Is teaching what you expected?

Subject pretty much says it all!

Thanks for your input! I am getting nervous about a career change.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

not at all- they dont prepare you in college/ student teaching for all the PAPERWORK and Bureaucratic cr@p we have to go through

I mean yes I knew I would plan and grade and make newsletters BUT noone told me about refrerrals for behavior, disciplinary hearings, spec ed meetings, report card conf. no shows, pulling my reading/math teachers for coverage, phone calls home, phone #'s that dont work, Etc etc etc

Its ALOT more work than anyone who is not a teacher can understand

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

pretty much - except for the politics involved.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

yes and no...

I LOVE teaching, when I'm actually TEACHING. When I'm with the kids in the classroom, I love it.

Everything else, pretty much, I can't stand--parent/teacher conferences, staff meetings, report cards , dealing with annoying parents...

Teaching itself is great, but it comes with a lot of extra stuff that's not so much fun

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

i agree with the above posters.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Ditto!!

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

ITA!

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Posted by MrsRivera

yes and no...

I LOVE teaching, when I'm actually TEACHING. When I'm with the kids in the classroom, I love it.

Everything else, pretty much, I can't stand--parent/teacher conferences, staff meetings, report cards , dealing with annoying parents...

Teaching itself is great, but it comes with a lot of extra stuff that's not so much fun

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

NOOO not at all......
much more work than I expected before I started (figured the planning & grading would be pretty easy but nope I still struggle with it)
much more time consuming (and life consuming) than I expected (especially during time "off")
much more stressful and exhausting than I expected (I figured, eh teaching 5 periods a day doesn't sound so tough/tiring... WRONG!)

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

I think it is more time-consuming than I expected but it is also much more rewarding than I thought it would be, and there are many more opportunities in the school than I originally envisioned.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Like other said it is so much more.... I love teaching when I actually get to do it. But there is so many other things involved- lots of paperwork, meetings, non academic issues, conferences, parent meetings and phone calls, plan book, grading, etc. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what I do...But teaching has a lot of facets to it.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

I didn't expect the amount of paperwork. Teaching has become increasingly about paperwork and B/S. I also didn't realize how hard it would be to get a job! When I was getting my Masters they made it sound so easy, I guess they do that so you stay in the program and keep paying them $$$.

Another thing that I didn't expect was that teaching in NYC is not as bad as some people have said. When I was doing student teaching the professor made it sound like you were less of a teacher if you got a job in NYC...nice right?

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

I didn't really know what to expect. I'm not really surprised by anything, and I'm happy with my decision.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

I was very unsure when I went into teaching. I told myself I could always change careers if I wanted. Well, I am going into my 9th year of teaching and I love it more than I ever thought I would.
That said, I do agree with everyone else that there is a lot more paperwork and meetings than I ever expected. Teaching is the best part of teaching like Mrs. Rivera said.
Even with all the extra work, there is nothing else I would want to be doing. I don't mind going to work every day, of course I have days where I really don't want to go but I enjoy what I do. I think that's pretty good for a job!

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

DaisyGirl and others, I am happy to see that you feel good about teaching. I am in my second year and not sure if I enjoy teaching. I am trying to figure out if I should go into another field. It's definitely not what I expected and knowing that September will be here in no time, I have way too much anxiety. I do not know if it's the school I am at or the field itself, but I need to feel happy about what I do.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

It was when i first started teaching, but now 10 yrs later, things have changed SOOOOO much. Everything is about test scores etc.

Nowadays i look at it as just a job. It used to be my life. Not anymore.

Message edited 8/17/2008 11:51:01 AM.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

once I got into a rhythm, I think it was.

even in the corporate world, there's a lot of paperwork...think Office Space and TPS reports.

Re: Is teaching what you expected?

For the most part, but it was much harder and didnt come as naturally as I expected it for me.

Also.. The hours. I thought Id be home so early and get awesome vacations..

I leave my house at 6 to get to work 1.5 hours early and dont get home till after 4 most days. On vacations, Im constantly taking classes and planning!!!