To all you teachers out there...

[Jaywalk]

So, as a senior in high school trying to figure out life, I find myself at a loss at what to major in in college. I realize I have plenty of time to decide, but I have little idea of what to do after high school in terms of specifics(major, career, etc.). I was set on computer science for a long time, before that some sort of other science, decided that a creative writing major wouldn’t really work for me—as much as I love writing. The one that keeps coming to my mind lately is Education.

I’ve joked to my friends before that I’d totally be an English teacher... if teachers were paid more. The truth is that’s something I really think I’d love doing. I recently took one of those “What Major Fits You” quizzes, and my result after taking it twice was both times Education. It feels right for some reason, but I keep telling myself it can’t be right. I want to be able to support a family with my career. I don’t want to be constantly worrying about if we’ll be able to pay the bills while providing for our kids too.

So my question to all you teachers out there... is it worth it? Are you able to support a family on the paychecks you receive? (Could you perhaps help dissuade me from taking that path?)

All advice on this is greatly appreciated! 

[Snakenaps]

*rant time whoop whoop*

 

I graduated in 2018 with my credential in elementary education. Liberal studies with a minor in special education to be exact. This year I am a fine arts teacher Monday through Thursday and on Fridays I teach first grade. Last year I was a K-8th grade substitute teacher for general and special education classrooms. My student teaching was 1st then 4th grade, and before that I spent three years volunteering in my district. I've been an active part in classrooms since fall 2015.

There are pro's and con's to teaching, but before I get into this, let me tell you a secret: you might begin college wanting to become a teacher and you may exit it deciding not to be. That's okay. It is okay to switch your mind on what you want your life to be at the age of twenty, at the age of forty, at the age of sixty. My mother went into college to become a math teacher, exited a business major, worked for a wine distributor as well as some very odd jobs before finally founding her own educational curriculum business. My dad sold his truck accessory business, moved to the middle of nowhere after buying a piece of property without a house on it, and happened to talk to this fellow to convinced him to become a financial advisor. That was 19 years ago and now my dad is one of the best in his region.  You never know what opportunities life may throw at you that you never would have predicted. So many people think you have to know at eighteen what you want to do with your entire life. That isn't true.

Onto teaching.

Teaching is...one of the most unique jobs out there, in my opinion. It will make you feel like a superhero who can do anything on amazing days. Those incredible days when something for a student just clicks and you see their entire self light up. I went on a four day camping trip with a fourth grade class, and watching their faces when some of them saw the ocean for the first time is not something I will ever forget. When that one student who has been a pill the entire year says something that makes you realize you are one of the few, if not the only good thing, in their life at that moment. When the entire class acts as one and you feel like a general who can command these children to do anything. When you meet one of those special kids and you know this one, this one right here is going to do incredible things one day. Teaching can make me feel like I am ten feet tall, like I can fly, like I am in heaven on earth. It is a drug, a highly addicting one. 

But it is not an easy job. The classroom management is honestly one of the easier parts, and that being said, I have worked in some very rough classes. Honestly, the hardest part is not the kids. It is not your coworkers. It is your administration, your district, who is your greatest enemy in most cases. The frustration when your textbooks are falling apart or your door doesn't close correctly or your students have ancient balls and the district decides to give the administration a raise but not you, or the district decides to build a new football field, or it decides everyone needs smartboards when most teachers can barely work Google Classroom. That you have to spend your own money on supplies because the district won't give you markers. When you can't get a sub because the district won't offer a competitive wage so the subs disappear. When your trainings are unpaid, or your don't get enough trainings at all, or the trainings don't involve what your really need. When you are forced to use curriculum that is crap just because it is fashionable that year. When the district says it has your back then continually pulls the rug under your feet. The paperwork and red tape you have to muddle through to get anything done. The eggshells you have to walk on because someone might get offended. 

I just got hired as a fine arts teacher, right? No instructions, no training, no keys, nothing. The only reason I have keys, a room to work, a computer and a document camera, and supplies is because I reached out and started bugging old coworkers. I love love love my coworkers, btw. 

