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Why Be a Teacher At All ?


GAROVORKIN

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Given all difficulties that this profession entails, with students , parents, administrators   combined with the lack pay and benefits .  Why do people want to put themselves though all this for such a seemly thankless and  job when there are  better career options available  ?   Why be a teacher at all ? What's the big attraction to this particular profession ? :(

 

Thoughts? :(

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6 hours ago, GAROVORKIN said:

Given all difficulties that this profession entails, with students , parents, administrators   combined with the lack pay and benefits .  Why do people want to put themselves though all this for such a seemly thankless and  job when there are  better career options available ?   Why be a teacher at all ? What's the big attraction to this particular profession ? :(

 

Thoughts? :(

There are about 3.6 million teachers in the U.S. I'm not certain that there are better options for all of them. Some may have better opportunities in other fields, but I think a decent percent of people in education depend on the pursuit for a salary.

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20 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

Why post on the internet at all? Seriously, with all the trolls, fake news, conspiracy theories, doxxing, etc. There are so many better uses of your time. Why post here? What's the big attraction to this place?

Thoughts?

You  disapprove of this topic then?

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1 hour ago, Teng Ai Hui said:

Advantages of being a teacher:

I enjoy learning and helping others learn. 

Every day is different; work is never dull. 

Being around young people helps me feel young.

Every year, I get 10~12 weeks of paid vacation.

All of this. And as a teacher who worked blue-collar jobs for 15 years before, teaching can be pretty great. A warm environment, usually some break time (lunch/planning period) if you really need a rest, usually free coffee in the lounge. I also work at a place with massive support from the community and extremely invested parents, so that helps. There's lots of stress and stuff that sucks, and it is very important as a teacher to cultivate a mellow, let things slide off your back attitude, which actually helps in negotiating other areas of life. 

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5 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

There are about 3.6 million teachers in the U.S. I'm not certain that there are better options for all of them. Some may have better opportunities in other fields, but I think a decent percent of people in education depend on the pursuit for a salary.

:sighs heavily:   Wow.  This is the, "Those who can, do.  Those who can't, teach." line of thinking that is pretty damn prevalent  It's sexist and depressing.  I regularly have to convince my students that I actually understand problems that I assigned them and often wrote myself.

I have never, EVER met anyone who teaches because they couldn't get a different job.

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53 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

I gotta say, this coming right after @Rippounet's post really serves as an amusing illustration of the attitude towards  teachers in the U.S. vs China.

Dude, I'm just a trolling eurocommie who doesn't feel concerned by the original question because teaching is still a decent career option in his country.

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4 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

:sighs heavily:   Wow.  This is the, "Those who can, do.  Those who can't, teach." line of thinking that is pretty damn prevalent  It's sexist and depressing.  I regularly have to convince my students that I actually understand problems that I assigned them and often wrote myself.

I have never, EVER met anyone who teaches because they couldn't get a different job.

The world as we know it today, with all the cool stuff we take for granted, was because created because teachers like Lily trained the minds of the generation to come. The transmission of culture and knowledge is the basis of everything that we as a species have accomplished.

Thanks Lily for for all you do.

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Indoctrination, of course. Those young, malleable minds are ripe for deception and manipulation. Plus, they might actually think you're cool.

But seriously . . .

 I taught for a year in the early 2000s and absolutely loved it. Granted, it was overseas and I had very studious, interested and respectful students, for the most part. Lots of fun. But even the knuckleheads I enjoyed teaching. I loved the interaction with the students, and have always loved being in an academic environment.  It was an excellent fit for me and I sometimes find myself regretting not pursuing a career in academia and teaching.

 As Teng Ai Hu posted, the vacation is awfully nice. I averaged one week of vacation per month. I wasn't making much money, but I had no trouble finding time to travel. That may be less of a bonus for those who are teaching in their hometowns. Having some of your summer freed up to pursue other interests, even if it is just another job for income, is extremely refreshing after an academic year. It allows one to recharge the batteries a little. You can even find volunteer opportunities allowing you travel for 6 to 8 weeks, like a language or arts school, AmeriCorps, etc. In my current position, I could never afford to take that amount of time away from work.

Now, of course, the above isn't applicable to teaching in the US. I know a number of teachers and have heard a lot of the usual complaints, but they all seem to have the appropriate and required mentality to keep with it. From what I've heard, teachers have more complaints about parents than any other aspect of the job.

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57 minutes ago, maarsen said:

The world as we know it today, with all the cool stuff we take for granted, was because created because teachers like Lily trained the minds of the generation to come. The transmission of culture and knowledge is the basis of everything that we as a species have accomplished.

Thanks Lily for for all you do.

 

5 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

:sighs heavily:   Wow.  This is the, "Those who can, do.  Those who can't, teach." line of thinking that is pretty damn prevalent  It's sexist and depressing.  I regularly have to convince my students that I actually understand problems that I assigned them and often wrote myself.

I have never, EVER met anyone who teaches because they couldn't get a different job.

 

19 minutes ago, Mikael said:

I've yet to meet a teacher that couldn't have done something else for equal or better pay.. 

That said, I'm really glad I ended up a teacher, doubt I would have had a better time in any other profession. 

It is my experience that in order to teach, you need to have a greater and deeper mastery of the subject matter in question than one who merely "does".  Doing can be learned by rote without a deep understanding.  Teaching involves understanding the subject matter so that it can be explained multiple ways, anticipating questions, being facile enough with the material to answer unanticipated questions on the fly.  It also requires strong project management skills, organization, and a really high EQ.  I am someone who enjoys teaching but has found something else to do with my life.  That doesn't mean that I don't completely understand why someone would teach.

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