From someone who hopes to enter the teaching profession in about 3 years...

[SKKY]

...is there any good news to report with regards to districts hiring teachers and not laying them off? All I hear about is the national shortage of teachers, yet I read this board and everyone is in fear of losing their job or taking a substantial pay cut. I'm feeling as though I should reconsider my career choice after I retire from the Navy.

[rwheeler31]

1. Teaching is the most rewarding job on earth.

If you are looking for money look elsewhere.

[NYC_SKP]

2. One thing you might do...

...that will make you a better teacher and give you more job security AND more satisfaction:

Seek a specialty, one of interest to you.

States vary, but in CA you can add to your basic credential special credentials in math or other subject areas, in bilingual ed, in special needs, etc.

Research where demand is for your city or region, for example resource teachers (for special needs students) may be in greater demand than other specialties.

Also, seek additional certifications, Early Childhood Development, CLAD, etc.

To learn more about these, talk to teachers or administrators you know, or to professors in any teacher development courses at universities, and/or your state board of education.

Schools here are keeping "highly qualified" teachers, as determined by various criteria most of which involve additional professional development.

Good luck, we need great teachers!!!

[pnwmom]

3. Don't go into it because you heard there's a shortage.

Only go into teaching if you love working with kids.

I had two teachers who were retired military. One was one of the best teachers I ever had. One was among the worst.

[SKKY]

15. Oh, I'm not.

If that were the case, I'd work for the Gov't. I want to teach because I really want to teach.

[pnwmom]

16. Then the best of luck to you! n/t

[DrDan]

4. well - losing teaching headcount is certainly an issue here in Florida

No sooner did my daughter finish her education and get her certification - in Mathematics, did Volusia County Florida put a freeze on further hiring, and began reducing teachers - starting with all those with 3 years or less of tenure. It is a ridiculous situation right now in Florida. The state (R-led legislature, of course) refuses to raise taxes to fund the school districts - they are just willing to let them continue to decline.

Anyway - if you do continue with your plan to move in that area, prepare yourself in several areas. Those valued bring much to the table. Classroom responsibilities are obviously most important. But - can you coach a sport? How about yearbooks - any talents there? Debate? Chess? If a club does not exist for your interest, start one.

Get involved in different areas. It only improves your standing with the school as well as with the students.

[SKKY]

14. Coaching a sport is one of the big pluses for me...

...I could coach soccer or Baseball/Softball and, provided I get hired, would absolutely look to do so immediately.

[patrice]

5. Why do you want to teach?

[SKKY]

13. Well, I have some options as far as that goes...

...I could teach just about anything with regards to computers since my B.S. is in Information Systems Management and my Master's will be in a similar area. Teaching Spanish could also be an option since I'm fluent and would only need to score well on the Praxis tests. Another option would be NJROTC, since I will retire from the Navy in 3 years as an E-6 or E-7. Given the choice, I'd teach IT, but I'm certainly not limiting myself to just that.

[donco6]

19. I don't know too many secondary schools offering IT.

But most are begging for good Spanish teachers.

[LWolf]

6. Reconsider your choice.

Right now jobs are being cut because of budget cuts. If you think budgets will be completely recovered and staffing will go back at least to pre-depression levels in 3 years, then there are probably jobs. If not, then there won't be. I know that my state and district are forecasting the current budget crisis to last at least 2-4 years.

Economic factors aside, there tend to be shortages in some places and a glut in others. I moved to a new state 4 years ago, and discovered a glut of teachers in this area. I did 3 interviews before I finally landed the last position to be filled for that year. After, I found out that there were 60 - 90 applicants for every teaching position available that year.

Areas with high growth have more openings, trying to keep up with the influx of new students. Areas high in poverty and crime do, as well.

Why do you want to teach? Do you have any idea what you are getting into?

Teaching was a calling for me. I love the time I've spent learning with my students.

I don't love the system, or the politics manipulating the system.

I don't recommend teaching as a profession to anyone at this point, and I won't until the nation evolves beyond using education, and teachers, as scapegoats for every cultural dysfunction and societal problem.

[Dinger]

7. What LWolf Said

Same here.

[Catshrink]

8. As always, you say it best.

I will add one recommendation. Someone above mentioned choosing a content or area of specialization. I suggest majoring in something other than education. I'm not sure how it works since I got my BA years ago and only later did the education courses. But having that other degree makes you more flexible and, if you decide teaching isn't for you, you have something to fall back on. It also will insure that you are well qualified in your content area if you teach middle or high school. If you choose to teach little kids, you might want to have an area of strength anyway. Personally, I couldn't handle the little kids -- whining and tattling would drive me nuts. I get some of that in highs school, but not nearly as much.

