Any math teachers? (esp. grades 6-12 and/or public school)

bigsis144

Tue, May 13 2014, 9:14 pm

Please tell me about it.

I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember (my childhood idols were Ms. Frizzle and Bill Nye the Science Guy), I did well in school and worked as a tutor in high school and undergrad. However, I chose to go into computer programming because I thought it would pay better.

Over the years (I left seminary in '06, got married in '08 and have two kids by now), I worked a few computer-y jobs that didn't really involve serious coding, but worked for a number of schools on extra curriculars like guitar and drama clubs and their school plays. I hated the computer jobs and loved the school ones.

Which brings us to now.

I need to go into stage 2 of my career, and so I need to decide what I'm going to throw myself into.
I truly have no love for programming, so I don't think I'd want to go back to that.

So I'm thinking of getting state certification to become a math teacher. I have some math background from my CS degree -- up to linear algebra and calc II -- but would still need to take a bunch more math classes as well as ALL the education credits, since I have none of those.

And after that comes the actual Teacher Certification Program, which includes proficiency exams in my specialty and student teaching.

And then ACTUAL TEACHING.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me if you've gone down this road, and what the journey and destination are like. Hours, pay, how dead you feel at the end of the day...

One of the things I'm most terrified of is having to motivate students and maintain classroom discipline. I was a regular goody-two-shoes smarty-pants Hermione in school, so I don't even know WHY someone would want to ditch class or give sass to the teacher.

ACK.

I'd basically be starting classes in two weeks to get on this train and I'm starting to freak out a bit.

seeker

Thu, May 15 2014, 1:54 am

It sounds like you've had some experience with school kids and feel that it would be a good fit. If you truly enjoy working with the kids, it's likely that you won't feel wrung out at the end of the day. Be warned, though, a lot of kids have an attitude about math - a passionate, creative teacher can turn that around, but don't expect it to be quite as easy to engage them as it is with drama.

If you have a bachelor's degree already, you could do the teaching fellows (this is in NY, pretty sure other places have similar programs but I can't tell you about them), which is quite a load of work but if money is a concern for you it pays for your degree and you get to start working with a full salary right away (maybe after a few weeks, whatever, not need to wait until you finish your whole degree, and then you don't need to basically work for free for a year as student teaching which is really annoying and what you have to do if you go it alone and not with teaching fellows). And you are guaranteed a job, and they provide lots of support, from what I understand. Worth a look, at least.

Aylat

Thu, May 15 2014, 3:28 am

I've worked as a high school science/maths teacher.
Pay and expectations will vary depending on location, so I can't really comment.

Two things you should know:
Teaching involves a LOT of hours that are not classroom based. Preparing lessons, marking homework and tests - I worked part time, and these things used to take hours, especially at the beginning. When you've taught for a few years and basically have all your lesson plans down pat, and you get slicker at marking, then the extra hours decrease, BUT it still all takes a lot of time.

Classroom discipline ain't no fun, but it's essential. I know people who quit teaching because they hated the discipline aspect of it. Again, if you're a good teacher (or good at that aspect), after a while it gets easier, you get a reputation in the school etc. But it's an always present aspect of the job, you have to not let it get you down.

Dead at the end of the day? I personally love teaching but found it very draining, mainly because I'm an introvert, so an entire day of interacting with people leaves me tired and with little energy for my kids. But if you're more the extrovert, love being with other people type, it will probably energise you.

Hatzlacha!