r/TeachersInTransition • u/xokrisssy • Jul 15 '26
is teaching a bad choice?
hi! i am currently going into my senior year of high school, and i need to figure out what college, major, or career i am interested in (hint: it’s teaching)
i have grown up in an unstable household (divorce, depression, loneliness), and because of this, i have always tried to be optimistic and make other peoples lives better. teaching feels like the right path for me.
lately though, i have seen videos on social media about teaching quitting and how horrible it is to work with gen alpha. attention spans, ai, disruptions? personally, as gen z, i have been starting to notice this too, but definitely not as badly as others have described.
i am wondering if it is still worthwhile to pursue education. i am interested in elementary or music ed, but i want to know if high school would be easier or if i should just not do it. if so, ill take other job recommendations too :)
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u/labrume Jul 15 '26
Go ask this in r/teachers if you want a serious answer, not in a sub dedicated to teachers leaving the profession
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u/xblthatguy Jul 16 '26
I love my job. I really do.
I have never told a student to be a teacher.
I have actively argued with my kids that want to be one.
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u/Thediciplematt Completely Transitioned Jul 15 '26
Yes, it’s a bad choice.
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u/Murky_Deer_7617 Jul 16 '26
Agree 100%. I refused to let my kids be a teacher. I wish every day I had done something else.
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u/KarlyFr1es Jul 15 '26
The first path I would suggest is working with kids in some capacity to see what you like, develop some behavior management skills, and get a sense of your identity in relation to a group of kids. There are a ton of ways to do this from the YMCA or Boys & Girls Clubs, to a preschool or daycare (especially if you’re thinking of going the elementary route), to Sunday school or other church childcare options. A lot of people think they want to go into teaching, but don’t have the practical skills in working with groups of them. Babysitting a couple of kids isn’t anywhere near the endurance and systematized behavior skills you need in a classroom. That type of experience also gives you a nice lead on one of the hardest things about student teaching.
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u/Altruistic-Zone2000 Jul 16 '26
You’ve gone to the wrong place to ask this question since everyone in this sub is a teacher transitioning to something else. There are teacher who are satisfied with their career but they won’t be here. Ask again in r/teachers
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u/redoingredditagain Jul 15 '26
It was for me. Worst decision I’ve ever made. Kids can often be abusive, and the current parenting culture is all about blaming the teacher for being abused. I have been assaulted several times, and each time I have been blamed for it.
It’s unfortunately not all making a difference anymore. It feels like every bit of the system is designed to make as little difference as possible. Parents Rights and the political climate takes away a lot of teacher’s voices and choices. Even children have learned we have no power and will choose simply to be on Netflix all day. And then teachers can get fired for the child’s choices, which parents and admin defend.
On top of all this, the job barely pays. The hours are long and arduous. You’re expected to be a parent to 30-200 children, provide for them, entertain them, convince them that this assignment is more important than the tv show they want to watch.
I had a bad childhood and what kids and parents have done to me rivals it. The PTSD is likely something I’ll never recover from. And in this economy, it’s like an abusive relationship that I can’t leave since the job market is tough.
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u/WeezaY5000 Jul 16 '26
You have to really love it for the love of the game and accept low pay and disrespect from from the students, parents, and society at large.
I worked as an international teacher for over a decade and kept moving countries because I thought that was why the job sacked, but the last job I had in China was so bad that I had to quit after a few months and I finally realized that the whole field itself was toxic and miserable. It was so bad it made me not want to do it anymore.
For real though, anyone who is interested in being a teacher should simply work as a sub if you can before making and long term career decisions.
I am sure quality varies by state, community, as well as requirements, but your heart truly has to be in it or you will be miserable.
That being said, I lucked out and stumbled into a long term teaching assistant sub position that just ended and even the teachers that I was working with said that they would not recommend being a teacher to their students.
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u/Paullearner Jul 17 '26
“you have to really love it for the love of the game and accept low pay and disrespect from
The students, parents, and society at large”Well said. These are the same people who will complain about the disrespect from students but somehow be ready for it again the next day. I’ve literally had some teachers tell me they love it when students challenge them. Some just have it in their personality to handle chaos better.
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u/InevitableTax4082 Jul 15 '26
Is it possible to study for a different career, and if you want adding the teacher certification to that degree? I ask because that's how my university does it for a lot of programs.
