Becoming a high school teacher at midlife

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that substitute teaching would provide an accurate picture of what it's like to teach full-time. Substitute teachers are not treated the same by students and there is no time to develop rapport with them. You're basically a pinch hitter for the day.

I'm the PP who became a teacher after subbing. I disagree with you a bit. You can actually develop a decent amount of report with students, even in one day, if it's a small class size that requires the sub to interact with the students (as opposed to a high school AP class where you're just the obligatory adult in the room). You can also take jobs that span more than one day, and you can get to know kids if you sub in the same school frequently.

But more importantly, as a sub, you can talk to teachers and observe classes. I got a ton of great advice from teachers and learned so much from observing. I knew I wanted to teach at the school I'm teaching at because all the teachers gushed about how supportive the administration was, and they pointed out that turnover at that school is very low. Openings at my school are caused by teachers moving out of the area, not teachers leaving the field. Obviously as a sub you don't have to collect data, go to meetings, interact with parents, etc., so it's very different from teaching full-time, but it was still really useful experience.

[Anonymous]

I switched to teaching mid career. I say go for it. I teach upper level high school kids. I don’t think I’m the right fit for middle school or 9th grade. Just be prepared for it to be a slog for the first 3 years. And the pay sucks. To be a good teacher you have to work a lot. Getting the teacher certification is a pain in the ass. I got hired directly in the classroom by MCPS and had to do the teacher certification stuff on the side and they do pile it on. Also, be prepared to teach random stuff that you may or may not have any expertise in. Most teachers teach 2-3 different classes in high school and sometimes different subjects. There is also a lot of random crap that teachers are expected to do. And grading will overwhelm you. And if you want to teach at public school - man, there are so many kids.
Despite the negatives, I’m glad I made the switch. The job keeps you on your feet and you use a lot of brain power. Being evaluated is stressful. And some administrators are completely ridiculous. Going in to work every single day is tough when everyone else seems remote these days. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I switched to teaching mid-career. My old corporate job was much easier. There are times I miss my old work/life balance and the flexibility.

Be prepared for long hours, especially the first couple of years. They aren’t easy hours, either. You’ll be directly responsible for every student in front of you, whether they are interested or directly defiant. The classroom is sensory overload and you will be exhausted. You also won’t get a lot of time alone to recharge… maybe an hour total throughout the school day, broken up in 20 minutes here and 15 minutes there.

The other thing many people don’t realize at first is that half the job is done in the evenings and weekends, and that you can’t cut corners at first. If you fail to plan, the following day may be disastrous.

You’ll also have to deal with a ton of disrespect, from students and from parents and administrators. It will hurt at first because you’ll be pouring your heart into this and you still can’t make all the parties happy. You’ll run into parents, like one who has already posted on this thread, who harbor low opinions of teachers and will assume the worst in you. You can’t take what they say personally.

Still: choosing to teach is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s extremely hard, which makes me proud of what I accomplish each year. I know what I do matters, and I know the impact I make on the lives of others.

If you do it, just remember to find your support early. That may be other teachers, etc. They’ll get you through the first years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that substitute teaching would provide an accurate picture of what it's like to teach full-time. Substitute teachers are not treated the same by students and there is no time to develop rapport with them. You're basically a pinch hitter for the day.

I'm the PP who became a teacher after subbing. I disagree with you a bit. You can actually develop a decent amount of report with students, even in one day, if it's a small class size that requires the sub to interact with the students (as opposed to a high school AP class where you're just the obligatory adult in the room). You can also take jobs that span more than one day, and you can get to know kids if you sub in the same school frequently.

But more importantly, as a sub, you can talk to teachers and observe classes. I got a ton of great advice from teachers and learned so much from observing. I knew I wanted to teach at the school I'm teaching at because all the teachers gushed about how supportive the administration was, and they pointed out that turnover at that school is very low. Openings at my school are caused by teachers moving out of the area, not teachers leaving the field. Obviously as a sub you don't have to collect data, go to meetings, interact with parents, etc., so it's very different from teaching full-time, but it was still really useful experience.

As a sub, you also don't have to develop lesson plans or grade! This is very time-consuming work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that substitute teaching would provide an accurate picture of what it's like to teach full-time. Substitute teachers are not treated the same by students and there is no time to develop rapport with them. You're basically a pinch hitter for the day.