Teaching is not unique when it comes to the problems with administration, let us be clear. But it is getting worse, not better, for most states, especially with Covid. It really all depends on where you live. Arizona? You should seriously reconsider. California, like me? Prepare for the constant paperwork. New York? I hear it is excellent, but depends on where you are. 

The pay also differs from state to state. Where do you want to live? Look up the salary scale for teachers. You can find it under the district page for HR (certificated, if it matters). Understand that you'll lose roughly 25% of that to taxes, and a couple thousand extra to unions if you decide to join. Look up the cost of living for your area. If you don't know how to budget, PM me, and I'll be happy to share my own Spreadsheets file for you to modify. Will that amount of money be enough for you? Will it be enough to pay off any student debt you may acquire? I just finished a year of subbing that barely paid the bills, and now I'm getting paid twice that and I can buy ham again and not just eat rice and beans. How frugal are you willing to be? Are you like me, and willing to go to the library for books, and the thrift store for clothes? Or do you think you want to live a higher end lifestyle? I live incredibly happily, with good clothes, home-made, delicious food, with a cat and a snake by myself in a two room apartment filled with used books. I make sacrifices and don't drink Dutch Bros. I very rarely eat out. But I am happy, and I am satisfied. If I ever want to vacation, organizations like Workaway exist. Live within your means. One of my dad's coworkers make nearly a half a million dollars a year and he is about to apply for bankruptcy because he can't afford his lifestyle. My friend is a teacher of 30 years, married to a teacher of 30 years, and they own a massive, gorgeous house they refurbished and filled with a zoo of animals, with two amazing children, they take vacations (although not to Europe), and have amazing friends. 

Understand that there are few ways to move up as a teacher unless you are willing to switch to the political bloodbath that is administration. If you are okay with this, and are perfectly happy to continue to rise up the payscale for the next thirty years, awesome. I know some very happy teachers who have been teaching for 30+ years. Maybe you'll only teach for five years and then change careers. There's no harm in that either. Ignore the "shame" of the burn out rates. Other teachers understand. 

Teachers are much like emergency workers in the fact that we are supposed to be okay with the amount we sacrifice because we "love it." We're supposed to swallow the abuse, the disrespect, the unpaid overtime, the low pay, and the decreasing benefits because we "do it for the children." If there is a shooter, we are supposed to be the martyr who jumps in front of a bullet. Teachers are not just teachers, but parents, babysitters, guidance counselors, therapists, coaches, guardians, and more. 

More and more, teaching is for the addicts who can't leave the kids. The ones who are willing to be the sacrificial lambs that our society and our government throws away. I cannot say I will stay in education. It gets harder and harder to justify it. I very nearly left before the district called me for a fine arts position I never applied to. 

But will I ever regret the time I have spent in the classroom? The lives I have changed? The lives that have changed me? The tears I shed? The laughter I shared? Those beautiful days where you look at your students and you realize you wouldn't change this for the world? No, absolutely not. Teaching is a part of me, a part that has sung to me since I was a Latin TA and helped teach horseback lessons to younger children. I have never done anything else that makes my blood sing the way it does. God, I love it. I absolutely do. If I ever leave teaching, it will never be because of the children. 

Let me leave you with few pieces of advice:

1) Never light yourself on fire to keep someone else warm. I suck at this, but I'm getting better.

2) Learn the value of money early on and start saving for retirement pronto, even now. Whatever the government promises you for retirement, consider it icing on top of the cake. Don't expect it to be there in the next fifty years. Budgeting exists for a reason. 

3) Learn how to be professional. How to dress professionally, be punctual, be dependable, follow directions. These skills will take you far in life, and are sadly lacking in our age group. It's why most people thought I was 27 when I was 21. 

4) If you are serious about thinking of becoming a teacher, read Educating Esme by Esme Raji Cordell. It is the diary of a first year fifth grade teacher in inner city Chicago, and highlights the beauty and frustration of teaching. 

5) Earn a flexible degree, something that will allow you to chase other opportunities in the future. If I ever leave teaching, I have a degree that proves I can manage paperwork, I can manage people, I can work well in teams, I am awesome in diverse populations, and I understand legalise.

