> But that doesn't mean you can't be a teacher because it's something you think you would like to do. Hey, if you're wrong, bail out and experiment with another line of work instead.

> My plan was to give teaching five years. But at the end of that time, we were making house payments and had one child in school. So the easiest thing to do was to say, "OK, five more years." Fortunately, I liked teaching and stuck with it. Unfortunately, there is more to teaching than just teaching. Some of that stuff, I didn't like.
> Howard

I'm sure everyone's surprised I'm putting in my two cents here.

First of all, I think Sam has a valid point. You have more opportunity to bail than people used to have. It's not as though you are stuck being a teacher forever anymore. The beauty of a teaching job from that point of view is that you do have time in the summer to retrain for something new, while still being able to support yourself with salary earned throughout the school year. You also attain many transferable job skills teaching. As well, although I do recognize Howard's point, I view most of that as being stuck by circumstance more than by choice of profession. Teaching actually gave me options in small towns that I wouldn't have had otherwise. When there were no jobs to be had, I was able to create them (tutoring, starting adult night school, etc.).

Teaching is the best job in the world if you like it, and the absolute worst if you don't. Of course teachers aren't paid enough: and of course teachers are paid way too much. How could you ever accurately value the effect teachers have (both positive and negative) on students?

The only advice I would give you is this: if you like kids, you'll probably like teaching. And if you do like kids, (and teaching), those things will be satisfaction enough for you. I know of no other job where you have so many rewarding moments in any given week, or where you are given so much responsibility over so many lives. I hope I'm not offending anyone by saying this, but I really feel for good teachers, their profession is more than a job: it's a vocation.


te "really applicable nickname" ach

P.S.: I lied. More advice:

It's very, very easy to be sucked down into the morass of gloom (commonly known as a staff-room) when there are too many negative people on staff. Learn to stay away.

Grow a thick skin or a pair of blinders, and be aware that teachers are attacked on a regular basis, because everyone has an opinion. These attacks are cyclical, and usually peak around September of every year. Everyone has been to school, or has children in school, and therefore feels they can accurately analyze currrent educational situations. You'll go insane trying to argue. My come-back line when people start to criticize now is: "And don't forget, we only work a six-hour day, for nine months a year."