Teacher Resident - no teaching qualifications required?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do we find out if our child's teacher is one of these? I googled my child's teacher and did not see a teaching degree in their linked in profile.

Teachers don’t actively update LinkedIn unless they are planning on leaving. School districts don’t really use it for networking/recruiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we find out if our child's teacher is one of these? I googled my child's teacher and did not see a teaching degree in their linked in profile.

Check the actual VDOE Licensure Query, not a social media site.

Did you see the part where I specifically asked HOW DO WE FIND OUT IF OUR CHILD'S TEACHER IS ONE OF THESE???

Morons, the lot of you.

NP

If they have a license it will show up in the database.

If they don’t, they won’t.

I don’t think the pp who suggested the Brie site is the moron

The only problem is that the brand new teachers may not be in the database yet.

+1, even brand new college graduates may not be there because of the backlog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here actually gotten a teaching job through this program?

One of the SAHMs was hired as an IA during COVID now has a full-time teaching job at our school through this program. I’ve never been impressed with her, she’s more interested in gossiping about the kids in the neighborhood and their families, but I guess these are desperate times.

That’s what the people crowing about teacher posts being “98% filled” on DCUM don’t understand. These are just woefully incompetent warm bodies. Fine if all you want is a babysitter, I guess. Shrug.

I think teachers are really important in society and should be compensated and respected, but -- is it really something other adults can't do? If someone wants to be a teacher, then that is a gift. Most people don't want to teach. But does that mean they CAN'T teach?

I saw someone from the teacher's union (MCPS? Not sure) say, "Would we let just anyone into the cockpit of a plane or do surgery?" I mean, it's not flying a plane or surgery. It's teaching children, which most people have done in their lives anyway.

Again, I admire teachers. They should be respected and compensated well. But I'm sure others can pick it up and teach kids in the classroom, too. And if they stick it out, then they too deserve to be compensated and respected. It's a job most people don't enjoy, not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

Is this a troll post or are you serious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school board/democrats screwed with classroom management with all the woke restorative justice bs. It's impossible to discipline students now especially if they are lower income and/or brown.
Suspensions and expulsions are unheard of. Kids know there are no consequences too.

So yes, some of the issues are a direct result of the sb.

It's people like you who made teachers feel uncomfortable teaching. I'm sure that was your goal -- to gut public education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

Is this a troll post or are you serious?

I'm serious. I'm only familiar with MCPS but it's not like teachers are coming up with what they're teaching. They're using workbooks that are distributed to every grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

Ummm, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

Is this a troll post or are you serious?

I'm serious. I'm only familiar with MCPS but it's not like teachers are coming up with what they're teaching. They're using workbooks that are distributed to every grade.

FCPS teachers (often with help of their team, and some hyperlinked resources from the county) do create the lessons they teach everyday. No textbooks, no workbooks, no pre-prepared homework/worksheets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I meant it made sense for high school because they can skip the education degree part.

The resident teacher role only allows you to skip licensing requirements for the first year (And licensed high school teachers typically get a BA/BS in their subject area and either do a post-bac education courses or master's in education in VA to be fully licensed). The thing that is new is this resident teacher position just requires a 4 year degree and doesn't require passing the praxis--not even for the subject areas they are going to teach. It's problematic because it's not like you're going to be told your child's teacher is a "resident teacher" so people are going to be very confused when teachers don't have content knowledge. If your teacher is a long term sub you kind of know they may or may not have deep content knowledge and adjust accordingly.

I'm all for the resident teacher position given that there's a teacher shortage, I just think the praxis should be the bar to pass. It's a 1-4 hour test depending on subject area and there are on-line resources to study for it. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone who is capable of teaching the subject (though it's not an easy test, these are people who did get a college degree). Otherwise people are going to waste a lot of energy of mentoring, supporting a person who is not capable of passing the test. (There are people who enroll in graduate education programs who can't pass the praxis after many tries and have to go teach in Catholic/private schools that don't require it or switch out of the field).

