As a young elementary-school educator, there are many things I have learned after being in the field for the past few years. Here’s a few…
- Answers to questions that no professor lectured about.
- Issues that no expensive text book explained.
- Problems I would encounter that were non-existent in the five years of preparation for my career in education.
Want my view of a career in education stripped down? It’s definitely not what you think it’s going to be. Throw all of your preconceived misconceptions out the window, because that’s what they are: misconceptions. Don’t get me wrong – I love my job and I feel lucky to get up everyday and teach. But no matter how many internships you do, or how many lessons you observe, you will still learn much more in a single day in your own classroom than you ever will teaching in someone else’s. Want my advice? Here are some of the many lessons they don’t teach you in all of those “Educational Theories” and “Teaching Through the Content Areas” courses…
Lesson #1: If you’re expecting you’ll feel appreciated every day, think again.
The days you go home feeling as if no one cares you poured your heart and soul out on your classroom floor will far outnumber the days you go home feeling someone, anyone, truly appreciates what you do all day. If you are an exceptional teacher you will give your all each and every day with the hope in some small way you are making a difference in the lives of your students. They probably won’t say “thank you.” They probably will grumble and complain about an assignment you worked endlessly on in an attempt to ensure they would find it compelling. But what will get you through your first year, your fifteenth, and your twenty-fifth, will not be the unending gratitude and appreciation from your students. Remembering why you chose to teach in the first place will get you through those years. Remembering will get yourself through those long days when nothing you planned seems to go right. Remembering will help you when you have reached the end of your rope after a parent with no background in education questions your abilities. If you hold onto that, you’ll be the best teacher you can possibly be. If you let go, you’ll be miserable (and your students will be too) before you can bat an eye.
Lesson #2: Unless you have unwavering patience that can outlast even the most frustrating of events, get out now.
If you are cut out to be an educator (especially at the Elementary level), you will discover you have a seemingly bottomless reserve of patience once you enter your classroom. Students will ask the same question (which you have already given the answer for, by the way) again, and again, and again. Did I mention you already gave them the answer? And it’s written on the board? And it’s printed on their paper? If the thought of repeating yourself countless times every day makes you crazy, you better get used to it. And please be forewarned: the patience you had for all other aspects of your life has suddenly been sucked dry and you will find yourself annoyed by little things such as having to wait in line at the grocery store or having to stop to get gas for your car.
Lesson #3: If you want to make a big impression and really teach your students in a memorable way, learn everything you can about teaching with technology.
Many of the people at your school will probably want nothing to do with using SMART Boards, Senteo software, or Wii Fit. Hopefully, you will. The way students need to be taught has changed over the past few years because the students themselves have changed. Sitting at a desk while someone talks and then completing worksheets isn’t going to motivate any of today’s students. The kids of today need to be constantly stimulated, engaged, and communicating with you and each other. The best avenue available to teachers is technology. The odds are in your favor here. Chances are, you’re considered a ‘digital native’ (you were born after 1980) and your brain is thought to work the same way that the brains of the students you’ll be teaching work. Surprisingly, there is a huge population of teachers out there who have absolutely no desire to use or learn about technology. I can honestly say I teach in a district where this year many of my colleagues complained about being required to check their school e-mail. Most of them didn’t even know how to check e-mail. You can very quickly make yourself a valuable member of the school system by showcasing your knowledge of technology in the classroom – and more importantly, your willingness to learn about and use it.
Lesson #4: If you’re still in college, do everything you can to spend as much as time in classrooms as possible.
Once you find the grade level you think you’d like to teach, do everything in your power to get an internship at that grade level. If your college offers a year-long internship placement, take it – and be incredibly thankful. Many schools require a couple of six-week long student-teaching placements at different grade levels. You will never get a real grasp of what your life would be like teaching during a measly six weeks. The best thing I ever did was go to a school that required a year-long internship for a Master’s Degree. Yes, I paid tuition for a year and then worked every day of that year for free; but the experience I gained was more valuable than all of the college classes, observations, and short student-teaching placements put together. I saw what it is really like to start a school year with a group of students and see how much they grow and learn throughout that entire school year. I was then able to market myself as a first-year teacher with a year of experience under my belt – which believe me is pretty attractive to administrators with a budget crunch looking for teachers who already know the ropes.