6) Make use of your future college or trade school's free stuff. LinkedIn Learning, if offered, is a powerful way to build your resume before you have job experience. Take free adulting classes if they are offered. 

7) Listen or read Everyone is Free (to Wear Sunscreen). It has a lot of wisdom that I wish I had carried with me when I had gone to college. 

 

If you ever need advice, let me know. I've very recently gone through what you will soon jump into. And let me tell you what: I thought that nothing could be better than my amazing high school experience. Boy, was I wrong. I know life can really suck right now, but you would not believe the good things that are going to come your way. Fight the good fight, and you are going to thrive. 

Best of luck, my dude. 

[DramaQueen]

3 hours ago, Jaywalk said:

So, as a senior in high school trying to figure out life, I find myself at a loss at what to major in in college. I realize I have plenty of time to decide, but I have little idea of what to do after high school in terms of specifics(major, career, etc.). I was set on computer science for a long time, before that some sort of other science, decided that a creative writing major wouldn’t really work for me—as much as I love writing. The one that keeps coming to my mind lately is Education.

I’ve joked to my friends before that I’d totally be an English teacher... if teachers were paid more. The truth is that’s something I really think I’d love doing. I recently took one of those “What Major Fits You” quizzes, and my result after taking it twice was both times Education. It feels right for some reason, but I keep telling myself it can’t be right. I want to be able to support a family with my career. I don’t want to be constantly worrying about if we’ll be able to pay the bills while providing for our kids too.

So my question to all you teachers out there... is it worth it? Are you able to support a family on the paychecks you receive? (Could you perhaps help dissuade me from taking that path?)

All advice on this is greatly appreciated! 

This is also a question I have had for a while, though I'm only a junior. I helped my aunt (a first grade teacher) in her classroom, and I absolutely loved it. That's about when I realized I wanted to teach Kindergarten/1st grade.

@Snakenaps, I don't know about Jaywalk, but that was certainly helpful for me. The way you talked about all the wonderful things about teaching? I can tell that you love what you do, and that just makes me really happy and hopeful that I will enjoy teaching if that's what I decide to do. Thank you for everything you do as a teacher and for what you have done in passing on your perspective on teaching!! 

[Snakenaps]

8 minutes ago, DramaQueen said:

I helped my aunt (a first grade teacher) in her classroom, and I absolutely loved it. That's about when I realized I wanted to teach Kindergarten/1st grade.

I actually very nearly went into equine business. Then, just before I began submitting applications to colleges, my Latin teacher of four years, an incredible teacher in his own right, sat me down and went, "What on earth are you thinking? Business? You'd hate it. Why not consider teaching?" He saw my potential before anyone else did. I own that man more than I can ever give him. 

11 minutes ago, DramaQueen said:

Thank you for everything you do as a teacher and for what you have done in passing on your perspective on teaching!! 

It's my pleasure. There is so much to love about teaching. But I also think it is foolish to go in blind. I'm always willing to answer questions. What can I say? I love teaching, even if it is teaching about teaching.

3 hours ago, Jaywalk said:

creative writing major wouldn’t really work for me—as much as I love writing.

I forgot to mention, no matter what degree you go into, that doesn't mean you have to stop writing. I wrote my first book last fall during subbing, and I'm currently revising it to query to agents. Over at Reading Excuses, we have two published authors who are also college professors. So if writing or computers are things you love, you don't have to give them up just because they don't involve your degree. 

[Jaywalk]

@Snakenaps Thank you so much for all that amazing advice! That really helped give me a new perspective as I consider what to do with my life. Of course, I’m sure my life will go places I never planned or expected, but that’s okay. Thank you again! That’s exactly what I needed.

[Snakenaps]

31 minutes ago, Jaywalk said:

@Snakenaps Thank you so much for all that amazing advice! That really helped give me a new perspective as I consider what to do with my life. Of course, I’m sure my life will go places I never planned or expected, but that’s okay. Thank you again! That’s exactly what I needed.

Glad to be of service. I hope you find happiness wherever life takes you.