Isn't there a curriculum, and all the teachers have to teach the same thing out of the same text or work books?

Is this a troll post or are you serious?

I'm serious. I'm only familiar with MCPS but it's not like teachers are coming up with what they're teaching. They're using workbooks that are distributed to every grade.

I’m a long time ES teacher in FCPS. One of my biggest stressors is trying to plan what the students are going to do during our intervention block and Math and Reading Workshops. Finding appropriate station activities for them to do while I meet with small groups and searching for texts to use in small group is a big consumer of time. I never have enough time to plan and organize those two blocks alone and I still have the other subjects to teach and all of the administrative tasks.

A separate issue, at least for me, is the Math Workshop block butts up to the intervention block so it’s a long stretch of time during which most are not under direct instruction, so I find it is difficult for them to stay on task.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here actually gotten a teaching job through this program?

One of the SAHMs was hired as an IA during COVID now has a full-time teaching job at our school through this program. I’ve never been impressed with her, she’s more interested in gossiping about the kids in the neighborhood and their families, but I guess these are desperate times.

That’s what the people crowing about teacher posts being “98% filled” on DCUM don’t understand. These are just woefully incompetent warm bodies. Fine if all you want is a babysitter, I guess. Shrug.

I think teachers are really important in society and should be compensated and respected, but -- is it really something other adults can't do? If someone wants to be a teacher, then that is a gift. Most people don't want to teach. But does that mean they CAN'T teach?

I saw someone from the teacher's union (MCPS? Not sure) say, "Would we let just anyone into the cockpit of a plane or do surgery?" I mean, it's not flying a plane or surgery. It's teaching children, which most people have done in their lives anyway.

Again, I admire teachers. They should be respected and compensated well. But I'm sure others can pick it up and teach kids in the classroom, too. And if they stick it out, then they too deserve to be compensated and respected. It's a job most people don't enjoy, not rocket science.

I'm a teacher. It's not really a matter of "can people teach", it more like "how long will you last?" Teaching is like Survivor. The people still teaching in public schools are very persistent. The first few years of teaching is like extended boot camp. It's exhausting. Lots of people don't last. Yes, most districts have curriculum for each subject but it's often "So here are the standards you need to teach and here are the texts you will use. Now go figure it out." If you teach in early ES, you are writing 5+ lessons plans each day and then teaching them. Then, you do it again the next day but you need to write 5+ more lesson plans. It is never ending and relentless so the people who stick around are also relentless.

I think many people think teaching is like when they were in school. My teachers had a teacher's guide for each subject. They didn't write lesson plans because they taught directly out of the book. Very little photo copying since we all had our own textbooks and workbooks. The only real grading was spelling tests on Friday (my mom was a teacher and I loved grading her spelling tests on Friday night) and occasionally math/science/social studies tests with answer keys in the teacher's guide (I graduated to grading them too). Now, we are expected to write a lesson plan for everything and then differentiate for everyone. Very little supplemental material is given so that's why teachers rely on Teachers Pay Teachers. I plan for whole group phonics, small group phonics, whole group math, small group math, science or social studies, reading comprehension and small groups for that too. That's every day that I need to write all of those lesson plans. Can it be done in one planning period? Nope. Nothing gets done when they make teachers cover for absent teachers during their planning period. No grading gets done either. At the end of the day, I prioritize planning and getting materials together for the next day so grading takes a back seat.

I haven't even mentioned behavior management. This is what kills most new teachers who don't have a traditional educational prep. They underestimate the need for procedures for every single thing. When I was in college, I took courses on behavior management and then applied them in my student teaching positions. You see what works and what doesn't. If you get someone in the classroom without this preparation, it is usually a nightmare without someone to teach them what they need to do. They are learning on the job and often the student learning suffers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here actually gotten a teaching job through this program?

One of the SAHMs was hired as an IA during COVID now has a full-time teaching job at our school through this program. I’ve never been impressed with her, she’s more interested in gossiping about the kids in the neighborhood and their families, but I guess these are desperate times.

