also affect the workload.
This is totally true. Your teaching experience depends on everything... The kids, the co-workers, EVERYTHING.... I worked at a Charter school for 3 years, and my experiences are COMPLETELY different from just about everyone else's. I absolutely loved my kids and most of the teachers I worked with, but I let the few bad seeds ruin my days, so I came home exhausted a lot. Don't let that happen to you! Good luck!
Both of my parents are retired teachers, my sister teaches high school French, and my wife had been a kindergarten teacher for the past 5 years. So, I feel that I have a little insight on this profession. The big thing is that it is a job that you have to love because you sure don't get paid for putting up with all the **** that teachers have to put up with these days. It takes a special person to be a teacher and I knew quickly that I didn't have what it took to teach (although I still think I could teach at a junior college). My wife told me stories that would make your hair curl up on the back of your neck and I can honestly say that she was miserable her last year of teaching. Of course, it didn't help that she had a b**** for a principal who never sided with her on anything AND she was teaching probably the most difficult group of 5 year olds in the entire school system. Teachers do get good benefits for the most part (especially health insurance as she is now realizing how crappy my health insurance is compared to her old one). You have summers off and a decent retirement plan plus if you can stand it, all you have to do is teach 30 years and then you can retire. However, that is if you can afford to retire, LOL. I think people our age (early 20s to early 30s) will have to work into their 70s.
My gf does it, 3rd grade. She has not gotten out of there one time before 7pm. I don't know what all she does but it is a ton of work, way more than I ever thought. She gets up at like 6am to go to work and gets home at 7:30. wtf
If you can have some Teacher Assistants, it takes the work load off (didn't see if someone had posted about this). That's my wife's job. She's studying to become a teacher and she says it is not that bad, at least at the school where she's assisting. Go for it, man. It is a chance for you and others to make a positive attitude change on most kids. A-Train? That's where you could get most of your FIRST-TIME comedy material. Trust me.
I just finished my alternative certification through Region 4. I elected to take the online courses, which was easier in that you didn't have to drive anywhere but definitely involves a lot of work. I probably spent about 5 hours or so workng a night (but I got everything done to have my weekends free). The process is pretty easy, just a lot of paperwork; so make sure you're on top of that. All in all, to get your certification (at least through region 4) you have to finish the pre-internship training (all the coursework), you need 25 hours of classroom observation, you have to pass the state content exams, have any required college credits related to your teaching area completed; after all that's taken care of you can either do a teaching internship (what I'm doin; you're a regular teacher with all the rights, responsibilities, salary and benefits but you're teaching on a probationary certificate and have to pay fees and you have a mentor) or student teaching (where you shadow a regular teacher for a few months and DON"T get paid). After that, assuming you've passed all you're content and ppr exams and get good recommendations from your school principal you'll be approved to get a standard certifcation. It's not too bad really. The only crappy part about it is the mentor process I have to go through as an "intern." I have to have my direct mentor, supervising administrator as well as a supervisor from region 4 all observe my class a certain number of times through the year. And then of course there's more paperwork to turn into region 4 and HISD. Other than, I actually have it pretty good. I teach k-5 physical education, so I don't have to worry about TAKS, grading homework and tests and that stuff. I do have to deal with the hot houston weather and a more lively class environment. But I'm done at 330 every day. Sure it can be frustrating at times, but I find rewarding and fun. The pay isn't too bad, I know HISD just bumped up salaries by 4K and with incentives (for teachers in the core subjects) you can make an extra 10K; but of course, for what teachers have to do, it's still underwhelming. -another tip, once you go through the acp process and get certified in one area, should you ever decide you wanna teach a different subject you can just take the content exams. You DON"T have to go through the acp process again.
My mom teaches 6th grade reading and hates it. After being a stay at home mom for nearly 20 years she decided to go back and get a Masters in Educational Administration. Since she had been out of the industry so long, she's had to start back at the teaching level and work her way up. She can't wait to get out of the actual teaching job. If it's something that is in your personality to enjoy, definately go for it. If you're at all questionable about it though, I'd ponder your options a little longer.