And get used to teaching life skills like responsibility. I have kids who at the end of their junior years can't remember to bring a pencil to class, still think "I forgot" is a legitimate excuse for not doing homework, and expect deadlines to be worked around their schedules. I had to learn to be a hard ass. In the long run, the kids do respect that.

[LWolf]

9. I didn't realize, for many years,

that you could GET a BA in education. There weren't any offered in my (then) state, CA. Probably because a teaching credential in CA requires/required a BA in something else, and then 30+ units of ed classes; most of a Masters.

My BA is in social sciences.

[SKKY]

11. Well, to make a long story short...

...I had the opportunity to teach "at risk" kids here in Spain. I gave 3 lectures on computer security and from the very second I turned around and saw a class full of students, I felt like it was what I was meant to do. I have no illusions that every day will be like those 3 days, but just the idea that, by their interaction with me, a student can walk out of my class smarter and with more knowledge than when they walked in is an incredible feeling. I love my job in the Navy, but I've never really had the feeling of satisfaction as I did on those days. And I don't know who learned more on those days- them or me.

[LWolf]

17. That's the calling.

Consider what it would feel like, day after day, and year after year, if, to maintain a teaching license and a teaching job, you had to comply with policies developed because of authoritarian law that required you to teach in a way you believed was detrimental to the best interests of your students.

And then were held accountable for the results.

Are you ready to be attacked as incompetent, and blamed for all the failures of the system, even though you didn't create the system, and aren't making policy or determining how the system will operate?

Are you ready to be blamed for every student failure, regardless of the cause of that failure, and whether or not you had any control over the factors that determined that failure?

Are you ready to be at the mercy of the political wind, manipulated to benefit political agendas and campaigns, regardless of what students really need?

Are you ready to invest time and $$ into earning a teaching license, and watch the privatizers erode your profession year after year?

Day after day, year after year...

If you think you can handle all of that and still find joy in teaching, move forward with it. Not, though, without full consideration of the realities involved.

[SKKY]

18. I am fully aware of what "trappings" are involved with teaching...

...it's something I will have to work on- no doubt about that. I think I would deal better with a student who has a knife in class than with a school administrator who is making changes I, and every one of my colleagues, feel are stupid and in no way serve the greater good.

[southerncrone]

20. I have to agree w/LWolf. Also consider this:

If you are a male, especially w/military experience, they will most likely give you the absolutely worst kids (behavioral problems) in the school. Be prepared for that.

If you are getting your Masters in IT, you should have no trouble landing a VERY lucrative job in the private sector. I suspect you will be much happier with that. Everyone knows the pay is low for teachers, but the school environments today are declining.

I would suggest you apply for IT positions at the administrative level (dealing w/the IT network of the school system) & stay out of the classroom. You will be paid handsomely in those positions, as well. The formula for pay in school systems is:

Those who actually spend the most time with the students = lowest pay

Think long & hard about entering into teaching now.

[Sabriel]

10. Of my 6 student teachers from last year, 1/2 got jobs

The rest are subbing.

That's in a low-need area, however. What area is your licensure?

There are always jobs, for those who are willing to move and to teach in high-need schools.

[SKKY]

12. Well, my B.S. is in Information Systems Management...

...and my Master's will be in Information Technology. I'm also entertaining the idea of teaching Spanish as well since I'm fluent, provided I pass the exam. I could also teach NJROTC as I'm an E-6 in the Navy right now. I have some options, and would have no problem what-so-ever teaching in a "high-need" school. I went to an inner-city high school myself, and feel very much at home in that situation.

[Nevernose]

21. MAth science, or SpEd? No problem. ROTC is also a hard-to-fill position.

Computer science can be more difficult to fill, but larger districts use ECSs (Educational Computing Specialists), which are a good way to get into the system. Las Vegas is still hiring, and while they're laying off support personnel, teachers still have jobs. Secondary teachers are better off than elementary, though.

I can give you a thousand reasons not to be a teacher. It's probably a stupid idea to even consider. Most people are miserable at it. I regret my decision at least once a day. In fact, our teacher drop-out rate is higher than our student drop-out rate. Bad administration, worse parents, low pay, lack of community support, children on loan from Hell, literal nightmares about bureaucracy. It's horrible, and the virtually the only rewards are the ones you give yourself.

That having been said, it's what I was meant to do. I wake up every day thanking a god I don't even believe in for the opportunity to be a teacher. I turned down a six-figure income for this gig and have not had a single regret about it, because I know aht this is what I'm good at and this is what I was meant to do. Everyday I make a difference, and that's a gift that few people share.