That’s what the people crowing about teacher posts being “98% filled” on DCUM don’t understand. These are just woefully incompetent warm bodies. Fine if all you want is a babysitter, I guess. Shrug.

I think teachers are really important in society and should be compensated and respected, but -- is it really something other adults can't do? If someone wants to be a teacher, then that is a gift. Most people don't want to teach. But does that mean they CAN'T teach?

I saw someone from the teacher's union (MCPS? Not sure) say, "Would we let just anyone into the cockpit of a plane or do surgery?" I mean, it's not flying a plane or surgery. It's teaching children, which most people have done in their lives anyway.

Again, I admire teachers. They should be respected and compensated well. But I'm sure others can pick it up and teach kids in the classroom, too. And if they stick it out, then they too deserve to be compensated and respected. It's a job most people don't enjoy, not rocket science.

I'm a teacher. It's not really a matter of "can people teach", it more like "how long will you last?" Teaching is like Survivor. The people still teaching in public schools are very persistent. The first few years of teaching is like extended boot camp. It's exhausting. Lots of people don't last. Yes, most districts have curriculum for each subject but it's often "So here are the standards you need to teach and here are the texts you will use. Now go figure it out." If you teach in early ES, you are writing 5+ lessons plans each day and then teaching them. Then, you do it again the next day but you need to write 5+ more lesson plans. It is never ending and relentless so the people who stick around are also relentless.

I think many people think teaching is like when they were in school. My teachers had a teacher's guide for each subject. They didn't write lesson plans because they taught directly out of the book. Very little photo copying since we all had our own textbooks and workbooks. The only real grading was spelling tests on Friday (my mom was a teacher and I loved grading her spelling tests on Friday night) and occasionally math/science/social studies tests with answer keys in the teacher's guide (I graduated to grading them too). Now, we are expected to write a lesson plan for everything and then differentiate for everyone. Very little supplemental material is given so that's why teachers rely on Teachers Pay Teachers. I plan for whole group phonics, small group phonics, whole group math, small group math, science or social studies, reading comprehension and small groups for that too. That's every day that I need to write all of those lesson plans. Can it be done in one planning period? Nope. Nothing gets done when they make teachers cover for absent teachers during their planning period. No grading gets done either. At the end of the day, I prioritize planning and getting materials together for the next day so grading takes a back seat.

I haven't even mentioned behavior management. This is what kills most new teachers who don't have a traditional educational prep. They underestimate the need for procedures for every single thing. When I was in college, I took courses on behavior management and then applied them in my student teaching positions. You see what works and what doesn't. If you get someone in the classroom without this preparation, it is usually a nightmare without someone to teach them what they need to do. They are learning on the job and often the student learning suffers.

+1
This is an excellent response. I would add that a strong teacher has to have a ton of skills: time management, organization, problem solving, strong presentation abilities, conflict resolution, … and the list goes on. You also have to do be simultaneously well-planned and ready to change course immediately. You need people skills, managing up to 30 other people at a time. You aren’t managing adults, though, so it gets a lot harder. Students come with so many different needs and you are expected to meet them all simultaneously. You need to be strong in data collection and analysis. You need to be a good communicator. You have to work well as part of several teams.

I’m a high school teacher. I worked in a corporate setting first, though, and I often think of the contrast between my two jobs. There, I had over a week to prepare a presentation for adults who were paid to listen. Now, I have a night to prepare 3 different hour-long presentations for students who don’t necessarily have buy-in. (I then have to do that again for the next day.) Now my schedule is fixed. If I’m not feeling social at 8:10, I still have to present to a group of sophomores. There’s no rest and no chance to regroup. It’s a very demanding job, which is why we are burning through teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish our school board would drop all of the social and political stuff, and only focus kn the core school mission of literacy, math, science and academics/arts.

One of the gold standards for professional and social interactions is that you NEVER discuss politics, religion, sex or race with others who are not your intimate circle.

