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Bereta_Eder
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can't you already teach music theory?
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mrmitchell
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College professor or high school teacher?
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But I'm not qualified. I have a BA in music, and I don't really want to teach music. I would prefer to teach history/social studies, but I know competition for those jobs are high. |
Considered being a band director?
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and/or they have to be the band teacher. I definitely don't want to do that, ick. |
I guess it's different up north but it's not so bad a profession in AR.
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But music teachers (usually) also need to play piano at least (which I can't do), and/or they have to be the band teacher. I definitely don't want to do that, ick. |
Maybe that's part of the problem. Here music teacher / band director are two separate positions. (Actually I think how it still works is, a music teacher for K-5 does some minor musical education across the 3 elementary schools [they may have 2 teachers], at the middle school 6-8 here there is a music teacher position who does music and choir and two band directors, and at the high school 9-12 there is a choir director and two band directors.) It is probably different for most of the country but I think that is how most districts in Arkansas run all their musical activities--separate positions for music, choir, band. If band directing entailed teaching a music class too, I wouldn't want to do it either.
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get a masters in history? Or is it better to pursue a degree in education? Any other suggestions/hints? |
Get both, but I would place a degree in education first. You can know all the history in the world and still produce bad kids because you can't get the knowledge to them.
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MrFun
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of Iowa
Nov 2000
time: 23:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Boris Godunov
There, I said it.
I'm bored with the corporate world, and I've been longing to go into teaching forever. It's in my blood, as both my parents are in education. I don't really care about pay, as being single and sans kids, I can live comfortably on a teacher's salary.
But I'm not qualified. I have a BA in music, and I don't really want to teach music. I would prefer to teach history/social studies, but I know competition for those jobs are high.
So first and foremost, how do I start? Should I go back to school and get a masters in history? Or is it better to pursue a degree in education? Any other suggestions/hints? |
Depends on how long-range your goal is in regards to teaching history.
You could go for your BA in History, then go on to get your Masters and stop there. With a Masters, you can live comofortably as a single person, teaching at a community college. Of course, this means working in an environment that is less intellectually stimulating than working in a university and working with students of whom some are lacking in grammatical and discussion skills.
But if you're willing to be open-minded about teaching at a community college, considering the positives along with the negatives, go for it.
If you want to go all the way, then go further, and get a PhD in History, to eventually teach at a university for a bigger starting salary than an instructor would at a community college. This will take many more years of dedication in completing your PhD, but you will be working in a more intellectually stimulating environment, and with more students who have greater skills to begin with (hopefully, anyway).
If you choose to teach at a community college, keep in mind that an increasing number of higher-quality community colleges prefer applicants to have a PhD even, or at least in the midst of a PhD program. I feel fortunate enough to already be working as an adjunct, while I'm in the midst of my Masters program.
My geographical location, and the democgraphics of this area has aided me in gaining an entry level so soon (along with particular staff needs of the community college I'm working at).
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DerSchwarzfalke
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If you get a BA in History, you can generally go right into teaching at a private school somewhere for a salary that is competitive with public schools -- though maybe without the benefits of unions, I am not sure how teachers unions in the parochial sector work. Do you know any languages other than English? Double majoring in one like French or German could also increase your credibility.
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mrmitchell
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Teaching in high school would be rewarding enough. When high school students hate history it's because they have had a bad teacher.
If you get a master's you can teach at a community college although you don't have to right off the bat if you don't want to. After you hit retirement age for schoolteaching and you're an old man, community college teaching would be a logical continuation if you're up to it.
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At high school, you can do a lot such as sponsor clubs, meet with parents, attend sports events and other extra-curricular stuff. |
You're right on the money there.
Nonetheless, despite all the positives, teaching will NOT be your BESTEST JOB EVAR. No matter where you teach, no matter how careful you are, no matter how good a teacher you will be, you will face the same problems every teacher faces sooner or later: students that will personally hate you, bad pay, enough paperwork to make you feel like you have an elephant strapped to your back, and possibly even legal troubles. (Don't bond TOO much with the students.) A lot of times a light joke, a mere comment, or a simple self esteem builder for a student can come back to bite your ass if you're not super careful.
