Should I Become a Teacher?
Teaching can be a highly rewarding profession—but it’s can also be very demanding. Before embarking on a degree program or seeking out certification, prospective teachers should consider all components surrounding the education and instruction industry.
1. Teaching requires a great deal of emotional commitment.
Teaching isn’t a desk job; teachers are required to be on the ball each day. Great teachers—the teachers who make the most impact—believe in their subjects and commit emotionally to their students.
2. Teachers are being watched every day.
Students often consider good teachers as role models or parental figures. A good teacher understands that. Whether they like it or not, teachers are mentors. That doesn’t mean a teacher can’t have a normal life, but it does mean that there is limited anonymity in teaching.
3. Teachers don’t leave work when they go home for the night.
Dedicated teachers understand that classroom time must be spent with the students. That means planning lessons and grading assignments often takes place on their own time. It’s still possible, though, for teachers to maximize work time and have a life of their own.
4. Teachers don’t make the greatest salaries.
Teachers’ salaries are typically smaller than those of other professionals, but pay is determined by each state and district, which means it can vary widely. Teachers don’t live hand-to-mouth, though they might live paycheck-to-paycheck. Still, as people see the need for better teacher compensation, salaries are climbing.
5. Teachers have great benefits.
Thanks to the teachers’ unions, teachers’ benefits packages are usually pretty good. Medical insurance, retirement accounts, and eight weeks off in the summer are all perks many other people don’t get a change to enjoy.
6. Teachers are respected … usually.
Teachers are both revered and pitied. They shouldn’t be surprised if people tell them horror stories about their own teachers when they were growing up, or the teachers their children have now.
7. Expectations run high for teachers.
Fortunately, the days are gone when the village teacher was expected to remain single and unattached. People still have many expectations of their teachers, though, and the modern teacher must wear several hats. A teacher is expected to be an educator, an activity sponsor, a motivational coach, a nurse, a career advisor, a counselor, a surrogate parent, a best friend, a worst enemy, and an education innovator—all on the same day.
8. Teachers are judged on how well they reach their students.
The sad fact is, while the state evaluates a teacher based on test scores and graduation rates, the students and their families will judge them based on whether or not they touched their lives. Did they teach them something new? Did they make them care? Did they individualize their experience? If they do all that and the student still receives a C, he or she will still remember them as one of the best teachers he ever had.
Final Word
The question of whether to become a teacher is a difficult question to answer on a general basis. Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions out there, but it can be a challenging one as well. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it is—for those with passion, perseverance, and eyes wide open—a rewarding experience.