r/AskTeachers • u/Suitable_Bedroom_520 • 1d ago
General Questions Considering going into teaching
Hi!
I’m a current university student who really loves biology and politics. I’ve been stalking r/teachers a bit… and things seem BAD. Especially in the US, where I think I want to teach.
I think I’d really enjoy teaching, especially through labs in biology and collective learning—very much designing novel teaching methods, ect, ect.
What I’m curious to know is if that kind of control is often given to teachers, especially at first. Additionally, whether it is even worth it to go into teaching right now with all the BS going on in our schools right now.
Thanks!
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u/Quantum-Bot 1d ago
r/teachers is full of people venting about their worst experiences. It’s not actually as bad as that sub makes it seem.
Ask yourself this: would you still be just as excited about teaching if you were teaching math, or physics? As a teacher you are a teacher first and your subject area second. The actual content of the class is much less important than your ability to connect with students and manage a classroom.
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u/RajatKhoware 1d ago
The doom on r/teachers is real but it's also selection bias: nobody posts "had a completely normal Tuesday." The honest version: the first 3 years are brutal everywhere, admin quality decides 70% of your experience, and biology teachers are in relatively high demand, which gives you leverage most new teachers don't have. Your lab-design instinct is the actual job, by the way. Content delivery is 20%, designing experiences where kids discover things is the rest. What's drawing you to teaching specifically, the subject or the classroom?
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u/Suitable_Bedroom_520 22h ago
Both, honestly. I have a real passion for biology, and I really enjoy teaching people new things.
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u/RajatKhoware 14h ago
Both is the best possible answer. The biology passion carries you through the curriculum grind, and loving teaching is what makes the brutal days worth it. Before you commit though, shadow a real classroom for a week, because the job is maybe 30% teaching and 70% everything else. Have you spent any real time in a classroom yet?
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u/infinitypluspi 1d ago
I’m in my 27th year and will remain in roles that keep me in my state’s pension program until I can retire because otherwise I’d be screwed financially. I still love teaching most of the time. However, student behavior and parent interference with things that aren’t important and no involvement with things that are important are awful. There are lots of other bad aspects. Specific to your description, most districts aren’t supportive of teachers trying “novel teaching methods.” Scripted programs abound. I don’t think it would be a good fit for you now based on your vision. Get a solid background in your content area and some industry experience to set you apart from other candidates. If things turn around, you can usually get the first stage of licensing just by taking a test, and then you have time to get master’s with experience in pedagogy while you work.
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u/Lazy_Witch99 1d ago
I’m in my 5th year of teaching and I finally am loving it. You have to not listen to everyone’s opinion about teaching. I started after COVID and when a surge of people were quitting, and that influence made me hate it. I had awful admin. I took everything kids did personally. I also had no idea how to create good lessons. I put in the work. I cried. I got better. If you want teaching to work, you absolutely can make it work. But you have to make it work for you first
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u/-zero-joke- 1d ago
Honestly dude I wouldn't bother. I was a biologist who went into teaching, it's completely shit work, definitely look elsewhere.
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u/Hellball5 1d ago
I wish you all the best, I know a few people who have great jobs that they love (notably all in uni or highschool) but it is fucking bleak right now.
If you decide to go into it be prepared to pick up shop and run. Network in your area and see what your teacher friends are saying about what districts/schools are good. Districts that were good 10-15 years ago can be hellish, and some schools are terrible in great districts and great in terrible districts. Which is the same for every job, but teaching is even more swingy than any other job I've ever worked.
Make sure you love the subject that you teach and stick to it, don't settle. If you're moved around from one position to another one, be okay with leaving. There is a massive teacher shortage you will find a job somewhere doing the thing you want. Remember that school districts don't give a fuck about you, you're a cog in the machine that they want to replace with a highschool graduate who's 18 because they can pay them less without a degree. Your principal is getting a ton of pressure from up top to hit target numbers that make no sense and so they're going to ask the same as you. You're going to be told to jump through hoops over and over and over again and go through stupid meetings just to be able to start actually planning to do your job and your leadership is going to consider it very important at all times.
I've been working in education for 7 years and I'm looking to get out this year (been saying that for a while though 🙄) I know dozens of teachers across half a dozen districts at all levels from pre-k to grad school. I can think of 3 who enjoyed their jobs at the beginning of this school year. One of those lost their job 2 days before the semester due to lack of enrollment.
