Questions for teachers

[dave134]

I'm thinking about teaching high school math and have a few questions:

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?

2. Can you wear jeans?

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?

Thanks!

[capella]

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?
Sometime in early June. :evil:

2. Can you wear jeans?
Depends on where you are. It's not professional, but often not specifically disallowed. If you want kids to respect you, you dress like a professional. Most schools have a school T-shirt/polo and jeans day on Fridays.

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?

:lol:

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?

Again it depends on where you are. Certification requirements vary by state.

************************************************** *********************************

(Serious answer to No. 3: There are no "free" periods. You'll likely have one period a day without students, but those are not free. You are grading, calling parents, planning, making copies, creating lesson plans, possibly covering another class, trying to pee, avoiding soul-sucking gossip and bitching, while racing the clock because that next group of kids will be there shortly. You will not have a second to breathe or think while at school. How much of the day is spent teaching? Well, 99% of your day is spent managing students (at least in the beginning). I am not sure how much of the day is spent in actual teaching. I guess it varies teacher by teacher. Some teachers are shitty classroom managers and let the kids run wild. Some just couldn't teach his/her way out of a box. Some are awesome and make the kids work every second available. Some lecture and drone on... not sure how much that's actually teaching. In truth, there are too many variables to answer that question.)

[Krishna]

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?
Sometime in early June. :evil:

*grins* Thanks for saving me the trouble there, Amy.

My responses
1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?
You caught me on a good day. We had an inservice today, which meant I actually left right at 3:30. On a normal day I'm there by 7 and stay until at least 4:30-5, though on particularly hellish days I'm there til 6 or later...which means I currently have forgotten what daylight looks like.

2. Can you wear jeans?
On Fridays we do, but all other times I'm discouraged from doing so, because it isn't professional attire, and I'm a first year teacher (ie trying to make myself look good).

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?
Free periods? What are those? I currently teach 5 classes and have 2 preps (will have my supervision duty next semester, making that 6 periods with kids and 1 prep). During my "free" period I make phone calls to parents, grade papers, go to IEP meetings, make copies and plan lessons.

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?
Check your state's licensing requirements. Where I am, the answer is no.

[ebrillblaiddes]

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?
At my most recent teaching position, I typically stayed until 6...later if I was trying not to have to take anything home to work on. That was with getting there at 7:30. I had rough kids so by the time I got home I was completely worn out and spent the rest of the night in front of the TV trying to numb away the memories of the day.

2. Can you wear jeans?
Some schools allow it, but none that I've taught at. A school I volunteered at in college had casual Fridays for which jeans were allowed. I would say that as a general rule, the older your students are, the less you can get away with--first graders will see you as an adult even if you dress like a teenager because they see teenagers as almost adults too.

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?
As the previous poster said, free is a strong word.
I had a 70-minute prep period and 30-minute lunch at one school and a 40-minute prep period with 60-minute lunch (part of which got used for prep stuff) at the other. Meetings, copying, phone calls, grading papers, writing lesson plans, maybe even a bathroom break. Granted, I could close my eyes for five minutes to give migraine meds a chance to work, so it's a little freer than the rest of the day.

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?
Nope. Many people go that route, majoring in math in undergrad and getting the master's in teaching, but it's not the only way.

[wordsmith]

I'm thinking about teaching high school math and have a few questions:

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?

2. Can you wear jeans?

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?

Thanks!

I teach at a nontraditional private school for developmentally delayed children age 5-21. It's not your typical school, the usual way of doing things doesn't particularly apply with a lot of the details.

1. I can go home anytime after 3:30. I generally stay till about 4:30 most days. I go in at 7:30.

2. Yep. Because we work with disabled children, depending on the student, some of the work can be fairly physical, so mobility and comfort is a must. We mainly wear jeans, warm-up type wear, and sneakers. Again, it's not really your typical school. Our only dress code info is that we are to model appropriate dress for the students, who have restrictions on keeping private skin private (no lower cut tops for female employees or students, no lower rise pants, etc.), no slides/flip flop type shoes, etc. We also have to be able to perform restraint holds if needed, so no non-solid footwear (heels, etc. are out).

3. I don't have any free periods. It's not set up that way. I work one-to-one with my student, and I'm with him all day, solid, except at lunch. Because my day does not have prep period time built into it, I do all my prep either before or after school, and I do all my assessment, charting/graphing, progress report data entry, etc. at that time as well. I don't have any real time throughout the school day where I'm not actively engaged with my student.

4. Not ordinarily in public school.

[ScottyTheBody]

I'm thinking about teaching high school math and have a few questions:

1. What time do you usually go home for the day? How long after the school day is over?

2. Can you wear jeans?

3. What do you do during your free periods? How busy are you during this time? How much of your day is spent teaching and how much in free periods?

4. Do you need a master's to teach high school math?

Thanks!

I actually just started teaching high school mathematics right now in Canada.

1. There is no standard time that I go home and it really depends on the school you're at and what type of extra curriculars you are involved in. I typically arrive at school by 7:30am and don't leave the school until 3:30pm. My day is not usually done at 3:30pm though. If I have marking, I typically do it at home and that actually takes more time than you think. I usually get home at 4:00pm put supper on eat and relax until 5:30pm. Afterwards I do lesson planning and any other thing that I have to do for the next day and I typically finish the work around 8:30pm. I prefer being involved in the chess club, math league, computer club or the math helproom every lunch rather than the extracurriculars AFTER school.

2. I don't wear jeans but I have seen other teachers who do. I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you are younger because you want to appear professional to both the senior staff and your students.

3. During my free periods I typically do any photocopying, phone calls to parents, some lesson planning and in fact I do it in the Math Helproom so I am often bombarded with math questions from senior students too (even ones that are not in my class). I teach three classes and prep for one period.

4. I didn't need a Master's to teach math, though it definitely wouldn't hurt to have one. I believe there's a bit of a pay raise with a Master's but it's minimal. In Ontario though, it is required to have a Bachelor of Education (one year) after your regular Bachelors.

[dave134]

I think I'll stick to tutoring.

What are some places/events I can get to know teachers to hopefully find some referrals for my tutoring business?

[wordsmith]

Talk to school boards/school districts about partnerships. Also talk to nonprofits.