Our fcps has decided their mission is to put our poor teachers in a situation where they have to not only talk about, but promote and inject into their lessons, those hot button issues of politics, religion, sex and race every single day, whether they want to or not.

The school board knows these issues and themes are going be controversial. They know that no matter what position is taken, someone, somewhere is going to be offended, enraged, and activated.

Yet the school board makes incorporating hot button social issues into every facet of the curriculum and school culture their entire focus. Why on earth would the leadership do this to the teachers.

Imagine going into work every single day, knowing that your boss and company leadership are going to make you say things, do things and articulate positions that are 100% guaranteed to make one or many of your clients blow their top, send you angry emails, go to your supervisors, blast you online, or go to the media??

We are talking about people who went into their profession because they like to have reading time on the rug or do art projects. Who spend all summer finding interesting ways to talk about Shakespeare. Who are math geeks or history fanatics. Who are teaching because they want to coach football. Or who just want summer vacation and two weeks off at Christmas.

Yet every single day, they have to go to work knowing that our Gatehouse, superintendent and school board are hard at work on finding ways to incorporate the latest social fad or political controversy as The. Most. Important. focus of FCPS. Not literacy. Not math. Not life skills or trades.

What dread our teachers must have going into work, not knowing when or which day the leaders are going to decree from high the next fad social political idea that teachers are going to have to field, knowing that these idiotic decisions from leadership are going to get them yelled at by some parent, somewhere, who is very justifiably upset that their kids are being taught controversial things that have nothing to do with the subjects being taught, are not age appropriate and not what the teacher signed up to teach.

No one, no where, would be able to handle that constant work stress that teachers are having to manage thanks to our school board and old superintedent.

It is not surprising that many of them are quitting.

They aren't being allowed to do the job they were hired to do, and their bosses are regularly creating duties that are going to get the teachers yelled at.

You are clueless if you really think any of this has anything to do with teachers in Fairfax County quitting. Did the school board suddenly become radically different and radically "politically correct" just this year? Of course not.

The teacher shortage is a nationwide crisis, primarily caused by crazed parents who did nothing but complain about teachers and school closings during the pandemic. Teachers aren't paid enough anywhere in the country to put up will any of your bullshit.

+10000 No one is forced to say anything. That is ridiculous. I have been in FCPS for 12 years and I have never been mandated to discuss co teoversial topics or talk about sex or religion or whatever. The only minor change is we will be educating kids more this year about the new holidays in the calendar. That is just basic information, not teaching them religion.

The PO before this one is manufacturing controversy where none exists. My friends are leaving the profession because they are burned out, overworked, underpaid, besieged by endless parent emails and endless criticism and even when they work 80 hour weeks they are never done. I literally have never once heard a friend who left the profession in the past two years talk about the SB forcing controversial issues on anyone. Two of my closest friends retired earlier than planned because teaching online was exponentially more work and more stress. Two colleagues from last year both left to be stay at home parents with no intention ever to ever return to the classroom because they had come to hate it so much…micromanaged, constantly getting emails from parents about every little thing, never enough time, endless paperwork. The worst loss was one of our best SpEd teachers. Pay isn’t even the biggest issue. It’s that the job is 3x more work than it was 25 years ago, with no commensurate rise in satisfaction or recognition or compensation.

This. This is why teachers are leaving. I am a long-time teacher who has been in and out of full-time teaching over the last 30 years. The pay used to be worth the extra weeks off and the satisfaction of doing something that made a difference, but now the job has expanded with extra tasks that take away time from planning and prepping for actual teaching. This means fewer fun, interesting and engaging lessons, so the kids lose out and the teachers don't like the job anymore.

Sadly true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here actually gotten a teaching job through this program?

One of the SAHMs was hired as an IA during COVID now has a full-time teaching job at our school through this program. I’ve never been impressed with her, she’s more interested in gossiping about the kids in the neighborhood and their families, but I guess these are desperate times.

That’s what the people crowing about teacher posts being “98% filled” on DCUM don’t understand. These are just woefully incompetent warm bodies. Fine if all you want is a babysitter, I guess. Shrug.