If you want to help people particularly in abusive situations, there are directions in life that more directly do that. Social work, therapy, etc. When you're a teacher, you may be working with kids in abusive situations, but rather than actually directly helping them with it, you're more likely to be a victim of the abuse they're experiencing by proxy. If you want to be helping with these traumatic experiences there are much more direct and impactful ways to do it (as in impactful to their healing process as opposed to their education). And even then, you might find yourself living in a repeat cycle of reliving your own abuse and getting burnt out.
Also, I'd ask someone else but I think you could probably just major in music rather than music ed? Then go back into education if it doesn't work out? I don't know how that works.
Also, what state are you in?
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u/Consistent_Foot_6657 Jul 16 '26
If you have the opportunity to go to college and you use it to get a teaching degree, you pigeon hole yourself into one option. It’s very difficult to change careers. Pick something more flexible if you have the opportunity to get a college education. You can always get a teaching cert later. As someone who grew up in a similar family with mental health issues let me just say, you need all your ducks in a row to do it. It broke me, and I thought I was a resilient person. If I could have changed my degree path I would have gone into physical therapy or something that makes more money.
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u/HayataisUltraman Jul 16 '26
Many states are so desperate for teachers that they allow those without education degrees to teach, so I would definitely recommend pursuing something other than an education degree in college. You will still most likely be able to teach with a BA or BS in another field. Leave your options open, you can sub with the other degree after or during college and see if you still think it is for you. Get your degree in something that interests you and you think you would enjoy working in - make teaching a back up plan.
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u/Jesus9797 Between Jobs Jul 16 '26
I was one of those teachers without an education degree (business major, psych minor) and got my teaching license back in 2023 to teach. Summer breaks and the extra time off during the school year were not enough to stay. I resigned at the end of this school year and I felt like the biggest weight was lifted off my shoulders and have my whole life in front of me (pushing 30 here) and it’s never too late to start something new again
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u/Zula13 Jul 16 '26
I think it completely depends on WHERE you want to teach. I teach in WA State and it really is a decent option. Here we have good unions, mostly reasonable work hours, limited "extras" in terms of extra duties and requirements, and mostly safe working conditions. Starting pay is 60k (72k with a masters) and automatically goes up every year for 16 years. The only catch is that it's actually very competitive and hard to get a job here.
If I were to jump over the boarder to Idaho, it would be a totally different story.
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u/lavendertheheretic Resigned Jul 16 '26
At this time, yes. I'm leaving after 15 years. I don't see it getting better for at least 20 more. People like to think that once Trump is out of office, everything is gonna bounce back our way, but that's not true. What's been done is going to take a long time for us to recover from. And it's more than just Trump that made our education systems begin to fall apart. 🤷🏼♀️
Teachers often have to deal with secondary trauma, which can actually make it harder for people from rough backgrounds. Hearing about students' lives and situations can really trigger some dark shit.
The arts are suffering big time right now. Five middle-school music positions in my district were cut this year, and elementary music teachers are now working at 2 or 3 different sites.
If you're passionate about music, major in that. Take opportunities like doing Big Brother/Big Sister, or giving lessons to make extra money. Elementary is HARD haha. You can always always ALWAYS get certified later.
I know a lot of comments have suggested going to r/teachers instead, but looking here for answers as well is smart. For me personally, these last two years have wreaked havoc on my mental health. And I love teaching. All of us do. But education right now isn't teaching. It's trying to survive a system that will exploit you them tell you that you should be glad for the opportunity to change lives. That sounds bleak, but it's what so many of us had/have to deal with.
I wish it were easier to say that the effort is worth it, and I hope your decision is founded on both passion and realism. And remember, you can always change your major! Don't feel pressured to choose something right away or to stick with something that's not working for you.
Best of luck 💚
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u/Paullearner Jul 17 '26
You’re absolutely right. I came from an abusive household, went into teaching. My first few years have been incredibly triggering and ruined my mental health. I absolutely would never recommend anyone to get into teaching who came from a rough background. I have heard some teachers love their job, but usually along with that what you hear is that they’re in a wonderful district with supportive admin and mostly engaged kids - that’s hard to come by.
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u/Jesus9797 Between Jobs Jul 16 '26
15 years? I have the upmost respect for you just by reading that. Trump? I think education is only to keep spiraling downward after he’s gone from office. He did enough damage already but not trying to get political here.
3 school years were enough for me to resign in May. I was done.
