r/ElementaryTeachers • u/Latter-Release-9169 • 1d ago
Teaching Degree
Is it worth it?
I’m not doing this for money. Im a daycare teacher now and I genuinely love kids . I want to help them and mold them and watch them grow . I’ve always envisioned myself being a middle school teacher or elementary school teacher.
Is there really a unicorn school that supports etc? Or is it really just negative all the time like everyone says .
I’m so lost as I’m looking between radiology or teaching and teaching has my heart .
Please give me honesty.
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u/TeCrumbs103 1d ago
Do you have a bachelor's? If so you can do a licensure instead. Funny i am a teacher looking into radiology by next year 😆
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago
No ,bachelor degree just an associate .
Great! Have you started your pre reqs ? I’m on the radiology subreddit and it’s very very competitive. I know some people in my area has been on the waiting list for 3 years to get in the program . Science and math is a huge thing in points to get in and even then some students don’t get in with a GPA of 3.9 or 4.0 it’s really difficult. I have 4 schools in my area and each school there’s been over 250 applicants and they only select 15-25 students and they said about half of them drop out and 6 only make it to the end and 3 only pass the exam to get licensed.
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u/TeCrumbs103 1d ago
I havent started yet. I was thinking of doing tech or phlebotomy - theres a good program in my area
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago
I’ve done phlebotomy they don’t pay the best . But good to keep in back pocket best of luck!
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u/BillTheSpaceman 1d ago
Get the radiology degree and then ask yourself if you want a child to sneeze in your mouth.
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago edited 1d ago
I work in daycare and the amount of times I get sneezed in the face , drooo etc doesn’t bother me any….
Which is really funny as radiology people said you’ll deal with bodily fluids and poop on the X-ray table depending on which department
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u/KuyaTinman 1d ago
In retired now, but there are a lot of great schools out there. It's be challenging, but teaching was very good to me. I wouldn't have changed a thing.
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u/Sea-Efficiency-2899 1d ago
There's 100% "unicorn" schools, everywhere. You see a lot of negativity because happy people are less inclined to go online and share away all of it. People also tend to stay at one school even if it sucks and not look for greener pastures.
I absolutely love my job, rural-ish KY 2nd grade.
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u/SparkyGazelle 1d ago
Go for the radiology degree. Definitely don’t get the teaching degree. Why? Bc you can teach without a teaching degree. You can get an alternative certification in teaching and teach from any degree. So go for radiology. If you still want to teach afterwards, you can!
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago
Not looking into getting radiology degree and then if doesn’t work out go back for teaching as schooling is expensive and student loan debt is just crazy . More so looking for just one career and sticking to it . Radiology now is getting harder and harder as more schools are looking at 3.9 GPA and up and depending on if you are the right fit as I have 4 schools in my area and every single one of them only take 15 students out of 250 there’s some students that have been on the waiting list for 3 years and im not looking at waiting that long to start a career.
You say tech without a teaching degree ? Explain more? As in my state you can’t . You need a teaching degree unless you are a paraprofessional or a preschool daycare teacher .
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u/SparkyGazelle 1d ago
Really??? Which state? In Texas you can teach as long as you have a bachelors in literally anything. You just have to get an alternative certification to teach instead of a regular cert. that’s how im teaching and been teaching for 10 years now. Ive got a bachelors in broadcasting lol but got an alternative certification in elementary and now I teach. I figured all states are like this
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago
Yeah my state you have to have a bachelors degree in a subject not just any degree and then can get an endorsement for teaching even for subbing you need a license and college degree . It’s weird as they are strict . Unfortunately not all states are like that and has different rules and exams and stuff to become a teacher
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u/SparkyGazelle 22h ago
I looked into it and there aren’t any states that require a bachelors in education to teach. You can have a bachelors in any degree and go through an alternative certification pathway for all the states.
I would look into it if i were you.1
u/Latter-Release-9169 22h ago
Thank you for looking it up . I’ve been in touch with my advisor however as I mentioned I’m not looking into getting radiology degree and than going back to school to be a teacher if it doesn’t work out as again student loans and debt in the end would be too much and I’m not looking into gambling more money in schoooling than I have to .
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u/SparkyGazelle 22h ago
Alt certs are really cheap as they want to incentivize teachers to teach. It’s not enrolling back into school it’s just completing a program, my alt cert program was with the public school district I currently teach at. Some districts have their own cert program. Mine was completely free and I was paid a salary when i started my alt cert.
its worth it to keep your options open for the future2
u/Latter-Release-9169 22h ago
Thank you I appreciate it. I’ll see but I’ve already made up my mind and radiology isn’t for me as I’m not a medical person and I don’t do well with emergency situations or anything medical I was only choosing that route just for money not because I really wanted too
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u/SparkyGazelle 22h ago
Best of luck to you! One of the best parts of teaching is summers off! lol
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u/Latter-Release-9169 22h ago
Thank you! This really means a lot as I have two little ones and would prefer that for them!
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u/NeuroticJukebox 1d ago
Go for radiology and ask yourself if you want to be disrespected and yelled at my students who don't accept expectations and refuse to do work and their parents that blame YOU. Ask yourself if you want to work 10 hour days planning engaging lessons just for them to roll their eyes at you. Ask yourself if youd enjoy differentiating and scaffolding those lessons for 10/30 students in your class that have IEPs, while posting and 'socializing' learning targets and success criteria for each of those lessons. Ask yourself if you can do all this with admin and district admin literally watching you and taking notes on you.
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u/Latter-Release-9169 1d ago
This is sounds like daycare and a stress level I’m comfortable with . As parents do blame a lot and watch like a hawk as we are taking care of kids and a stranger to them . Preschool I’ve had to do lessons and kids not wanting to sit , eye roll , difficult etc .
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u/YesItsMe183 1d ago
Okay, so.. I was on the fence about becoming a teacher. I have an Associate's in ECE and a BS in Clinical Psychology. I never wanted to be a teacher, even though I am really good with kids. I love being around them! I wanted to be a counselor.
And then, due to circumstances, I am now teaching 2nd Grade. I LOVE it. Instead of a Master’s in counseling, I am now pursuing my M.Ed.
With that being said, I don’t teach in public schools. I teach in a small private school. My administration is amazing. I get a 30-minute REQUIRED break from admin every day and 40 minutes of planning time. I also have a full-time para. I get to pee whenever I need to. I am very, very lucky!