I think teachers are really important in society and should be compensated and respected, but -- is it really something other adults can't do? If someone wants to be a teacher, then that is a gift. Most people don't want to teach. But does that mean they CAN'T teach?

I saw someone from the teacher's union (MCPS? Not sure) say, "Would we let just anyone into the cockpit of a plane or do surgery?" I mean, it's not flying a plane or surgery. It's teaching children, which most people have done in their lives anyway.

Again, I admire teachers. They should be respected and compensated well. But I'm sure others can pick it up and teach kids in the classroom, too. And if they stick it out, then they too deserve to be compensated and respected. It's a job most people don't enjoy, not rocket science.

I'm a teacher. It's not really a matter of "can people teach", it more like "how long will you last?" Teaching is like Survivor. The people still teaching in public schools are very persistent. The first few years of teaching is like extended boot camp. It's exhausting. Lots of people don't last. Yes, most districts have curriculum for each subject but it's often "So here are the standards you need to teach and here are the texts you will use. Now go figure it out." If you teach in early ES, you are writing 5+ lessons plans each day and then teaching them. Then, you do it again the next day but you need to write 5+ more lesson plans. It is never ending and relentless so the people who stick around are also relentless.

I think many people think teaching is like when they were in school. My teachers had a teacher's guide for each subject. They didn't write lesson plans because they taught directly out of the book. Very little photo copying since we all had our own textbooks and workbooks. The only real grading was spelling tests on Friday (my mom was a teacher and I loved grading her spelling tests on Friday night) and occasionally math/science/social studies tests with answer keys in the teacher's guide (I graduated to grading them too). Now, we are expected to write a lesson plan for everything and then differentiate for everyone. Very little supplemental material is given so that's why teachers rely on Teachers Pay Teachers. I plan for whole group phonics, small group phonics, whole group math, small group math, science or social studies, reading comprehension and small groups for that too. That's every day that I need to write all of those lesson plans. Can it be done in one planning period? Nope. Nothing gets done when they make teachers cover for absent teachers during their planning period. No grading gets done either. At the end of the day, I prioritize planning and getting materials together for the next day so grading takes a back seat.

I haven't even mentioned behavior management. This is what kills most new teachers who don't have a traditional educational prep. They underestimate the need for procedures for every single thing. When I was in college, I took courses on behavior management and then applied them in my student teaching positions. You see what works and what doesn't. If you get someone in the classroom without this preparation, it is usually a nightmare without someone to teach them what they need to do. They are learning on the job and often the student learning suffers.

+1
This is an excellent response. I would add that a strong teacher has to have a ton of skills: time management, organization, problem solving, strong presentation abilities, conflict resolution, … and the list goes on. You also have to do be simultaneously well-planned and ready to change course immediately. You need people skills, managing up to 30 other people at a time. You aren’t managing adults, though, so it gets a lot harder. Students come with so many different needs and you are expected to meet them all simultaneously. You need to be strong in data collection and analysis. You need to be a good communicator. You have to work well as part of several teams.

I’m a high school teacher. I worked in a corporate setting first, though, and I often think of the contrast between my two jobs. There, I had over a week to prepare a presentation for adults who were paid to listen. Now, I have a night to prepare 3 different hour-long presentations for students who don’t necessarily have buy-in. (I then have to do that again for the next day.) Now my schedule is fixed. If I’m not feeling social at 8:10, I still have to present to a group of sophomores. There’s no rest and no chance to regroup. It’s a very demanding job, which is why we are burning through teachers.

+1 I will retire soon and know other teachers who will go soon. We need new teachers who will work hard and bring knowledge and skills to the classroom. Pay teachers more and let us teach more instead of dumbing down requirements for teacher residency.

[Anonymous]

I am so pissed. My kid has one of these. I'd rather they just do 30-kid classes than have a fake teacher who has no idea what they're doing and a smaller class size. REALLY pissed.