Job Responsibilities
My position required monitoring classroom instruction, planning
and implementing professional development for middle and high
school teachers, coaching classroom teachers, interpreting and
using assessment data for instructional decision making, and
working with other staff to integrate instruction and training
efforts.
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Job Requirements
I am currently in my second year of law school, but I have also
recently finished another graduate program, so my perceptions of
law school are somewhat different from many students'
perceptions. Compared to my responsibilities and workload in my
previous job, law school takes more time but does not require
making decisions that affect other people--good or bad, my
decisions affect me, not lots of other adults and students, as
they did when I worked in education. Both are stressful, but in
different ways. The content of our law classes is very good--a
few profs' delivery could use a little work, though. My previous
program's professors probably had better teaching skills, but
the law professors know their content just as well.
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Uppers
As a teacher--my previous job--I enjoyed working with the students and teachers
and knowing that every single day something I did or said could have a positive
effect on them. It would be crazy to expect positive feedback for that every day,
but when the occasional student tells you he learned something from you or tells
you the class was interesting, it makes up for the days they kind of stare at you
blankly. It all means more to them years later, though, and I often told them
that if in 5 years they could come back and say I did a terrible job or that I
didn't do my best to help them, I'd offer them a public apology. I never had a
kid take me up on it!
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Downers
Teaching is hard--working with kids, parents, teachers,
administrators, etc. takes a lot of time and energy. I think
there's an assumption that people in certain jobs are smart--
lawyers, doctors, accountants, and such--and that teachers just
aren't that bright. Definitely wrong. I've worked with plenty of
teachers who could be successful in law school, if that's what
interested them. Teaching does not pay what it should for how
hard it is and important it is to our society.
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Lifestyle
Nearly everything varies with the school--grade level, local and regional
culture, school culture, and leadership all affect what's acceptable dress, how
much socializing is involved, diversity, etc. For example, teachers in some
schools work a SHORT work day--not much longer than the kids are there. In other
schools, teachers routinely work 10 hour days. Compared to other professions,
though, 50 hour weeks aren't really that bad. The whole world needs good
teachers, so there's something for nearly everyone. It's important to know what
matters to you then find a school that matches it. If you love math but you don't
like teenagers, don't be a math teacher--it's much more about kids than it is
about math! Same for most any subject area--if you just love the content, teach
graduate students, not high school kids.
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Compensation
My position included additional pay for extended days,
additional responsibilities, etc. For about 42 weeks of work, I
made a little over $50K. For my certification, I had hit the
ceiling except for longevity and COLA raises.
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Advice to Jobseekers
See above #5 above. Teaching is meaningful, important,
challenging work. It's also hard, IF you are doing a good job.
If you think of teaching as nothing more than a good way to work
a short work day and a short work year for a decent salary,
please stay out of the profession. If the pool of employable
teachers included only those who can and would do a good job,
the salaries would skyrocket and education would attract even
better teaching prospects. It's probably pretty easy to be a bad
teacher, but the first time you see some kid you had in 9th
grade--some kid you didn't bother to help or didn't think was
worth your effort-- and he is replacing your brakes or wiring
your new house, you'll rethink the importance of being an
effective teacher.
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