Reply to SAHM (former lawyer) thinking of becoming a teacher. Any thoughts or guidance?

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[quote=Anonymous]Teaching is a [i]wonderful [/i]profession that I love dearly and consider my calling in life.  However, as you know it is often difficult work.  The stresses and difficulties I have encountered over my career are not ones I had anticipated before my first year.

Therefore, I would definitely recommend following a teacher or two for a few days if you can.  I know many people (myself included) go into the profession thinking teaching will be very different than it actually is.  I think this is a big reason that almost 50% of new teachers leave before their fifth year.  If you can't observe teachers, perhaps you could speak with a number of different teachers.  If you are open to it, I would also encourage you to consider working in a private school - the pay is usually less but you often have more flexibility and many times you don't need full certifications, etc.

I am not sure where you are located but here is a link to some information on the Career Switcher Programs in Virginia: [url]http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/educator_preparation/career_switcher/index.shtml[/url]  I have worked with some Career Switchers who are [u]excellent[/u] teachers (FWIW, two of them were former lawyers) and I have worked with others who left the profession very quickly.  I think the best thing you can do at this point is try to educate yourself on what the working conditions are actually like.  In many ways though I think teaching is like having a child, you can't really know what it is like until you actually do it yourself.  As the PP's have mentioned, it is also important to be realistic about job prospects.  Good luck and I hope it works out.[/quote]

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