Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, it is difficult to hear that this is how you see us. I won’t make this reply about that though.

I would not encourage my kids to go into teaching. Not because I think it is settling or selling themselves short in any way because I don’t believe those things about teachers. I wouldn’t encourage it because the pay is not enough to support them or a family if they were to be without a partner.

If any of my kids told me they wanted to be a teacher, I would be proud of them for wanting to do meaningful work that leaves the world a better place. But I’d also encourage them to find a way to do that while earning a better income.

+ 1

My mom was a teacher and a pretty amazing one. She preferred to work in low income/high immigrant communities and dedicated her time and money to giving the best possible to her students. Parents raved about her and her students always had significant improvements in test scores. But when my niece said she wanted to be a teacher, my mom talked her out of it. She explained the job was high stress, undervalued and very underpaid. She wanted more financial stability for her granddaughter. Ultimately, my niece, who is great with kids, went into nursing and plans to work in the NICU or PICU with kids. It’s still high stress but she will be able to support herself well even without a partner.

Wow - when I was 17 I wanted to be a lawyer and I'm not.

When I was 7 I wanted to be an air hostess.

Please look and ask the adults in your life what they wanted to be when they were 17 and see that is clearly what happens.

Also please look at the adults in the world and see how many career shifts people have.

Worry and fret vs. enjoying your life.

Anonymous wrote:If your DC thinks being a teacher is going to provide an anxiety-free life, they are delusional.

- signed, a teacher

Exactly. I’m on pins and needles all of the time trying to make ends meet. Make sure she understands how little teachers are paid and how high the cost of living is. And teach her that a man is not a plan. I am a single parent and a teacher and I never stop worrying about money.

Anonymous wrote:Both my parents were teachers and all the other members of the family looked down on them for being “just teachers”. Well, they were home in the afternoon/evening with us, no work travel, home in summer, and they are now more financially stable than all those other family members thanks to their pensions. I’m a type A striver and would want more financial stability for my kids than what exists now, but we need more dedicated teachers and if that was their calling, I’d be proud.

Plus you would help her financially with yearly gifting so she’d be fine. There are a lot of jobs that pay less especially in social services because our government doesn’t prioritize children.

Anonymous wrote:Intrigued that so many think that this is about a daughter. Is teaching women's work?

Not in high school it’s not. My three kids all different schools all had male teachers in 4th and 5th grade. My 6th grader has 50/50 male female. Most of my favorite teachers were men.

Your kid sounds great. So you are dissatisfied with their choice because you want to brag to your friends that they earn more money/have a more prestigious title?

If this is what drives you, I can see why they are looking for something different in life.

I think they did a study that many teachers are millionaires - it could be because their stable career allows them to marry someone who can work longer hours and make a good income. In a good school district, she could make low six figures, have a pension, awesome health benefits, and summers and holidays off. It can be an incredible work life balance for someone who wants a family and also wants to do rewarding work. That being said, she'd have to pick her area wisely since many teachers are currently working 60 hour weeks these days

For what it's worth, I'm an educator and a millionaire.

Well if she wants to teach at a private school, she needs to get a degree from a good college in a subject matter like history, english, math, science, etc. Not education. So basically college shoould be the same regardless.

She can teach, burnout, then go to law school or whatever.

Many kids go on to be teachers.

I think we need a mass of smart people who want to change things. I’m in a similar career and I refuse to leave and will go down fighting the good fight (mostly fighting those above me who make poor policy choices).

I think being a teacher is a wonderful career. I love listening to teachers who love it and I’m sick of those who hate it and chose it for being easy. I wish I had those hours with my young kids.

It matters who she marries though sadly. Teaching isn’t high paying.

Both my parents were teachers and all the other members of the family looked down on them for being “just teachers”. Well, they were home in the afternoon/evening with us, no work travel, home in summer, and they are now more financially stable than all those other family members thanks to their pensions. I’m a type A striver and would want more financial stability for my kids than what exists now, but we need more dedicated teachers and if that was their calling, I’d be proud.

Anonymous wrote:DC is a straight A student and a strong athlete in high school. SAT is above 1500, and taking challenging AP classes. Yet DC says their goal is to become a teacher and lead a stable, anxiety-free life. I am so disappointed that they're not more ambitious, given their commitment to do well in school. I'm hoping that going to college will open their eyes to other options and get them excited about alternative professional pathways. Am I a bad parent for thinking this way?

Yet another reason why the educator shortage will continue long into the future

We actually need teachers like DC.

Come on guys, really? Don’t feed the troll. This is obviously a troll post.

If not, this is really sad. But I’m 95% this is a troll.

I was the A student that went to elite schools, but went to graduate school and got the type of job you would want for your daughter. I hated it, and now I'm a stay at home mom. Had I been a teacher or something else I may have been happier in my career, so be careful what you wish for. She also has time to change her mind, I certainly did between high school and the end of college and again by my late 20s.