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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 5, 2022 15:09:23 GMT
Thank you so much for doing such a vital job that contributes so much to our world. Can you share what made you want to become a teacher?
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 5, 2022 15:15:07 GMT
Thank you to all the peas who teach!
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Post by elaine on Oct 5, 2022 15:23:53 GMT
I, personally, want to make a positive difference to the world.
I never imagined not working, but having a severely disabled child changed that possibility. Now that I am in a life space again where I can work, I want to.
Realistically, I only have 10-11 years left to teach Elementary School in the classroom - I can’t imagine still doing that in my 70’s - but, I hope to still be able to teach at a university or take up a supervisory/admin position beyond that.
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Post by leannec on Oct 5, 2022 15:51:30 GMT
I really have no idea why I became a teacher ... I think because it was a degree in university that had a specific job when you graduated.  My skill set always went in that direction but it certainly wasn't a life long dream. I have had my ups and downs in the profession and now have a 23 year old dd who is in her last year of university to become a teacher.  Today is a good day ... lot's of recognition for us in the school today from staff and students ... some grade 9's just dropped off a bowl of fried rice!  |
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anaterra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,082
Location: Texas
Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Oct 5, 2022 15:53:59 GMT
yay!!! happy day to all of yall doing what I could never ever in a million bajillion years do....
much applause!!
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,797
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Oct 5, 2022 16:05:11 GMT
Thank you!
This year is year 24 for me.
I was in school for marine biology ("follow your dreams and you'll be happy") and realized that there were ZERO jobs for me upon graduation unless I was willing to starve and live in a shack and be in a lab 24/7. My advisor and I had lots of heart to heart talks and it kept coming back to teaching and photography (another "follow your dreams and you'll be happy" situation) and I realized that photography was expensive and I'd also be living in a van down by the river. So... teaching it was. I have a BS in Earth Systems Science & Policy with an emphasis in Integrated Science. It's really the PERFECT degree for a middle school teacher.
I earned single subject credentials in biology, geoscience and Algebra 1 and below which also set me up perfectly for middle school. I taught HS biology and physical science for a year in a small but urban city and realized THAT was NOT for me. So, to the country I moved with my husband and scored a job teaching middle school math and science where I happily taught for 22 of my 24 years.
This past year, I was brought back to high school but in an alternative ed position still teaching math and science. I love my new position and will happily be here for another 12-15 years depending on when I can retire.
Being a teacher has given us a great lifestyle with kids and vacation time. I give 1000% during the school year so I can relax on my breaks and vacation times. Currently I'm on a one week fall break. My own kids are in a different district and are on a 2 week fall break. Awesome way to enjoy national teacher day!
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 5, 2022 16:42:24 GMT
Your stories are so interesting. Thank you for sharing them w/us. elaine, were you a professor in a former life? I seem to recall that taught statistics!?!?!? leannec, when you share your experiences on the dinner thread I always chuckle and I'm sure you chuckle when I share my ds's funny stories, too. He has a gavel. I don't recommend napping in his class. |
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,260 
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Post by huskergal on Oct 5, 2022 17:02:29 GMT
I am year 26. My plans to become a clinical psychologist derailed. I loved English and I loved school. Hence, I became a teacher.
I taught English/Social Studies for 11 years. Now I teach computer science. Used to be computer applications.
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Post by elaine on Oct 5, 2022 17:31:14 GMT
Your stories are so interesting. Thank you for sharing them w/us. elaine , were you a professor in a former life? I seem to recall that taught statistics!?!?!? leannec , when you share your experiences on the dinner thread I always chuckle and I'm sure you chuckle when I share my ds's funny stories, too. He has a gavel. I don't recommend napping in his class. Yes, I taught Intro Psych for 2 years at Ohio State when I had my masters and was working on my PhD. Then I taught masters and grad students in psych at U of Oregon for 5 years. I then taught psychology and literature for undergrad cadets at the US Air Force Academy for 4 years, where I met and married my husband (US Navy officer teaching in my department). I also taught a few masters level counseling assessment courses at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs as a side gig. When he was transferred to the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) we had one child and I was pregnant with #2. I did research and worked with the Ethics program at NPS. By the time we were transferred to the DC area 3 years later, ds#1 had been diagnosed with autism and had started special ed. When we moved here, I started teaching night school at the University of Phoenix which had 3 ground campuses in the area (they all have shut down now). It worked because Dh would be home by the time I left to teach one night per week. I taught statistics, English, public speaking, and basic study skills for 7 years. I was the chair of the FlexNet program - which was a hybrid ground/online program for 4 of those years. After 7 years, the demands of my younger son made juggling prepping for courses, grading, etc., too much, so I stopped working outside the house 11 years ago. Last year I started substitute teaching and taking the courses VA required I take to get a K-12 teaching license. I’m still taking college classes in addition to teaching full-time with my own 3rd grade class. 18 years of teaching college experience wasn’t good enough. Anyone who thinks that they will let anyone with any college degree become a teacher doesn’t live in Virginia. I am having to use the day off - the district gave us Yom Kippur this year - to complete my own course assignments. |
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 5, 2022 17:51:01 GMT
elaine, you do have quite a vast teaching history. You've lived in some beautiful places, too. Thank you for being a teacher.
