Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite, though I'm a little horrified by all the negative comments about teachers and education majors.

I'm a teacher in a "good" public suburban high school. Yes, I was an education major. Double majored in English. I would do it all over again. I had great opportunities to observe/shadow as a freshman in college. Easy student teaching placement. My district paid for a large share of my master's.

I have several friends who teach in private schools. A couple had similar paths to mine. A couple of others tried different careers first, then pivoted into education. There are multiple paths, but please don't demean actual education majors.

It is a waste of $$ in terms of getting an actual college education .And a waste of time.
Degree, certification, then masters.

But read today's Wapo article on teacher shortage. This is no longer a viable field.

But how can you say this? We will always need teachers. Don't any of you have an ounce of gratitude for the teachers who have supported your brilliant children?

We may need teachers, but it doesn't show. They aren't paid, they aren’t respected, and they aren't trained for what teaching has become, a triage system for disability and mental health serious issues. It's a 24/7 work day. The number one thing that teachers say now is not so much about their pay or benefits, but that they can no longer meet the needs of children and they don't feel they can keep everyone safe. And I don't just mean school shootings- I mean the unbelievable behavioral problems. There's been a lot written about the 6 year old who shot a teacher. What we teachers knew, before it was ever printed, was that this wasn't a surprise to the staff. This, and other students', issues were dismissed and the teachers were left to manage. We live this every day.

So, private school? Is that right? So unless people pay $$$, they won't be able to give their child an education or a safe environment. Private school teachers aren't certified, and are paid less. Many private schools are also seeing the same problems, but they can throw kids out. So, no services for diverse learners, special ed , or mental health issues. What is the point? What does this solve? It's an exploitation of the whole system. If we want good schools, we need excellent funding, safe environments, transparency, competent leadership, and a full overhaul.
If you think teachers need gratitude - show it.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/19/teacher-shortage-mississippi/

Mississippi ???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite, though I'm a little horrified by all the negative comments about teachers and education majors.

I'm a teacher in a "good" public suburban high school. Yes, I was an education major. Double majored in English. I would do it all over again. I had great opportunities to observe/shadow as a freshman in college. Easy student teaching placement. My district paid for a large share of my master's.

I have several friends who teach in private schools. A couple had similar paths to mine. A couple of others tried different careers first, then pivoted into education. There are multiple paths, but please don't demean actual education majors.

It is a waste of $$ in terms of getting an actual college education .And a waste of time.
Degree, certification, then masters.

But read today's Wapo article on teacher shortage. This is no longer a viable field.

But how can you say this? We will always need teachers. Don't any of you have an ounce of gratitude for the teachers who have supported your brilliant children?

We may need teachers, but it doesn't show. They aren't paid, they aren’t respected, and they aren't trained for what teaching has become, a triage system for disability and mental health serious issues. It's a 24/7 work day. The number one thing that teachers say now is not so much about their pay or benefits, but that they can no longer meet the needs of children and they don't feel they can keep everyone safe. And I don't just mean school shootings- I mean the unbelievable behavioral problems. There's been a lot written about the 6 year old who shot a teacher. What we teachers knew, before it was ever printed, was that this wasn't a surprise to the staff. This, and other students', issues were dismissed and the teachers were left to manage. We live this every day.

So, private school? Is that right? So unless people pay $$$, they won't be able to give their child an education or a safe environment. Private school teachers aren't certified, and are paid less. Many private schools are also seeing the same problems, but they can throw kids out. So, no services for diverse learners, special ed , or mental health issues. What is the point? What does this solve? It's an exploitation of the whole system. If we want good schools, we need excellent funding, safe environments, transparency, competent leadership, and a full overhaul.
If you think teachers need gratitude - show it.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/19/teacher-shortage-mississippi/

Anonymous wrote:I'm a HS teacher in a good suburban school who is 1 year away from retirement.

If your child really wants to be a teacher, and if public school may be in their future (it does pay better than privates), they should get their masters in the subject area.