And I hate to have to say it, but Boris, you are gay. In certain communities you will have an uphill battle to start with. I'm not trying to discourage you. All in all it seems a wonderful profession and you should go for it. But you just have to consider everything.
EDIT:
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Liar. You just want the 2 months vacation.
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IIRC teachers don't get paid for summer vacations unless they do work during the summer (basically, teach summer school).
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:20
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Originally posted by mrmitchell
Nonetheless, despite all the positives, teaching will NOT be your BESTEST JOB EVAR. No matter where you teach, no matter how careful you are, no matter how good a teacher you will be, you will face the same problems every teacher faces sooner or later: |
Every job has its problems, and my current one certainly isn't problem-free.
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students that will personally hate you, |
Better than employees who personally hate me. 
Not to sound quaint, but I really do mean that money is not an issue for me.
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enough paperwork to make you feel like you have an elephant strapped to your back, |
Oh, shall I tell thee of the paperwork in an HR department?
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and possibly even legal troubles. (Don't bond TOO much with the students.) |
Ewwww! No worries there. And I deal with legal issues all the time now. Lawsuit threats abound in HR.
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A lot of times a light joke, a mere comment, or a simple self esteem builder for a student can come back to bite your ass if you're not super careful. |
Again, not something with which I'm unfamiliar. Despite appearances here, I'm an extremely tactful person professionally.
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And I hate to have to say it, but Boris, you are gay. In certain communities you will have an uphill battle to start with. |
I've thought about that a lot. I've had no trouble in the past keeping my personal and professional lives very separate on this issue. But wouldn't wat to work in a school where it would be a problem, anyway. I've known plenty of gay teachers who haven't had an issue with it, so I know that's possible.
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:20
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Originally posted by Kidicious
No they hate it. They don't care what happened a long time ago in a far away place. They like science, and even home economics - something that they can do. Trust me. |
Are you a history teacher?
My mom is a history teacher, and she would have to disagree with you. She found it very rewarding (she also taught English, but found history much better), and she got her kids into it. You can do that, if you present it well. Of course, some in every class will always dislike it, but that's true of any subject.
I've given history-related lectures to otherwise indifferent students and have gotten great responses, because I have a dynamic style and I do a lot of participation stuff.
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You're setting yourself up for a let down. Anyway, it would be way too much work for you to become a history teacher. We're talking 3 - 4 years. |
Please don't speak as to what would be "way too much work" for me. As I said, I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not looking to teach tomorrow, it's something I would like to start working towards doing. 3-4 years seems pretty reasonable to me.
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Kidicious
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Diety of Kidiverse
Mar 2003
time: 21:20
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Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Are you a history teacher?
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I was. I have a credential in social science. I know what I'm talking about here. History is the most hated subject. It is the least hands on, and it has the least to do with their actual current lives, which is all they care about.
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My mom is a history teacher, and she would have to disagree with you. She found it very rewarding (she also taught English, but found history much better), and she got her kids into it. You can do that, if you present it well. Of course, some in every class will always dislike it, but that's true of any subject.
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She sounds like a great teacher. Just because you are the son of a great teacher doesn't mean you are going to be one. Do you have a personality like your mom? It takes a certain type of person to do that.
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I've given history-related lectures to otherwise indifferent students and have gotten great responses, because I have a dynamic style and I do a lot of participation stuff.
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You can't do fun stuff everyday, but that's a good idea if you do go into it. I did a lot of that stuff, and it's fun, but it's not everyday.
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Please don't speak as to what would be "way too much work" for me. As I said, I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not looking to teach tomorrow, it's something I would like to start working towards doing. 3-4 years seems pretty reasonable to me. |
It sucks pretty bad when you invest so much into it and either hate it or quit like most people do.
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mrmitchell
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Don't forget about the parents. Parents are worse than the students. 90% of them don't give a **** if their kid learns anything. All they care about is the grades. |
I don't call it that bad.
5% of the parents are *******s. 5% of them will be your best friend and help out. Another 67% will just come to parent teacher conferences and be nice but won't get in your way. Although honestly you'll probably never see the rest of them.
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17-05-2005 01:28
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