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Post by stargazer on Oct 5, 2022 18:09:17 GMT
This isn’t widely observed in the UK but we did have a parent drop off a box of chocolates today which went down well in our staff meeting 😆
I have been working in primary schools (4-11 yo) for over 13 years. Initially as a teaching assistant, then as a cover teacher even though I’d long said I didn’t want to be a teacher (as a TA I I felt I often spent more time actually teaching the children & building better relationships). I was then handed a class of my own as a fait accompli (it was me or nobody). At first it was just for a week….8 years later I have a degree which I pursued full time whilst also teaching full time & am now fully qualified, just in time to have been selected for a leadership position. Luckily I’ll get to stay in the classroom most of the time.
On a good day it’s a fabulous job and you really feel like you make a difference. The bad days are hard though; when they’re bad because the job is difficult that’s one thing but when they’re bad because a child isn’t getting the help they need or is at risk it’s truly hearty-breaking.
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,983
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Oct 5, 2022 18:30:43 GMT
This is my 26th year of teaching. I am also not 100% sure why I ended up in education. I had planned to get a degree in psychology. I thought I wanted to be a school counselor. Teaching was probably a better choice for me, but I will never know. In my first year in college, I took a literature class, and for some reason, it made me want to teach. I know back in the day, I "wanted to make a difference" and I wanted to help kids like me that weren't really successful in school until the last couple of years of high school (low self-esteem/underachiever).
In hindsight, I realize now that I have ADHD/am neurodivergent and so many of my issues stemmed from that, but it was the 80s/early 90s and we knew little about that at the time. I know that I have made a difference, and I do understand those that don't fit into the round hole of education.
That said, it is getting more difficult to stay every year.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words and for asking.
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Post by Merge on Oct 5, 2022 18:54:36 GMT
Thanks.
I majored in music ed because the choir room was always where I felt most at home, and I wanted to give that experience to other kids.
But I didn’t like teaching high school and left the profession.
Came back 11 years later at the elementary level. I’ve been doing that now for 15 years. I do it because I love working with kids. I still want to be the room at school where the misfits feel at home. I want to be the room where the kids who struggle academically might find something they’re good at, where the kids who come from low income households have access to musical instruments, and where we learn to recognize ourselves and each other in the music we hear.
There have been a lot of hard times and mistakes and disappointments, but I think I’ve sometimes succeeded at what I wanted to do. We all just keeping working at it!
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ddly
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,019
Jul 10, 2014 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by ddly on Oct 5, 2022 20:44:42 GMT
I’m in my 15th year. I started as a clinician in a residential program. I knew I needed to get out and spent my last year working with day students. I spent a lot of time with the special educator and decided that was what was next for me. I love what I do! I don’t see myself leaving the profession until I retire. It’s tough but so rewarding for me.
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nursema
Full Member
Posts: 352
Mar 1, 2022 10:14:32 GMT
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Post by nursema on Oct 5, 2022 21:17:22 GMT
Happy World Teacher’s Day to all of you, and THANK YOU for what you do! I could never even begin to express my respect or appreciation for the hard work, sacrifice and love required to work in your profession. You’re all angels, in my mind. ❤️
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Post by leannec on Oct 5, 2022 22:14:14 GMT
leannec, when you share your experiences on the dinner thread I always chuckle and I'm sure you chuckle when I share my ds's funny stories, too. He has a gavel. I don't recommend napping in his class. You get the nitty gritty from me on the dinner thread ... I don't sugarcoat the job that's for sure! Sleeping students in my class get a poke in the shoulder and a loud "TREVOR!" ... my current sleepyhead! Your ds needs to do mock court proceedings in class so he can use his gavel as the judge!  |
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,407
Location: Dallas Texas
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Post by SabrinaP on Oct 5, 2022 23:04:58 GMT
This is my 24th year of teaching. I honestly never gave another career a thought. I think I knew I wanted to teach from 3rd grade on. Neither of my parents were teachers, but I just loved school that much. My dad used to cut out articles from the paper that pertained to teaching to give me all throughout my high school years.