I'm the PP who became a teacher after subbing. I disagree with you a bit. You can actually develop a decent amount of report with students, even in one day, if it's a small class size that requires the sub to interact with the students (as opposed to a high school AP class where you're just the obligatory adult in the room). You can also take jobs that span more than one day, and you can get to know kids if you sub in the same school frequently.

But more importantly, as a sub, you can talk to teachers and observe classes. I got a ton of great advice from teachers and learned so much from observing. I knew I wanted to teach at the school I'm teaching at because all the teachers gushed about how supportive the administration was, and they pointed out that turnover at that school is very low. Openings at my school are caused by teachers moving out of the area, not teachers leaving the field. Obviously as a sub you don't have to collect data, go to meetings, interact with parents, etc., so it's very different from teaching full-time, but it was still really useful experience.

As a sub, you also don't have to develop lesson plans or grade! This is very time-consuming work.

Not always - I do long-term sub work - taught 6 months last year. And I do lesson planning, grading, IEP meetings for students, emailing parents, PT conferences, staff meetings and more. I hate short-term sub but really enjoy long-term - at least at the high school level. And yes, I have taught AP classes and definitely NOT been the obligatory adult in the room.

Get certified as a sub in your district then find a school that you are interested in and reach out to the principal - they are always looking for subs and quality long-term ones are very hard to find. If you actually want to teach.

[Anonymous]

I highly suggest you sub first, mostly because once you get your foot in that door, districts are now offering teacher licensure programs to employees (including subs) for free, usually with a teacher residency program that means your first salaried year counts as student teaching. The savings is IMMENSE.

[Anonymous]

Lawyer here. I think you are insane.

But a colleague left the SEC to teach high school -- I think English? And it changed his life and he loved it. Worked out well for him.

But I think the odds of that are low. Especially nowadays (my colleague did this about 15 years ago).

[Anonymous]

I was in a job that involved a lot of reading and writing for years until I moved into something much more people oriented and don’t regret it. I wouldn’t have been ready a few years ago for this but now it makes sense so your instinct is right.

I agree with poster that high school age like younger teachers.

Why are you thinking of teaching as an alternative rather than many other things that involve less serious, concentrated work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that substitute teaching would provide an accurate picture of what it's like to teach full-time. Substitute teachers are not treated the same by students and there is no time to develop rapport with them. You're basically a pinch hitter for the day.

I'm the PP who became a teacher after subbing. I disagree with you a bit. You can actually develop a decent amount of report with students, even in one day, if it's a small class size that requires the sub to interact with the students (as opposed to a high school AP class where you're just the obligatory adult in the room). You can also take jobs that span more than one day, and you can get to know kids if you sub in the same school frequently.

But more importantly, as a sub, you can talk to teachers and observe classes. I got a ton of great advice from teachers and learned so much from observing. I knew I wanted to teach at the school I'm teaching at because all the teachers gushed about how supportive the administration was, and they pointed out that turnover at that school is very low. Openings at my school are caused by teachers moving out of the area, not teachers leaving the field. Obviously as a sub you don't have to collect data, go to meetings, interact with parents, etc., so it's very different from teaching full-time, but it was still really useful experience.

As a sub, you also don't have to develop lesson plans or grade! This is very time-consuming work.

Of course! But as a sub I didn't get a planning period, and I don't work outside contract hours, so my teacher hours aren't actually that much longer than my sub hours. I guess I do lesson plan sometimes outside of contract hours but I love it so it doesn't feel like work.

Subbing is definitely not the same as teaching, but it's a hell of a lot closer to teaching than, say, what OP is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in a job that involved a lot of reading and writing for years until I moved into something much more people oriented and don’t regret it. I wouldn’t have been ready a few years ago for this but now it makes sense so your instinct is right.

I agree with poster that high school age like younger teachers.

Why are you thinking of teaching as an alternative rather than many other things that involve less serious, concentrated work?

OP here and I don't feel teaching would be "less serious, concentrated work." I think in many ways it would be more intense than my current work, especially at first. I'm not looking for an easy job, but one that matches my interests and skills better. I've always loved teaching and sought out a lot of teaching and training opportunities in my current career. It feels like an obvious option for me given how much I like instructing and teaching.