Lesson #5: If you’re not happy with teaching, don’t do it.
Regardless of what ignorant people tell you, teaching is not ‘just a job’ (and those same ignorant people will say you have the easiest job on earth because you get summer vacation). If you want a nine to five job with weekends off, better start looking for a new career now. Sure, there are those teachers who come in each morning when the students do and are pulling out behind the buses in the afternoon, but those teachers really aren’t giving it their all. If you’re not in it to be the best teacher you can be, then you shouldn’t even be there. Yes, you will get paid far, far less than the amount you deserve. Yes, you will put in ten hour days and create lesson plans on Saturday afternoons. Yes, you will spend an exorbitant amount of your paycheck on items for your classroom. But you will do all these things because they are a part of doing what you love.
Most important lesson learned: Remember why you went into education in the first place.
Whether it was for a feeling of personal fulfillment or just to see the smiles on students’ faces when a concept finally clicks, it’s something you’re going to need to hold onto in a profession where almost half of all people hired will leave within the first five years. If that doesn’t make all the other hoops you’ll have to jump through seem worth it, then you don’t belong in teaching. A career in teaching is one of the most demanding and critical ones that exists today. Think of where you would be without ever having a teacher in your life. Think of a teacher who really make an impact on you; a teacher who changed your life in some way. Chances are, without that teacher, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You just have to decide if you want to be that person for someone else.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
Guest post by Kristin Barrette | Click here » if you’re a career expert
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About CAREEREALISM
What I find really sad, is that there are so many incentives on the college level, (increased restitution being the big one) that there is no requirement to “engage” your students in a way which will promote learning. Nor are there any curriculum requirements. The professor was sitting where you are now sitting for 8+ years, therefore you must sit as a captive audience, regardless of the relevancy of the presentation. Oh, there's another detail: They're gonna bleed you thousands of dollars in order to participate.
What I find really sad, is that there are so many incentives on the college level, (increased restitution being the big one) that there is no requirement to “engage” your students in a way which will promote learning. Nor are there any curriculum requirements. The professor was sitting where you are now sitting for 8+ years, therefore you must sit as a captive audience, regardless of the relevancy of the presentation. Oh, there's another detail: They're gonna bleed you thousands of dollars in order to participate.
What I find really sad, is that there are so many incentives on the college level, (increased restitution being the big one) that there is no requirement to “engage” your students in a way which will promote learning. Nor are there any curriculum requirements. The professor was sitting where you are now sitting for 8+ years, therefore you must sit as a captive audience, regardless of the relevancy of the presentation. Oh, there's another detail: They're gonna bleed you thousands of dollars in order to participate.
Exceptionally accurate article. As a Career Counselor and the father of a career teacher, I can affirm these insights at a myriad of levels. To quote a ubiquitous bumper sticker, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.”
This is a very good post!… I nodded a lot reading this post. It's so true….
teaching is not ‘just a job’ … dang right! :-)
I really enjoyed reading this article! I am not going into the teaching profession, but I can definitely tell that you are very passionate about what you do. This article reminded me of the teachers I've had in the past that have really left an impact on me. I hope that in the profession I choose, I will be able to make an impact on those who are around me.
Great article!
Great article Kristin. I completley agree with “no matter how many internships you do, or how many lessons you observe, you will still learn much more in a single day in your own classroom than you ever will teaching in someone else’s”.
This holds true in every job field. You can't really understand what it's like to be in someone else's shoe's until you experience it for yourself. I also really like the tips you offer here and I will be sure to keep them in mind.
My wife is a teacher, and this advice is amazingly accurate. I agree wholeheartedly. The motivation has to come from within if you're going to be a truly spectacular educator.
Even though I am not going to be a teacher, I really enjoyed this article and think that all of your advice can be applied to any job in some way. As I (hopefully) enter the workforce in the next few months, I am will definitely keep these tips in my mind.