I taught for 22 years in grades 4-6 in a regular classroom. For the last two years I’ve been a Title 1 Interventionist. I pull kids out to do Tier 3 Intervention in reading and math. I love it so much, but to be honest I’m glad I’m at the end of my career rather than starting out. Part of my job involves working with young paraprofessionals that often want to be teachers and I worry about how their careers in education will go and the direction education is heading. Kids seem to have more and more trauma and schools just aren’t equipped to deal with most of it.
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Post by Skellinton on Oct 6, 2022 0:37:33 GMT
This is my 26th year. And I was really little I wanted to be a vet because I love animals but then I realized how sad it would be and so I decided to be a teacher instead. I was probably seven or eight when I realized that. When I was in elementary school my aunt had a Pre-k/kindergarten school at her house and when I would visit I would love to be out there with her. When I was in middle school if you got a 3.5 you earned a card to get a day off of school the following quarter and I would spend those days off with my aunt in her special education classroom (she has moved closer to us and since my cousin was in school she went back to classroom teaching) and I loved that. Unfortunately by the time I graduated high school everyone was telling me how terrible teaching was and t I would hate it, how hard it was to get jobs, the pay was poor etc. etc. so I tried school for other things but I just couldn’t get past wanting to be a teacher. Finally I decided the hell with it and went to school to get my teaching degree.
It really is the only thing I can ever see myself doing, it is the only thing I would be happy doing unless someone wanted to pay me to professionally pet and cuddle their dogs or cats while taste testing ice cream.
I am incredibly shy around adults. I cannot imagine sitting in office. I can’t imagine doing anything or would have to talk to adults on a regular basis, teaching is perfect for me.
Now that I get to teach pre-K and I get to come up with very themed activities based on the kid’s interests and skills I have never been happier. I love a good thene, I love reading kids books, I love doing sensory projects with them, I love their art projects, I love singing with them, I love setting up different dramatic play areas, I love coming up with and shopping for and setting up a little loose parts tables. just recently I made haunted houses out of dollar tree doll houses that I cannot wait to use with the kids. I love how much they love coming to school. I love watching them in the dramatic play area. I love playing cats with them outside (the latest trend in outside play for this batch of kids). I love their funny little speeches, I love their terrible knock knock jokes. I love when they walk in and see what we have set up and how excited they get about the different activities of the tables. I love seeing how creatively they utilize the things we have in our classroom. . I love their hugs. I feel very lucky to have a job I enjoy going to every morning. I know how special that is.
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Post by playingcinderella on Oct 6, 2022 1:11:31 GMT
This is year 15 for me. I was a kid who moved alot and didn't ever quite fit in. I found my home, my best friends and my DH in theatre. I Was adamant I wouldn't be a teacher - my mom was and I saw the amount of work she took home. Ultimately, though, I just wanted to provide the same home in theatre that I had.
*edited because my negativity doesn't belong in this thread.
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Post by kluski on Oct 6, 2022 2:09:45 GMT
I became a teacher bc the high school I went to prepped us to be nurses (ewww blood and bed pans), secretaries (I didn’t think I could sit at a desk all day really changing my mind on that one at my age), or teachers. I also really wanted the book with the answers. Not kidding, sadly. I was the first and only in my family to graduate college.
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kate
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,583
Location: The city that doesn't sleep
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Oct 6, 2022 3:19:46 GMT
Thank you! We were off for Yom Kippur (for those observing, I hope your fast was easy), so I wasn't really aware until I got online. I went into teaching kicking and screaming. My whole young-adult life, people were telling me to get a teaching job as "something to fall back on" - it infuriated me. Even as a young adult, I knew that the skills to teach were different from the skills to perform. Fast forward several years to me working as a freelance musician with a kid. Then two kids. Then more. It got really hard - the phone calls often come at the last minute, and finding a sitter for ONE kid was bad enough! My kids all took "parent & me" music classes, and I realized I'd miss them as my youngest was aging out of the program. I asked the program director if she could use an extra teacher, and I fell in love with teaching! I got hungry to learn more about young children's music learning - it's FASCINATING (to me, anyway! LOL). The principal of my current school knew of my work and liked it, and he recruited me hard. I still didn't want a full-time teaching job. But I took it (the kicker was his asking me, "So HOW many kids do you have, and WHERE is your health insurance coming from?"). I love it. I have kept collecting certifications and graduate credits - it may never add up to a second masters (my first is in performance), but who cares. I love love love working with the children, and I think music education is vitally important in this world. professionally pet and cuddle their dogs or cats while taste testing ice cream Oh wow. I thought I wanted to rock NICU babies as my retirement (unpaid) work, but you have given me a new fantasy!  |
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