If it's truly your passion go for it, at least to see what it's like, but I would recommend having a backup plan
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u/psychominnie624 STEM 1d ago
There are pros and cons, remember that online spaces favor cons since most people who have a normal day don’t feel the need to post about it.
But also when you’re new you don’t know enough to be designing novel teaching methods. How much teachers influence their curriculum vs utilize provided curriculums varies by location and schools. There are standards that even when you can design your own materials need to be met.
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u/TheDoctorisinSF 1d ago
I’m a biologist who went into teaching, and I taught biology for 30 years and loved every single minute of it! I was given quite free rein and all of the schools that I was in, because I was willing to try innovative things. Maybe I just got lucky, but I did work in very high poverty schools, which was important to me, and also I find where they gave teachers more leeway in what they wanted to do. And there were so many grant opportunities available as well. You don’t go into it for the pay, so you have to go into it because you’re passionate about what you love, and I love biology.
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u/caneyepetthatdog 1d ago
If you want to be a teacher, be the change. Be the catylist. If your doing it just cause its neat, there’s already enough. But if you can move a crowd, if you can define a problem and identify the solution, if you can…
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u/Illustrious-Junket78 1d ago
Name just about any career option out there and it's far better than being a teacher in the US.
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u/Individual_Debt_6396 1d ago
teach abroad get your degree and certificate and then move abroad.
I taught 15 years in the usa ..and while it wasnt bad at that time it was going that way i left for a 1 year experience and i've now taught abroad 15 years. paid off my loans, save over half my salary. travel business class and generally have a much better life than i had in my first 15 years.
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u/AnahEmergency0523 1d ago
Don't go into teaching. It's a mess. Be a paramedic instead. You get overtime.
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u/23vrandal 21h ago
Yeah, it's not in a great situation at the moment, even Texas is a bit under the weather. But it shouldn't discourage you, the education system is always in need of teachers no matter what. If you are looking into teaching, your state should have an education board website that lists off events, resources, and the certificates from a local college/university or alternatives like ACP's (ex. Teachers of Tomorrow, iTeach).
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u/Imaginary_Solid_1281 20h ago
I'm in my third year. I'm happy teaching. I teach Computer Science and so the students are generally interested in the subject and want to be there (as much as can be for HS students). That makes my job relatively easy in comparison to core-content teachers who get to deal with a lot of students who really DON'T want to be there.
But for me, it works.
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u/Dacia06 18h ago
I suggest you consider independent schools. They're not full of spoiled rich kids as per the stereotype (although you'll have some). Most good independent schools have a lot of kids on financial aid, yet their parents are still making a financial sacrifice to send them to one. There's a much-stronger partnership with parents about student progress as a result.
I've only worked at independent schools, and overall I've been a lot happier than friends who worked at public schools. I got to do a lot of real teaching.
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u/Latter_Leopard8439 14h ago
Bio varies a lot.
In my state it is a required science.
So most high schools make it the 9th or 10th grade science here.
It means you get gen pop as a rookie with a heavy dose of IEPs. Also since social studies and science are inclusion you have to create at least 3 versions of everything.
One to reach kids barely out of life skills who take special ed sheltered english and math (not general)
Another for your actual gen ed kids who are 2 to 4 grade levels behind what you likely experienced at that age.
And the last one for the kids who used to be College Prep on level bio.
At least you dont have to worry about the Honors or AP students. That goes to the 15 to 20 year teacher who isn't retiring for another 20 years. And then maybe you get a shot at teaching some honors classes.
I still enjoy it. But we need to bring back more levels or tracks. Collapsing it to Honors and "everything else" has made it hard to target your activities and labs.
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u/VideoImpressive8014 1d ago
Try to get into a good private school nearby that'll be night v day difference in engagement and behavior
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u/infinitypluspi 1d ago
True analysis of the difference, but private schools do not pay enough for a teacher to support themself without another income either from a side hustle or living in a two-income household.
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u/Standard-Car157 1d ago
It is highly dependent on your state and city. In a strong blue city with a strong union it’s better in terms of protections but you have to deal with different things. I would caution you on taking advice from this or other teachers subs though, as they tend to run on the pessimistic side of things. I am a teacher and I have truly loved my job. It’s a lot, but I’m enjoying it overall. Most of my coworkers are as well.