Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions that a person has to make as this decision will not only determine who the person becomes as a professional, what the person does in life, but also what the person's status is likely to be in U.S. society, namely the person's lifestyle and economic position. Before entering a teacher education program, it is therefore imperative that prospective teachers carefully weigh their decision to become teachers.
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REASONS WHY PEOPLE BECOME TEACHERS
To ascertain whether teaching is the right profession for you and subsequently make a smart decision about your future career path, you will need to become aware of the many realities surrounding the teaching profession and to ask yourself if you are cut out for this profession. You will need to weigh the pros and cons of becoming a teacher.
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What are some of the reasons why people go into teaching?
Many people choose to enter the teaching profession because, first and foremost, they enjoy being around children and youth and have a strong desire to touch lives and teach a subject that they are passionate about. To many educators, teaching is very noble and rewarding because it serves the community and transforms lives by unleashing potential and setting the path to success, and it provides personal fulfillment and the sense that one is appreciated. Teaching is also very exciting because it requires teachers to tap into their creativity to share their subject area expertise and devise ways for students to learn. Some of the other reasons that influence people to become teachers include job security and flexible work schedules that accommodate the needs of working families.
On the flip side, the teaching profession can also be very demanding and entail challenges that can cause frustration and stress. In particular, because teachers have to wear many hats as facilitators of learning, motivators, coaches, classroom managers, disciplinarians, counselors, guides, role models, and surrogate parents, sometimes these roles and responsibilities, which require practice and skills not typically taught in teacher preparation programs, can become overwhelming. For example, teachers may feel at times that their work is intense and repetitious, that they spend most of their evenings and weekends lesson planning and grading, that their classroom is out of control, that they are losing their patience, that they are not reaching all students, and/or that they lack adequate educational resources or administrative support. This can lead some teachers to become discouraged and eventually burned out. However, for most teachers, such hurdles are only temporary and are truly outnumbered by the rewards that stem from watching children and youth grow and attain their dreams.
Teaching is a special calling. If you are interested in spending time with and igniting the spark of curiosity in children and youth, experiencing the joys and rewards of witnessing intellectual development and learning, sharing the love of learning and passion for a subject, and impacting the future, teaching is the profession for you!
To further explore this career path, it is highly recommended that you volunteer time in various schools, talk with teachers about their experiences, and reflect about your observations and experiences in school settings and how they make you feel.
CAREER PATHS IN EDUCATION
Besides teaching, there are numerous career paths that people can pursue in the field of education in the area of administration, school psychology, counseling, library and media services, and/or curriculum development.
School systems across the nation employ other personnel besides teachers such as principals, assistant principals, nurses, school psychologists, counselors, librarians, media specialists, and curriculum developers and writers. Beyond the world of school, there are also many organizations that employ people with bachelors or masters degrees in education. At the federal level, for example, education specialists can work for the U.S. Department of Education or other federal agencies and in different states around the country, they can work for the Department of Education of any given state. Furthermore, people with degrees in education can also work for textbook publishers or software development companies as curriculum writers, software developers, or textbook representatives or they may elect to work for non-profit organizations that offer educational services. People with advanced degrees in education may also opt to work in a college or university as instructors or administrators.
REFERENCES
Parkay, F. (2020). Becoming a teacher (11th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Sadker, D. & Zittelman, K. (2018). Teachers, schools, and society: A brief introduction to education (5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
