STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

KaffeeKlatsch · Marc Jacobs

Any teachers here?

Alegria · Kate Spade

First let me say congratulations on going back to school. Very exciting! I am an elementary school teacher, I know some others on the board teach older kids. Hopefully we can help.

How and at what point did you figure out what age level and subject you were interested in teaching? I have worked in a school since I got out of high school. I started off as an instructional assistant in an elemenatry school. I didn't actually know I wanted to teach when I was doing this, it just made good $$$ at the time and worked with my school schedule. I then went on to substiute once I got my Bachelor's degree. I guess I knew I wanted to work with the little guys (k-6th) since I was quite intimidated with the thought of teaching/ controling a room of teenagers. The best experience for me to help me sort out a lot was substituting. I realized during this that I really was meant to teach younger children. I would suggest volunteering at a school to see what the different age groups are like. You can call and speak to the principal about coming to observe different classes. Tell them just what you told us about being unsure which age level you are the most interested in teaching.

Are there any exceptionally good schools to be looking at to transfer to once I've gotten some of my basic courses out of the way? It is all going to depend on where you live and how far you want to go. Talk to your counselor. That was the best thing that I ever did. I can dig up a web address that I have that will give you schools best geared toward you goal. I do know that the "quickie" colleges are not your best bet. They are expensive, you won't get much from them, and many districts/employers will overlook degrees from them(especially when there is an excess of credentialed teachers, like there are now where I live)

Any particular classes I should take at this point? Once again, use the school counselors. That's what they are there for. I don't know what your school offers. Make sure that you take all required courses. Check in often with your counselor to make sure that you are on the right track. I have known many people that thought they knew what they were doing after one session with the conselor only to later (much later) find out that they needed to get in some other classes prior to graduation etc.

My final advice is to use all the resources that the school offers. I was a single mom putting myself through college (1st generation college graduate also). It will be tough. It will also be completely worth it! Let me know if I can help with anything else.

Alegria · Kate Spade

One last "food for thought" when you teach elementary school you get a bigger range of age groups to work with (4-12ish) There are many pros and cons to teaching elementary vs. jr high/high school. Many are not children age group related. Soooo, with that being said you may want to consider some of those "other" things too when making your decision.

halleybird · Hermes

How and at what point did you figure out what age level and subject you were interested in teaching?

I didn't decide I wanted to teach until my senior year of college, when I realized I didn't want to do journalism. I was working on an NIH grant program with high school students and teachers at the time, and I enjoyed working with them. The subject was a no-brainer, since I had to teach my majors (English and journalism).

Teaching elementary school was never an option for me. I don't particularly enjoy younger kids, and I like subject-focused teaching, which you can't get until the older grades. I also would go nuts if I was with the same 30 kids all day long. I think shpgqueeneet's suggestion of substituting first is a good one, though.

Also, if you are at all interested in special education, I would definitely look into it. Special ed teachers are in severe shortage, and spec. ed teachers basically have their pick of schools at which to teach.

Are there any exceptionally good schools to be looking at to transfer to once I've gotten some of my basic courses out of the way? Any particular classes I should take at this point? Thanks so much gals!

IMO, every state has decent education programs. I actually got a post-bacc degree online through a community college, because I already had my BA.

Another thought: I am sure you know this, but teaching is much, much more work than most people think. I grew up in a family of teachers (my mom and my aunt both taught elementary ed), but I had no concept of how much work it was going to be. There are so many requirements and responsibilities that are separate from the actual act of teaching. My work in the classroom is only about 50% of what I do, sadly.