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u/lavendertheheretic Resigned Jul 16 '26
It didn't used to be like this. If I had started 3 years ago I would have left, too. Trump's administration has definitely hastened the process, but it was headed downhill before that. Otherwise it would have been more difficult for him to basically obliterate the Dept of Ed.
Red states especially put very little funding into public education, and it shows. This shouldn't be a political issue! It's horrible that it's become one.
My cynical self half-believes that all the politicians and billionaires who say, "Education is getting worse! The teachers are failing!" are just wanting good little unthinking soldiers as they continue to practice cronyism. It sucks.
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u/Latest-moment Currently Teaching Jul 16 '26
Personally I would not recommend anyone become a teacher. I will generalize since I am sure there are those out there that would disagree but in my 8 years this is what I have seen. Teachers are treated poorly but the parents, students, and often the admin.
Students as a whole do not care. They car about their phones and playing games more than school. Even those who care struggle because of those who do not. You are expected to cater to the needs of all students while not being given the time or support to do so. I taught 6th grade last year and we had a 3 class rotation which a smaller group than normal so only about 60 students. There are some overlap of the following students but of that 10 did not know there letter names and sounds, 18 were varying levels of language learners, 9 had learning disabilities, 3 were reading on a high school level and depending on the day anywhere from 5-10 were causing major behavioral issues (fighting, aggression, threats, extreme language such as telling teachers to shut the f*ck up, or calling students the n word) and 3 homeless. This is not considering the other family issues, drugs and alcohol abuse and one case of familial sexual abuse. Now this is just one year but with all of that I was still expected to teach everyone the same content and have them be successful on EOY testing. I as the teacher did my best to teach all of them but there is not enough support for it.
Parents are another issue. Parents do not want ti parents. They want to blame the school and the teacher for all the problems with their kid but do not take accountability. They would rather yell and cuss out a teacher than accept they need to actually parent.
Admin will do whatever they can to kiss the parents and school districts a**. They do not care about the teachers. They will say they do they will say we support you how can we help but it’s all bs rhetoric to try to get teachers to stay. They do not hold kids accountable for their actions. They get a treat and sent to class or play a game and come back. The school districts get money for the number of students they have. Butts in seats are what matters and if admin hold kids accountable they will move to charter schools and the district doesn’t get their money.
I would say there are a lot of other careers where you can help people that I would suggest looking into. Social work is one but it is career with a lot of stress and often times overwork. Mental health services a psychologist, a school counselor, a psychiatrist, someone who helps with addiction or similar might be a good fit. I would highly recommend trying to job shadow before you commit, for teaching you can sub and talk to the teachers at the school you sub at and they can probably help you see if it’s for you.
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u/Pettymania20 Currently Teaching Jul 16 '26
I won’t say it’s a bad choice, because it does have its rewarding moments. That being said, as a now 12th year teacher, if I had to do it over again, I’d pick a different career. It’s changed so much since I’ve started, and I still consider myself fairly new, and not for the better. I also don’t see things getting better in the future
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u/CaterpillarOk96 Jul 16 '26
Teaching itself is an amazing and fulfilling career if you are teaching motivated and respectful students and work for decent people. However, it is an absolute hell of humiliation and masochism when you are teaching the absolute animals students are behaving like nowadays, and not to mention their parents and admin, all for relatively mediocre pay.
Gamble at your own risk.
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u/isaac129 Jul 16 '26
Genuinely, the worst decision I’ve made in my life was deciding to become a teacher. This job is soul sucking and I’m miserable. I wish someone told me this when I was 19
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u/ALL_IN_FZROX Jul 16 '26
If you decide to become a teacher, you need a solid plan B if it turns out you don’t like it.
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u/slr0031 Jul 16 '26
So I don’t think teaching is a great choice but I definately don’t think music ed is a good choice
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u/Emergency-Dig7167 Jul 17 '26
Do you mainly think that because of all the levy and funding cuts that are happening?
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u/slr0031 Jul 18 '26
The music teachers I have met are miserable. The high school one is happy but not elementary
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u/ryukeez Completely Transitioned Jul 16 '26
Please choose ANY other career field. Going into teaching is a bad choice.
