Job Responsibilities
My major responsiblities are: 1) to prepare my Advanced Placement
Calculus students for the College Board Advanced Placement
Calculus exam, and 2) to prepare my Pre-Calculus students to take
Advanced Placement Calculus in their senior year. The time that
this takes weekly is:
Contact teaching hours: 22.5
Lecture and class prep: 20.0
Student assessments: 7.5
Administrative: 5.0
Total: 55.0
Overall, a full-time teacher works 24/7. Good ones are forever
concerned about fulfilling the expectations of their top students
while, at the same time, getting their lower level students
through the course successfully. Most teachers are consumed by
the subject they teach and spend the bulk of their free time
reading, studying, or dreaming in that field.
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Job Requirements
Most states offer two entry paths for teachers. The first, and
the one preferred by most hiring officers, is to be trained as a
teacher in an undergraduate program. The candidate majors in the
field that he/she wants to teach and also completes education
course-work that includes one semester of hands-on teaching in a
public school.
The second path, the one that I took, is for people who have had
careers outside of education and, for whatever reason, want to
teach. Typically, the candidate, though well-educated and
experienced in his/her subject matter, has little or no
experience as a teacher. The candidate is hired because an
unfilled vacancy has become critical. He/she then has a trial by
fire on very unfamiliar ground, with guidance and hand-holding by
an appointed mentor.
Neither path is easier; they're just different.
In either case, the candidate is required in most states to
complete a competency examination. The exam covers both subject-
matter knowledge and pedagogy. Most states use PRAXIS, a College
Board exam that is really comprehensive.
Continuing education is a large part of a teacher's
responsibility. Maintaining a teaching license requires teachers
to complete a given number of hours of coursework during a 5-year
renewal period. To satisfy this requirement, teachers enroll in
approved courses, often paid for by the school system, either
during a teaching semester or during the summer.
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Uppers
The far-and-away best upper is seeing a student really and truly understand
what's been taught. Others include watching students grow and grow up as they
traverse high school, growing as a teacher, and just being in a learning
atmosphere every day.
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Downers
The biggest downer is dealing with failing students, knowing that
if just one or two things would change, they would be
successful. The low level of respect, and often contempt, shown
for teachers by media and the general public ranks a solid second.
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Lifestyle
During the school year, everything is about school. Scheduling is key, whether
it's a course syllabus or a daily routine that includes time for just enough
sleep to allow a teacher to function the next day. Again, it's a 24/7 job.
Colleagues, in most schools, are wonderful. Many teach the same students and
willingly share the things that work with different individuals. And some
actually have personal lives that are interesting, too.
There's not much in the way of perks. Sometimes, the PTA will prepare lunch for
faculty, or the administration will give everyone a t-shirt or mug. There's no
private office; in fact, many teachers share rooms and have no permanent base.
Dress codes vary, with most systems "requiring" something like business casual.
Teachers believe that Fridays are different, so Fridays are usually dress-down
days, approved or not.
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Compensation
Well, there's really not much to tell here. Public school
teachers are paid on a state scale that gives equal pay to
everyone with the same degree, the same years of experience, and
the same professional designations. Local school boards
supplement the state pay, with a usual supplement amounting to 5-
15% of the state scale.
Some states pay more, some less, and supplements vary within each
state. It's pretty safe to say that an entry-level teacher will
earn less than $30,000 and that a 30-year teacher will earn less
than $70,000, but these figures vary all over the place.
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Advice to Jobseekers
First, be very sure that you really want to teach. The core
responsibility of the job is transferring what you know to
students who need to know it. Any weakness in that part, either
in subject matter knowledge or communication ability, is a red
flag.
Understand that teaching is labor intensive and will consume the
better part of all of your waking hours during the school year.
Know that there is no more personally rewarding career anywhere.
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