a fraction of my QLC: I studied to be an English Teacher

[graymillais]

*apologies for length*

Long story somewhat shorter: got my BA in 2005 and applied for my Eng/LA 7-12 certificate.

Catch #1: Everyone in my class applied to the state in May/June, and due to "technical problems" blamed by the state on mislabeled Praxis Exam scores, most of us didn't receive certificates until late fall . .. so, no teaching job for me this year.

Catch #2: Well, I couldn't get a full year job at a public school, anyway. I tried applying for a couple of private school openings and long-term sub jobs. After nearly every interview, I heard: "You had a wonderful interview and we'd like to keep in touch. Unfortunately, we decided to go with a recent retiree for this job. He/she had experience and you didn't."

Please tell me how I am supposed to get experience when I keep getting turned down for retirees.

Catch #3: I've been trying to keep a toe in by reading up on teaching experiences. If anyone's ever visited a teacher message board, however . . . it's not exactly the most heartening thing you'll ever read. My friends who are teachers also spend a lot of time talking about how miserable they are.

My question:

I loved the idea of teaching, and was told that I would make a good teacher. I had some very stressful student teaching experiences, but also some very satisfying ones. I thought I wanted to teach, but I am getting frustrated by . . . everything.

This is really the only career I know. I haven't trained to be anything else, but I'm starting to think I should have. Words has talked to me a bit about Journalism :) but I'm still feeling scrambled.

Mostly I'm seeking advice from teachers, but anyone with empathy for teachers is welcome to answer: should I continue pursuing a teaching career for another year before my provisional certificate runs out? Or should I run the other way, screaming?

[Deni81]

This post reads like something I would have written last year. I am 5 weeks away from finishing my first year of teaching. I was an English major in college NOT an education major. I had to get into teaching by subbing first and then after a semester of that I was offered a job.

Teaching is a tough profession. It just is. Your first year is a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. They are days when you go home and feel like a failure of a teacher. I've had many of those days. But if you have a passion for the job and it sounds like you do, you will be alright.

PM me if you have any questions.

[dengeist]

It definitely has it's ups and downs. Right now you could be up for a couple of weeks, then you might have a week from hell.

I will say it's much, much different being the captain of your own ship rather than a first mate, if you know what I mean. You first year is going to be very, very rough. My second year was actually worse than my first year. But in the long run, it made me a much stronger teacher.

It sucks big monkey balls, what happend to you. But don't let it get you down, even subbing is a lot different than teaching. But I say try to get your sub certificate in different counties and try a couple of different districts in each county. Now is the time to sub, teachers are taking their personal days. Subbing is a good way to get your foot in the door by getting to know different principals and how differently schools are run. Don't give up.

I'm assuming you're somewhere in the northeast if you took the Praxis. Try elementary and middle school too. Hang in there.

If this is your dream, don't give up on it. Just know, you're not going to be walking an easy road. Personally, I love my job. But if you asked me that five years ago, I would've told you to shove teaching up your ass. But I'm glad I stuck with it.

If there's anything you need to know, feel free to PM me.

[wordsmith]

My question:

I loved the idea of teaching, and was told that I would make a good teacher. I had some very stressful student teaching experiences, but also some very satisfying ones. I thought I wanted to teach, but I am getting frustrated by . . . everything.

As you know, this very nearly identically mirrors my experience, and I have the same degree and cert as you.


Mostly I'm seeking advice from teachers, but anyone with empathy for teachers is welcome to answer: should I continue pursuing a teaching career for another year before my provisional certificate runs out? Or should I run the other way, screaming?

As you also know...that I'm of the run the other way screaming persuasion.

Here's my advice...be a teacher if the thought of NOT teaching makes you miserable.

