What advice do you have for people that find it disturbing many people are wanting to become teachers?

Why become a teacher and then complain about not getting paid much, when you could've gone to college for a much more high paying job?What advice do you have for people that find it disturbing many people are wanting to become teachers?
This is why. I teach and this is what always makes me know I made the right decision.





Which one of these quotes do you say at the end of the day of your job.


';I wrote a new computer program';


';The clock went from 8 to 4 and I got paid';


';I made a sale and my company made money today.';


';I helped build something and got paid handsomely for it.';


';I taught, inspired, and enlightened over 100 kids. I gave them a safe place to spend their day. I gave them all new ideas. Someone is going to life the rest of their life differently because of my day at work. Tomorrow I'll do the same. I've started the fire in the minds of the doctors, lawyers, architects, scientists, butchers, bakers and candle stick makers. But most importantly I've made a sale in at least a few people that they will become teachers and do the same thing in the future for my kids.';





In some jobs at the end of the day all you get is a paycheck.What advice do you have for people that find it disturbing many people are wanting to become teachers?
You're right. I've had teachers that complained about their salary. But everyday, when they are in school, they are living their passion-- what they want to do.


They want to teach students, further improve their knowledge and watch them grow in years to come.


It makes it rewarding for them to see their students succeed.





It makes themselves feel better that they have taught someone, something beneficial for their future.
Many people don't think about the time that teachers spend working even after their classes are over. My father was a high-school math teacher for years and spent every night working on his class plans, correcting homework and tests, trying to figure out new and exciting ways to get his kids involved without totally boring them to sleep. He often worked until 1am and was up at 6am to get to school early for the kids who needed extra tutoring so they could graduate or mentoring various clubs at school. He worked from 7am-5pm at school every day - even longer during track and basketball season, teams that he was the assistant coach for.





Every couple of years his (and the other teachers) contract would need to be re-negotiated because the local school board would have to figure out a new budget. Every time this happened there were always threats (and alot of times the threats came true) of lay-offs, pay cuts, increase of work hours and class size, and decrease of health benefits because seemingly noone wants to pay for their children's education. They just expect the funding to fall from the sky - rather than from their taxes!





So, for anyone who thinks that teachers are whiners who make more money than they are saying or slackers who are doing this job because they didn't want to go to school for a different degree - I just give those thoughtless people a big raspberry - phfffft! You all just don't know what you are talking about! Try teaching for a couple of years before you make such idiotic judgements - you know, walk in someone else's shoes....
Um, teachers do go to college. Even though teachers complain, deep down, they really do like teaching kids. That's their calling, that's why they chose it. They could've chosen a better paying job, but they like teaching, that's why they stuck with it. And don't believe everything they say - teachers in high school earn at least 50 000 a year.
You're right that most college graduates could get jobs that pay much more than teaching. Anyone who is bright and motivated who chooses teaching over other careers does so because he/she is interested in helping others, and believes he/she has a talent for helping others learn. I thought nothing of the low pay for my teaching job until the last year or so. Now I'm looking at 30 years of my life completely devoted to other people's children; putting in 80 hour weeks, buying everything for my classroom with my own money, not being able to sleep at night because I am worried about my students, and then having to read in the newspapers how terrible teachers are and being totally disrespected by a lot of the parents, the school board, and the superintendent. The solution might be in becoming very aggressive about getting rid of ineffective teachers and paying the good ones a salary commensurate with their abilities and their level of education. It's discouraging to give up all your free time to try to help your little ones and then be treated like dirt. Our staff hasn't had a raise in five years (although the superintendent gets between a 7 and 12% raise each year). We aren't even keeping up with inflation. I still believe teaching is the best profession in the world, but it's going to get harder and harder to find qualified, dedicated young people who are willing to put up with all the negative aspects of the job.
Don't let teacher's fool you, they make more money than you would think. While it is true they could've gone for something else that was more high paying, they chose something noble. Right now they're just looking for attention or sympathy. Eventually, they'll accept that while they could be making more money, they are involved in one of the most satisfying and useful careers.
I'm a teacher for 31 years. I teach in an inner city high school in NYC.


All through school, I reminded my sons constantly NOT to be teachers.


One is a doctor, the other an engineer.





Even though I have an engineering degree, I went into teaching. Jimmy Carter was president and engineers were a dime a dozen. Grumman Aerospace was closing, NASA was down sizing, the country was in a mess. I should have left teaching in the eighties, but I was married, a young dad, mortgage, etc. That's why I vote Republican even though I'm a teacher.