But I'm curious what other alternatives you think I should consider. The other things I've though of are all teaching focused: personal trainer, writing instructor/teacher/tutor. Teaching at the high school level sounds more serious than those options (though less flexible) bit o think that's actually what appeals to me about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not recommend doing this. First, the high schools prefer to hire young teachers who are more relatable to the students and can also coach something after school. Also, you might be shocked at how poorly you will be treated by admin and parents after working in a field that is generally respected.

If none of this phases you, you will have an easier time finding a position in a middle school. You could still teach civics.

Not to mention how poorly you’ll be treated by students, depending on where you teach.

I toyed for years with the idea of doing Teach for America (a low cost path to teacher certification with a two year requirement to teach in Title I schools) and have posted here about it. I had my application all ready to go with the plan to start this summer, but a couple of months working in a before/after school program at the YMCA this last winter cured me of the interest in teaching in public schools today.

Maybe in really good schools the situation is better, but you will deal with helicopter parents there. Across the board teachers are leaving in much higher numbers than usual attrition rates primarily because of cell phone use and lack of administrative support for dealing with disruptive student behavior.

I worked with some great kids at the Y and I miss them. The very disruptive kids and the zero support from administration turned me right off. I was treated with more respect by criminal defendants even when I was the prosecutor putting them in prison than I was by many of the students and administrators and no, I’m not a jerk who goes around stirring crap.

Public schools today are in crisis. If money is truly not an issue for you OP, get a job teaching at a charter or private school where you’ll be better appreciated and the expectations of students are much higher so overall it should be a much more stimulating experience.

[Anonymous]

Can you afford to live in a teaching income?

[Anonymous]

My son's freshman English teacher this year was a former corporate lawyer from the Fortune 500 corporation where I work. This was Honors English in a middling district not in DMV.

She wanted the kids to relate to her and be grateful to her for choosing teaching. There were some disorganization issues (lesson plans, lost papers, etc.). From what I heard, there were some too obvious personality conflicts with students. I think it's hard for mid-career professionals to deal with lippy kids. Because you can't sink to their level and it's very nebulous how to get them to respect you.

I definitely think subbing, even on your vacations, would be eye-opening. Determine what level and type of school district you'd be willing to accept. And investigate the likelihood of finding a role there.

If you genuinely love mentoring kids on the verge of adulthood, please consider planning to become a debate coach, model UN coach, student newspaper club sponsor, etc. Student ECs really need quality guidance. And those roles are also undersubscribed and not well-executed in my area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son's freshman English teacher this year was a former corporate lawyer from the Fortune 500 corporation where I work. This was Honors English in a middling district not in DMV.

She wanted the kids to relate to her and be grateful to her for choosing teaching. There were some disorganization issues (lesson plans, lost papers, etc.). From what I heard, there were some too obvious personality conflicts with students. I think it's hard for mid-career professionals to deal with lippy kids. Because you can't sink to their level and it's very nebulous how to get them to respect you.

I definitely think subbing, even on your vacations, would be eye-opening. Determine what level and type of school district you'd be willing to accept. And investigate the likelihood of finding a role there.

If you genuinely love mentoring kids on the verge of adulthood, please consider planning to become a debate coach, model UN coach, student newspaper club sponsor, etc. Student ECs really need quality guidance. And those roles are also undersubscribed and not well-executed in my area.

Career changer here. Yes, this was a difficult transition for me. I was used to being respected simply because I did my job well. That’s all it took in the corporate world.

Teaching is much harder. Many students force you to earn their respect. That can be a real challenge because what works for one kid will set off another kid in the class. I had to learn how to read my audience quickly, and I had to adjust my methods seat by seat. I’m great at it now, but it took about a decade of trial and error to get where I am.

OP, I recommend subbing. I also recommend looking into private schools where students are often held to higher standards of discipline. I’ve worked in both settings, and I felt more supported in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But I'm curious what other alternatives you think I should consider. The other things I've though of are all teaching focused: personal trainer, writing instructor/teacher/tutor. Teaching at the high school level sounds more serious than those options (though less flexible) bit o think that's actually what appeals to me about it.

I think you should consider becoming a tutor and run review classes for an AP course such as AP Government.

Your students will be actually motivated to learn what you have to teach.