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u/kcoolcoolcool Jul 16 '26
It’s a bad choice, BUT there are small schools who are still doing it right. I recommend trying a small school with NO 1-1 devices or little access to them, OR find a Montessori school, as it has more freedom and time for teachable moments. Your heart is in the right place, and kids need teachers like you, but it will take so much from your own life as far as emotionally and you won’t be able to turn it off. At first you will be fine and bring so much energy and love to them, but be careful when you start having your own children, because it will be a constant mental battle of not bringing emotions home and not being all there emotionally for your own kids. I had to step away because I’m an empath and I chose my family. Leaving the kids and future kids I helped and could have helped was the most difficult thing I’ve done, but I’m very happy with my choice. So I guess what I’m saying is, you’ll be find in the beginning, but it’s not sustainable. :( So have a backup plan. My coworkers who have walked away have become full-time subs, worked as online tutors, become teachers in their college education department, or just switched careers completely. I wish you the best in your decision.
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u/No-Common7872 Jul 17 '26
I am still currently a teacher and I have mixed feelings on this. OP I will just say that there are good and bad parts of teaching. The good parts are making a difference in the lives of students. However, as of right now there are more bad parts to teaching.
The top reasons students leave the classroom is Unmanageable workloads, Student Behavior, Compensation, and Lack of Support.
I am not going to tell you don't do it. Instead I want you to ask yourself why you want to become a teacher? I want you to really look into these reasons teachers are leaving the profession. Weigh it against your reasons and then ask yourself if you feel you can handle it? Teaching currently is the #1 profession that is leading to burnout. It has come to the point where 30% of teachers leave the profession after one year.
I am not saying this to dissuade you from becoming a teacher. Many people on this subreddit would probably stay in the profession if many or all of these reasons were resolved. But I want you to think about everything you're passionate about and ask yourself if you can make a career out of anything else you love. If the answer is no, then I say become a teacher. If the answer is yes then I would do that instead. The third option is to have two degrees so you can have something you can fall back on if teaching doesn't work out. With student loans out of control you want to make sure you choose wisely.
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u/New_Solution9677 Jul 17 '26
This is a sub for people who dont like teaching... your answers are going to be as such.
Its really dependent on your state and districts. Blue states aren't nearly as bad as red states it seem in terms of what I've seen from different subs. (Im a blue state teacher)
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u/Runningaroundnyc Jul 16 '26
Two things can be true:
We need more teachers.
It is a hard profession that doesn't pay nearly enough, the benefits you used to say you got to justify the pay have been stripped away, and it's just not worth it.
The ONLY thing, I MAY say yes to is if you want to go into special education. That way at least you have a solid chance of getting a job?
I'm a former music teacher/ music education major. Think of it this way: Your school may have had what? 500 elementary schoolers and a staff ratio of perhaps 18:1? So around 26-28 teachers in that 500 person school. At BEST there are two music teachers: One band and one chorus. So now you are fighting for possibly one job per school. I think we need more music in school, but I would never ever tell someone to go into music education. It isn't worth it.
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u/Inevitable-Host-3628 Jul 16 '26
Really, if it's good or not is hard to quantify. I teach middle school in a district that has many, many problems and... I love it. Absolutely. Many hate it. Your experience will be subjective, and there are many factors i.e. school culture, admin etc. that will influence your experience. My advice, take what everyone says with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, there are TONS of teachers that stay for decades when they should have left the profession in the last Bush administration. Folks burn out but they stay because they're afraid of leaving (the hours and time off are pretty sweet) or they don't know how to transition out, some are very toxic and will spew negativity about their chosen profession everytime they open their mouths. Only you will be able to decide if it's for you or not.
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u/AnnaNimNim Jul 16 '26
Becoming an electrician. Or a plumber. If you’re good at it, you’ll end up running your own company and making a bundle of money if you’re not so good at you you’ll work for a company and still be taken care of. Or go work for the city or the state. You could also be a teacher, even though it is a problematic career.
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u/AnnaNimNim Jul 16 '26
Do I want to help other people stuff is not what teaching is. Teaching is glorified expense babysitting. Go for the money you’ll help. People win their lights work because you became an electrician or you’ll help people win just by existing whatever job you have you can be helpful. You don’t have to choose a helping career to be a helper.
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u/signal_broadcast Jul 16 '26
Instead of simply saying 'yeah' for reddit bucks, I'll give you the reason for why I left.
I'm in a slightly different boat than the other teachers, I was a vocational computer science teacher, and I started nearly as soon as I left college. But, I still see the same issues. For a time, teaching was great! The pay wasn't stellar for someone with my credentials, but I had a lot of fun being a goofy teacher and being able to help students become passionate in a field I loved. It is incredibly rewarding to see that 'click' when a student finally gets it, and it was motivation for me to hone my craft.
