Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot be serious.

I seriously considered it because I was miserable as a lawyer and loved tutoring. You might have a very narrow view of lawyers through movies. Most real lawyers out there are not the litigators and there are way too many of them, so of course, there will be some that want out. I don't know why I'm even posting a reply to this post, it'll be a waste of time.

Tutoring is not the same as teaching a class of 30 underachieving students.

so sad how people can be so clueless

Go find a legal position in a nonprofit or with the Feds. You'll be happier.

So you are both a teacher and a lawyer and would have reason to know what's best? Aren't you as clueless as you say as the earlier poster?

Anonymous wrote:OP, it's true that teaching isn't all sunshine and rainbows, but I am SO glad I made the switch. I do not for one moment regret leaving corporate America for the classroom. I work with low income students (title 1 school in FCPS), and we have lots of resources to work with these students, a strong support system from admin and support personnel, and the best teachers I have ever worked with. I have taught in wealthy schools before, and the teachers here are 100x better.

I do agree that you need to spend time in a classroom to see the realities of it. It is not the same as tutoring or mentoring. If you have a teacher friend, ask to observe one day.

Anonymous wrote:

+1. I've been teaching for 10 years and a LOT has changed in those 10 years. My physical and mental health are suffering, as well as time with my family. Dealing with administrators who stick their head in the sand about the fact that 6 hours in school can't make up for poverty, lack of academic language in the first language, uninvolved parents (by choice or not) and the attitude that school is not important.

I should magically be able to make these kids meet benchmark standards through my engaging lessons. That is the cure for why they're not meeting benchmark. Because they are just data points, not humans.

Like lab rats. Gotta get the data to look good to impress those associate superintendents even though I could count on two fingers the number of days the principal has actually been in the building over the last 2 weeks. Of course one of those days was for the Halloween celebration. Gotta put in face time when the parents will be there!

OP--don't do it. Education is a very different place than what you're imagining it to be.

I agree with this, OP, and I came to teaching late after a demanding job working 70+ hours a week. While the teaching hours are less than what I did before, and probably less than what you're used to, I take home a lot of work every night, and the emotional toll is much greater.

A big difference is the way teachers are managed by administrators. In the private sector, it's understood that employees can leave at any time and find a new job, so managers make an effort to treat their employees well (most of the time). In teaching, a teacher signs a contract promising they'll stay the whole year, so the administrators take total advantage. They are bullies, and will blame you for every poor test score, every call from a parent, etc. Most of them have no managerial training whatsoever---you can't even believe the lack of professionalism sometimes.

Don't do it. Find another position somewhere.

One last thing: if something isn't done about the way teachers are being treated around here, there won't be any. The pay has always sucked, but now, the lack of respect, the bullying, the constant blame, the ridiculous data collection--no one will be left to do this job. Seriously.

+1. I've been teaching for 10 years and a LOT has changed in those 10 years. My physical and mental health are suffering, as well as time with my family. Dealing with administrators who stick their head in the sand about the fact that 6 hours in school can't make up for poverty, lack of academic language in the first language, uninvolved parents (by choice or not) and the attitude that school is not important.

I should magically be able to make these kids meet benchmark standards through my engaging lessons. That is the cure for why they're not meeting benchmark. Because they are just data points, not humans.

Like lab rats. Gotta get the data to look good to impress those associate superintendents even though I could count on two fingers the number of days the principal has actually been in the building over the last 2 weeks. Of course one of those days was for the Halloween celebration. Gotta put in face time when the parents will be there!

OP--don't do it. Education is a very different place than what you're imagining it to be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot be serious.

I seriously considered it because I was miserable as a lawyer and loved tutoring. You might have a very narrow view of lawyers through movies. Most real lawyers out there are not the litigators and there are way too many of them, so of course, there will be some that want out. I don't know why I'm even posting a reply to this post, it'll be a waste of time.

Tutoring is not the same as teaching a class of 30 underachieving students.

so sad how people can be so clueless

Go find a legal position in a nonprofit or with the Feds. You'll be happier.

Anonymous wrote:Before you do it, check out those hours, you will have no life. I loved teaching but realized I can't do it anymore, I was literally surviving on so little sleep to be effective it was taking a toll on my health. To get to work before the endless photocopy queue I would get to work just before 7:00 a.m., leave at around 5:30 pm and take a nap then work til late or all night if I slept for more than 5 hours. So it depends on your age, if you have a partner, or children, if you are going to work in a title I school or a charter school or WTOP. It is the most exhausting thing I've ever done and sadly I just can't do it anymore.


Yeah..this is exactly me[b], so much so that I was actually wondering if I wrote this post and just forgot that I did.!

I did not write it...but I so agree. It has taken a large toll on my health, my basic well being, and any social life. I would not encourage anyone to go into teaching today.Teaching has become a paradoxical/ catch 22 landmine of politics and misguided attempts to change societal ills that have evolved over time. They do that by blaming teachers and schools for all of it as if what society has contributed has no effect on what the teacher should be able to do. No teacher can do what is now being asked of him/her- one needs to be a psychologist, an behavioral specialist,a nurse, a cheerleader, whatever a teacher USED to be, and a lawyer to boot. Imagine confrontation and being on the defensive all day...all day, did I say ALL DAY? Imagine if the medical field functioned in the same way as educational reform proponents would like:

[i]100% of the population will not ever have cancer.
Of those that do for whatever reason, 90% will be cured with mild and timely best practice intervention in approximately 8 months.

ALL patients can be cured of cancer, and we have to believe that all people are not susceptible to it to begin with. No preconceived notions, here.

The doctors who do not succeed in this metric will be assigned a "zero" value added score and will be fired as well as lose their license. (Too bad for those patients with insidious disease who will find no one to care for them as they are too much of a risk to the medical professionals' career.)

In this way, we will rid the profession of ineffective doctors who cannot fix the cancer problem. [/i


This is not a field to pursue anymore, sadly. Umm, teaching, not medicine ....just to clarify.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot be serious.

I seriously considered it because I was miserable as a lawyer and loved tutoring. You might have a very narrow view of lawyers through movies. Most real lawyers out there are not the litigators and there are way too many of them, so of course, there will be some that want out. I don't know why I'm even posting a reply to this post, it'll be a waste of time.

Tutoring is not the same as teaching a class of 30 underachieving students.

so sad how people can be so clueless

Go find a legal position in a nonprofit or with the Feds. You'll be happier.

Do you have any suggestions about how best to find one of these positions?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot be serious.

I seriously considered it because I was miserable as a lawyer and loved tutoring. You might have a very narrow view of lawyers through movies. Most real lawyers out there are not the litigators and there are way too many of them, so of course, there will be some that want out. I don't know why I'm even posting a reply to this post, it'll be a waste of time.

Tutoring is not the same as teaching a class of 30 underachieving students.

so sad how people can be so clueless

Go find a legal position in a nonprofit or with the Feds. You'll be happier.

Anonymous wrote:

I think you will love it. I wish I had pursued teaching, what an impact you will make.


lol @ that statement!

Why say such a bitchy thing? Seriously uncalled for.

Anonymous wrote:I'm making the same switch, OP. Don't let the negativity hold you back. If you think you'd be a good teacher, and you think you'd enjoy being in the classroom, start to look into it. Maybe spend a day shadowing a teacher to see what you think. Good luck!

[/quote

you'll learn . . .

you'll learn . . .