[tiffany21074]

Hi everyone. Just wondering if there are any high school teachers, or used to be, here? I am looking into it as a future endevor, but would like to hear from others. i was thinking maybe health or biology? pros, cons, what is teaching high school like? is it hard getting a job? etc. tia

 

[mommy2julia]

soon to be-- have several job interviews next week!

 

[Shirelle]

I'm not, but hubby is

He teaches history at a parochial high school. Where we live, is actually considered one of the best places in the country for a teacher to live based on teacher salary and low cost of living. Having the summers off is so much nicer than you even think it will be. Dh just had his first summer off, and we spent more time together than we've spent together in 8 years. The time to travel, pursue higher education, or work and make more money is just so nice!

 

[tiffany21074]

Congrats sharon, good luck to you!

i am in central pa!

 

[St. Margaret]

I'm not a mama (yet) but I teach high school English. It all depends on your area, about job availability and all that. Different states have different funding/unions/testing deals too. Check in with your local resources, credential schools and faculty associations maybe, to get the scoop. Most salaries are posted online these days. I love my job, but I'm still here to find out how people deal with teaching/AP mothering. How in the heck do you pump during a bell-scheduled day? And WHERE can you run to on a huge campus to pump? I swear I'm getting an old-fashioned room-divider screen and setting it up with a chair by and outlet and kicking the kids out and pasting up paper in front of all the windows (that have no blinds) when the time comes... or just getting my heart's desire and staying home for two years! But once you have tenure, job security is a nice thing for mothers.

 

[kwilki8]

I'm a high school English teacher, and I love it. I think the pros and cons of being a teacher are different for every person (and, especially at the high school level, they will differ depending on things like subject area), but here are a few of mine to hopefully give you some insight into what it's like.

Pros:
-Knowing that what I do is important and has an impact
-Creative, exciting, and stimulating work
-Vacation time
-Job security

Cons:
-Long days, lots of work at home (I frequently work 12 hour days + weekends)
-Bureaucracy, politics, and micromanagement (Some of this depends on your particular district and administration, but with NCLB, it's present to some degree everywhere)
-Low salary
-Low school budgets, lack of resources to use in the classroom (again, this depends a lot on your individual school, but I think a lack of resources is probably more common than an abundance)
-Stressful. Lots of pressure from students, parents, administrators.
-Apathy from students and parents--sometimes you feel like you care more about the kids than they do themselves or their parents do, and it can be really frustrating.

I know I listed more cons than pros, but for me, knowing that I am making an impact outweighs most of these on its own.

Quote:

How in the heck do you pump during a bell-scheduled day? And WHERE can you run to on a huge campus to pump? I swear I'm getting an old-fashioned room-divider screen and setting it up with a chair by and outlet and kicking the kids out and pasting up paper in front of all the windows (that have no blinds) when the time comes...

This is actually pretty much what I did. I have my own classroom, so during my plan time and my lunch time I locked my door, covered the windows and pumped. I also requested that my plan time and lunch time be scheduled at intervals that would allow me to pump twice a day, and my principal was fine with that.

 

[Maggie05]

I teach high school English. I love my job, but you must realize exactly how MUCH work there is. If I have five classes of 25 students each, and I assign ONE essay, how long do you think it takes to grade?

Let's say it takes 7 minutes to grade one essay. 7 times 125 is 875minutes. That is 14.5 HOURS. Yes, you read that correctly. That is TWO DAYS of work.

What about quizzes, and homework assignments, they must be graded, too. And don't forget the planning, the photocopying, the paperwork for all the classified kids. Meetings with parents, emails to parents who expect immediate replies.

In addition to all that, you will spend a great deal of time on classroom management and discipline issues, usually with the blame being put on you. There will be meetings about that too.

The only reason I can deal with all of this is because I teach in a GREAT school district(read "wealthy") with a supportive department chairman. I have my own calassroom, tenure, a photo copier outside my room, and all the supplies I need. I have worked in two other districts that were not good. It was a NIGHTMARE. Apathetic students and rude mean parents. at least I don't have that.

Try to get into a wealthy school district. I know it is not PC to say so, but for me it has made all the difference.

 

[St. Margaret]

Maggie05, it's sad but true-- and even in my "wealthy" district, we have a LOT of the typical budget-related problems. I figure my teaching some wealthy white kids allows me the ability to REALLY reach out and focus on the minority kids trying to climb up the ladder...

Thanks for the info, kwilki8--- one issue is my school has a block schedule so we go two hours for each class... we only have a prep period every other day! I could see doing prep and lunch on a 6 period schedule! We do have a slightly longer between-class break, but I don't think it's long enough to really pump (speaking as a yet-to-be-mommy). I'll have to figure it out when the time comes. I could always switch to the middle school (lol-- yeah, I need a whole new curriculum along with a baby... of course my district treats new moms like [email protected], I've heard, so I might get moved there against-will anyway! silver lining then, I guess!)