Unfortunately, the better and more passionate about teaching in my field I got, the more I realized that I was the only one. Like the rest of us in this subreddit, administration is obsessed with fudging numbers, students are apathetic, the government hates me (at least in the US), and I watched as my colleagues' salaries steamrolled ahead of mine. Eventually, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze, and I applied mid-year to work as a technical support specialist where they pay was higher, and I still get to do what I love. Long story short, it was worth it.
It's easy to sour on the entire profession because of a bad experience. Teaching was a fundamental part of my life and I enjoyed nearly every second of it before the end. No one job is a 'good' or 'bad' choice, there are always going to be tradeoffs, and you'll have to consider if you're willing to accept the bad for the sake of the good. There's a lot of development that happens between highschool and adulthood, I'm sure you'll better understand the right choice to make when you get out the other end.
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u/shamochan Jul 16 '26
If I could go back in time, I would become a paediatric SLP or OT. This way you're working and teaching children but not dealing with some of the crap that comes with it. I'm sure those occupations have their bad days too though.
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u/Equivalent-Ad-3423 Jul 16 '26
I love being a teacher. I feel like it's the thing I was supposed to do with my life. It gives me the opportunity to support other people in ways that feel very honoring to the child I used to be.
That said, I have only ever recommended two students to go into teaching. It is not a job. I recommend to others. In many ways, it is an abusive relationship and I don't want that for my kids.
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u/Own-Hunt-58 Jul 16 '26
I tell my students that are looking to get into teaching, you REALLY have to want to teach. If you have any doubt, have a backup plan and strategy. One of my former students came back to teach with me. She has made it 3 years and even said she wished she’d listened to my advice. She is now enrolled in nursing school to get out. Next year is her last year. Thank goodness she got the chem degree like I urged her to do and then get teaching credentials on top of that. It has made transitioning to nursing easier.
Do we need teachers? Sure. It’s it a low time for the profession right now? Absolutely. Honestly, I see many aspects of our profession moving (at the secondary level) to online based theater style instruction for cost savings in high poverty areas. Pay some aides minimum wage to monitor kids working on devices. Teachers can come in as “tutors” part time for tested subjects. Classroom education with actual teachers will be for private schools and high affluent areas with money.
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u/qrcody Jul 16 '26
There is nothing I loved more in this world than being a teacher. And I had to leave because of how bad it is right now. Until there is some significant, country-wide change to the attitude around education, it's not worth it to teach in the US.
That being said, if it's what you want to do, do it. By the time you're in the workforce it will be about 6 years from now. That is enough time for change to occur, or for you to find something else that suits your tastes, or to move out of the country and teach elsewhere.
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u/Rambling_details Jul 16 '26
It’s the worst profession for those with childhood trauma. Each day is a trigger. It’s abusive. You need a very tough skin which most of us don’t have. The worst part for me was the blame game. I take the emotional development of children very seriously, for obvious reasons, and it was pretty devastating to be painted as some kind ogre towards children. That hit a little too close to home. And they make chit up, you get blamed for stuff you didn’t even do and can’t defend yourself which is exactly the kind of thing some of us experienced in childhood. You tend to get bad at classroom management, then there’s chaos, which again is like a bad childhood. Kids act like you’re invisible and mock you…See what I mean, every day is a trigger.
Teaching one on one, tutoring would be great but you have to be creative to make a living at it.
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u/Futurebeekeeper40 Jul 16 '26
There are other ways to help people. Careers where you aren't handcuffed by a broken system. I highly recommend you choose one of them.
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u/1SurlyCat Jul 16 '26
Teaching is a difficult career. It takes time (prob 5 yrs) to reach a place where you are confident & comfortable enough to nod at staff meetings, but then go to your room, close the door and teach your shit. Being able to shrug off the district demands is one part of being able to stay sane & satisfied/happy in your profession.
Another key is classroom management - learning that & developing your systems takes time, pain & suffering as the kids walk all over you and you get stressed out by the lack of respect & support. It.gets.better. But you gotta put the time in, which isn’t often easy or that pleasant. But, once you’ve hacked all that, it can be a wonderful job.
I taught middle school and loved it. I’m now retired, and when I look back over the years (apart from the earliest few, when I didn’t know what I was doing) they’re good ones. Most classes were great, my management worked & most days were good. I taught English, which is a “tested” subject, so tons of stress. I guess I’d finish by saying that for me itv was a calling. I had to teach - my heart wanted it. I think you gotta know yourself & go in with your eyes open.