Dual enrollment is the "next new big thing". The program is growing quickly. I think it will replace AP in the near future. To be DE certified, you need a masters in the field, not in education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I could do it again, just retired:

1. Wouldn't go into this field at all. I would have gone into speech therapy or OT back in the day. It absolutely was the worst adult decision I made as an 18 year old going to college. I taught for 37 years, public 17 years, private 14, some years overseas as well- all grades, multiple degees and certifications, and I was good in my job.
2. I never made enough money anywhere at any time -and it cost me long term, and my family, as well. If an 18 year old women is deciding on a career in private school, she is assuming she will be married and that spouse will be her source of income. Are we really encouraging young women to do that now?
3. I never had free time for 35 years. This is an all day job. Physically and psychologically.
4. In the last 15 years of my job as a specialist, top of pay scale, supervisory mentor, graduate professor, I used everything I had to keep ahead of mental health and behavioral considerations in the classroom. I mentored hundreds of teachers and watched many of them burn out and have one mental health crisis after another of their own. They were in debt, too, and couldn't leave this job because of the $$ they sunk into their education. Most of my colleagues old and young were on meds. Xoloft, Xanax, and sleep meds.
5. Testing and metrics dominate everything and have turned this arena into a wasteland of piling more and more kids with issues into little boxes that look like something tangible for a spreadsheet. But it's not real.
6. Never, never, never, get an undergrad degree in education . It has no intellectual or practical generalization into anything else.
Hope this answers your question.

Come on, you have nothing positive to add? I have been teaching over 20 years in an inner city school. I have a list of complaints longer than you. However, I do love my job and students. They make me happy every day even the most annoying ones.
It is very rewarding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I could do it again, just retired:

1. Wouldn't go into this field at all. I would have gone into speech therapy or OT back in the day. It absolutely was the worst adult decision I made as an 18 year old going to college. I taught for 37 years, public 17 years, private 14, some years overseas as well- all grades, multiple degees and certifications, and I was good in my job.
2. I never made enough money anywhere at any time -and it cost me long term, and my family, as well. If an 18 year old women is deciding on a career in private school, she is assuming she will be married and that spouse will be her source of income. Are we really encouraging young women to do that now?
3. I never had free time for 35 years. This is an all day job. Physically and psychologically.
4. In the last 15 years of my job as a specialist, top of pay scale, supervisory mentor, graduate professor, I used everything I had to keep ahead of mental health and behavioral considerations in the classroom. I mentored hundreds of teachers and watched many of them burn out and have one mental health crisis after another of their own. They were in debt, too, and couldn't leave this job because of the $$ they sunk into their education. Most of my colleagues old and young were on meds. Xoloft, Xanax, and sleep meds.
5. Testing and metrics dominate everything and have turned this arena into a wasteland of piling more and more kids with issues into little boxes that look like something tangible for a spreadsheet. But it's not real.
6. Never, never, never, get an undergrad degree in education . It has no intellectual or practical generalization into anything else.
Hope this answers your question.

Come on, you have nothing positive to add? I have been teaching over 20 years in an inner city school. I have a list of complaints longer than you. However, I do love my job and students. They make me happy every day even the most annoying ones.
It is very rewarding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I could do it again, just retired:

1. Wouldn't go into this field at all. I would have gone into speech therapy or OT back in the day. It absolutely was the worst adult decision I made as an 18 year old going to college. I taught for 37 years, public 17 years, private 14, some years overseas as well- all grades, multiple degees and certifications, and I was good in my job.
2. I never made enough money anywhere at any time -and it cost me long term, and my family, as well. If an 18 year old women is deciding on a career in private school, she is assuming she will be married and that spouse will be her source of income. Are we really encouraging young women to do that now?
3. I never had free time for 35 years. This is an all day job. Physically and psychologically.
4. In the last 15 years of my job as a specialist, top of pay scale, supervisory mentor, graduate professor, I used everything I had to keep ahead of mental health and behavioral considerations in the classroom. I mentored hundreds of teachers and watched many of them burn out and have one mental health crisis after another of their own. They were in debt, too, and couldn't leave this job because of the $$ they sunk into their education. Most of my colleagues old and young were on meds. Xoloft, Xanax, and sleep meds.
5. Testing and metrics dominate everything and have turned this arena into a wasteland of piling more and more kids with issues into little boxes that look like something tangible for a spreadsheet. But it's not real.
6. Never, never, never, get an undergrad degree in education . It has no intellectual or practical generalization into anything else.
Hope this answers your question.

Come on, you have nothing positive to add? I have been teaching over 20 years in an inner city school. I have a list of complaints longer than you. However, I do love my job and students. They make me happy every day even the most annoying ones.
It is very rewarding. [/quote]

Not financially, and certainly not rewarding enough pay for a masters at Hopkins like PP suggested. If OP's daughter wants to teach at private school, she should realize that she will never earn enough to send her kids there unless she marries well.