[EmberMae]

Would it be possible for you to relocate? There are many areas of the country that have a high need for teachers, even unexperienced ones. I know that Texas does, for example. The only thing that might be an issue is I don't know how easy it will be to get recertified in a new state with only a provisional certificate. With a standard certificate, it's quite easy. Anyway, I taught 10th grade English for half a year, and was completely miserable and quit, so I'm not the best person to talk to. If you really want to teach, I think you should at least try it, though, because you will always wonder if you don't get the chance.

[capella]

I think a lot of your frustration is from the situation and red tape. You ought to at least try to teach to see if you really want to or not. Teaching is so very hard. There will be plenty of days where you will be so robbed of all energy and have nothing left over. But it is also one of the most rewarding careers and if you really like kids then you ought to go for it. I have thought about leaving and figuring out what else to do. I came from journalism to teaching. But honestly, having been in another career field, I feel that teaching is the right fit--most days. I would miss working with kids, even the ones who drive me crazy everyday. I don't think you can tell if you want to be a teacher or not until you've done it for a while. It's so very hands on.

[dengeist]

I think a lot of your frustration is from the situation and red tape. You ought to at least try to teach to see if you really want to or not. Teaching is so very hard. There will be plenty of days where you will be so robbed of all energy and have nothing left over. But it is also one of the most rewarding careers and if you really like kids then you ought to go for it. I have thought about leaving and figuring out what else to do. I came from journalism to teaching. But honestly, having been in another career field, I feel that teaching is the right fit--most days. I would miss working with kids, even the ones who drive me crazy everyday. I don't think you can tell if you want to be a teacher or not until you've done it for a while. It's so very hands on.

Yup, and you can't go on other people's experiences either. It's one of those experiences that is very hard to put into words, but you know what it is once you've been through it.

I still say DON'T GIVE UP!!! TRY IT!!

Not because I'm a teacher, but because this is your dream and you are so very close to it. You should never give up on your dreams.

[ebruening]

As a English teacher just finishing up my first year, I can tell you that it gets MUCH easier after the first semester. As others have said, it is a tough road in the beginning. However, just today, I felt like a million bucks when one of my students let it be known that she actually liked my class, most days :rolleyes: I have a class of students who I literally wanted to scream at today, and I have a class of students who amuse me (in a good way) nearly every day. It's all about finding what fits, and choosing your battles, in my opinion. I'm looking for a position out of state next year, and I've found a much easier time gaining interviews outside my home state (I live in Nebraska.) You might consider looking out of state next year... Feel free to PM if you have any other questions.

[capella]

Ahem, Florida needs teachers. And will hire anyone with a certificate and a pulse. Some areas might just require the pulse. :) I know of a nice 7th grade language arts position opening because that poor teacher can't take the drive to work anymore and is going to be teaching 3rd grade next year. :huge:

[kacie231]

*Catch #3: I've been trying to keep a toe in by reading up on teaching experiences. If anyone's ever visited a teacher message board, however . . . it's not exactly the most heartening thing you'll ever read. My friends who are teachers also spend a lot of time talking about how miserable they are.

Regarding the message board thing, I think you shouldn't look too far into anything said on a message board, and even among chats with friends. Lots of boards, this one sometimes, and profession-oriented ones in particular, often are a sounding board for poeple who want to vent and get their frustrations off their chest. No job is perfect and every profession has some frustrating aspects, and the easiest place to vent and complain about those frustrations in online - its annonymous and you feel better for talking to others about it without feeling like a whiner or endangering your job.

As for your friends, have you asked them why they are miserable? Maybe some aspects of teaching aren't conducive to their personalities, such as they don't like kids (honestly, I have heard of a couple people going into teaching because they didn't know what else they want to do, and they have said they don't really even like kids....obviously, a high potential for misery). Maybe they are stuck in poorly-run school systems. I don't know much about teaching at all, but you do sound like you really want to do it, so try not to let other people's negativity about teaching make you second-guess yourself.

The people who love teaching (as many, many teachers do) are probably not online posting messages about their love for teaching nearly as much as those who don't like it are, so message board comments can be deceiving.