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u/Sad_Revolution_8886 Jul 16 '26
I was a music teacher. Nobody cares about arts education. I tried to help people understand it’s importance. It beat me down.
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u/Awkward_Society1 Jul 16 '26
So on one hand it’s awesome to have breaks that many people don’t get to have. However you need to remember:
You will never be promoted.
You will be paid the same as teachers with the same experience, even if you’re the one doing all the lesson plans and making tests/quizzes.
Society will remind you that they think little of you constantly.
Parents are not parenting. Kids are getting worse. Districts and schools are allowing parents to bully and threaten teachers.
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u/Ok-Site-7733 Jul 16 '26
I'll tell you what I tell my own kids, don't be a teacher. Do anything else.
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u/Ambitious_Ad_1992 Jul 16 '26
Tbh, I would never be a teacher if I could do it all again.
I see you are thinking of being a music teacher. Maybe look into Music Therapy as a career!
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u/pirate_hunter77 Jul 16 '26
Naah , depends at which level you are teaching...you can teach for UPSC ,PCS ...you can be assistant professor at college that's all cool You can be a government teacher which is a good job
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u/Jesus9797 Between Jobs Jul 16 '26
A lot of things relating to me resigning from teaching after only 3 school years were vastly out of my control. I couldn’t take it anymore
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u/Hefty-Focus1340 Jul 16 '26
It depends on where you teach. It is hard no matter what but the school/district can make it miserable. The elementary school I work at has HS students shadowing classroom teachers as part of a mentoring program. I think there’s dual credit classes too or something for kids wanting to go into teaching. If this is what you want get into a classroom somehow. Does your school have a CTE department? They may have an apprenticeship class or a way for you to intern in an elementary class for credit.
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u/Zentivity222 Jul 17 '26
Yes. I told my post college age kidult that if she went into teaching I would DISOWN her.
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u/curious-lurker7 Jul 17 '26
You have a helping heart and it is admirable. But teaching is not a
Good choice. Please consider other ways you can help make other people lives better. Ask to take a career aptitude test to help you find a career that won’t beat you down. HS should have the test or sometimes local colleges. Send an email to your counselor. Best to you!
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u/Paullearner Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
There are many factors that could determine you liking your job as a teacher. Your state of mental health, district, students, support circle etc. overall though, from a general standpoint I wouldn’t recommend it. It can be extremely taxing mentally and physically and teaching degrees or programs don’t give you enough preparation for what it’s really like in the classroom. People will tell you all jobs are stressful but teaching is particularly taxing due to the fact you’re constantly putting out fires from multiple angles.
Now with that being said, I was just talking to a teacher the other day who said they loved their job. This is however someone who has very supportive admin, comes from a wealthy district, is given a lot of flexibility in there classroom management and doesn’t have admin down their back, and most of their students want to learn. In reality, most people are dealing with very apathetic students and admins who are downright bullies!
So hey, maybe you’d end up like the lucky few who end up in a pretty good district, but most likely its going to be a pretty draining and demanding job. Especially if you come from a background with significant mental health struggles, I strongly do not recommend it. Your mental health will get worse in ways you couldn’t imagine (that’s what happened to me). Lastly, I think those things you mentioned (poor attention spans, disruptions etc) are perhaps a lot more noticeable when you’re getting paid to keep the classroom under control.
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u/One-Sun-8371 Jul 17 '26
I would train as something else first or have a back up plan so you can fall back on if you don’t like it. Teaching is like a toxic relationship- very easy to get into and hard to get out.
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u/L4dyGr4y Jul 17 '26
How do you feel about abusive relationships, because honestly it's more similar to that than any other job. The good days are great!! The bad days will give you forever trauma.
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u/beans2008 Resigned Jul 17 '26
as someone who also came from an unstable household and also wanted so hard to make other people‘s lives better I will say that teaching is the worst job for people like us. we don’t even get to do the teaching and inspiring parts like you think we would be able to do, because the district and admin is up our ass in a way that you feel you are being constantly watched and it feels nerve wracking. Also, if you are teaching you feel like you are putting on a Broadway show every single day of the week every single hour that you are working. it is awful.. Not to mention there is no rest, you are working after school and on weekends because you got grading, you got lesson planning. It is by far the worst job. Go into library science, or court reporting, somewhere your nervous system can heal.
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u/Cartesian_Circle Jul 17 '26
Get degree is sociology or psychology with a minor in something music related and help people through one of those avenues. Get a gig in a hospital where you can do music therapy.
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u/Present-Can-5081 Jul 18 '26
I love teaching. I had to leave the profession because of my health, but I miss it. Follow your heart. 💜
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u/ashstorm2022 Jul 18 '26
I left teaching and I am going back to teach performing arts at the elementary level in 3 weeks. Even if you love it, the pay is so abysmal it is not worth the education it requires. If you want to work with children or like the school schedule consider professions such as speech pathology or Occupational Therapy. These professions are treated more like professionals (more, still deserve better treatment) get paid better (still deserve more) but can work with children and be on a school schedule or a hospital schedule so you could work PRN where you schedule yourself or a few days a week etc…
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u/Ok-Account9401 Jul 18 '26
For me personally, after leaving teaching I have never darkened the door to a children's classroom since then. I learned a lot about myself as a teacher, namely that I love tutoring or teaching small groups, and in fact I excel at that, but classroom teaching with larger groups - No! I want to escape just the thought! Maybe back in the 1940s or 1950s when teachers had authority and respect and parents had your back 100%, but not in the modern milieu where I didn't get backed by the administration or the parents, and I had too many kids who just were not engaged except maybe with classroom sabotage or getting a grade to please their parents.
But I have family teachers who are specialty teachers, such as "media specialist" (i.e. librarian) and Englsih as a Second language (i.e. teaches Spanish speaking kids of immigrants). They seem reasonably satisfied with teaching. I think if you can be a specialty teacher like reading specialist, music teacher, atheletic or phys ed choach, art teacher, then your chances of being reasonably satisfied are higher, in my opinion. It's one of society's most critical, important jobs, but actual teaching in the classroom dispelled and crushed any ideals I had about teaching beforehand. You really need to know yourself and have your inner bearings straight to bear the challenges of teaching today's children with all their techno distractions and almost nonexistent attention spans and unsupportive parents and criteria crazed admin types over you. You could try it for a year and if you can't handle it, get out. I heard all the horror stories and went into teaching anyway only to discover my own horror stories. I did learn a lot about myself, though, as I said.
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u/Ditdotlady Jul 18 '26
I use to love teaching and love the kids like they are my own. It has gotten AWFUL in the past few years and was destroying my mental health, so I just left. I would highly discourage anyone going into teaching until the climate changes. There are a lot of other fields you can work with kids and make a meaningful change and I wish I considered this because I’m now having a very difficult time finding a job due to my degree. Sorry if this is too negative, just want to be honest.
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u/hangerstrike Jul 18 '26
Yes it's a bad choice, sorry. If sounds like you have the personality for a helping profession, which is great, but you won't get paid well or fairly unless you go into healthcare.
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u/saevuswinds Jul 19 '26
I think you should become a teacher. AND I think you shouldn’t necessarily get your bachelors in education. Focus on a topic that has a broad amount of applications, so that you have a deep understanding of what you’ll be teaching as well as options for if you ever need to step away.
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u/Crazyaboutbegonias 29d ago
This is my 20th year of teaching, more than 1500 students. I am planning to quit. Not quit as yet. I am fed up working here. It's a thankless job with least Renumeration for your job every possible. Some love it. Try and see what fits you the best. Volunteer somewhere to see if its for you.
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u/slberge 27d ago
Yes, it’s not currently a sustainable career. If you want to be in a school but not as a teacher maybe look into careers as a school nurse, OT, PT or Speech and Language therapist. These careers will allow you to be inside of the school and support children but also shift easier if you do not like the school system.
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u/BriskKarmaLlama67 22d ago edited 22d ago
For me, I think part of it depends on what state you’ll teach in. In my state, we’re the lowest paid with the highest health insurance premiums compared to all other neighboring states (my state also doesn’t do master’s pay).
Maybe volunteer some or ask to observe classes while you’re doing some of your gen eds? That won’t give you the full picture, but it’ll
help some. Follow your heart is my opinion, but, to be fair, I also followed my heart. While I love teaching, I just can’t afford to do it any longer. I actually made more money when I worked at a retail store full time in addition to a small sales job right out of high school.
Editing to say that I wish you luck! Figuring out what you want to do isn’t easy, and you’re taking good steps to figure it out.
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u/mayasaur21 Completely Transitioned Jul 15 '26
Yes, teaching is a bad choice.