Been there done that. The romantic notion of teaching is what
attracts most to the profession. The unconditional love of
kids is what keeps teachers in the profession.
You have to be a people and kid person to be a teacher. If
you get into teaching to stroke your ego by showing the world
what you know, you will quickly get disillusioned and burned
out. You will not be able to see the little wins and the
little glints in the children's eyes. You will not be able to
suppress your embarrassment, anger, and rebuttals when the
students purposely and sometimes unconsciously make you the
object of their sarcasm, joke, vulgarity, and power struggles.
You will be miserable! On the other hand, if you truly love
the quirkiness, silliness, goofiness, naivety, warped view of
life, and morbid compulsive curiosity with bodily functions
and reproduction; and if you can keep the big picture and
accept that you might influence a student in ways that won't
manifest themselves for years to come, then you might be a
good or even great teacher.
K-12 science is not earth shattering research and deep
experimentation. How many times can you talk about simple
machines, the rock and water cycle, the major organs of the
body, and the scientific process before you get tired of it?
You say you don't have a background in science so you will
have to take a number of classes to obtain "highly qualified"
status. You will have a masters degree when you are finished
that will net you a few thousand more than the person next to
you just out of a 4 year education program and tens of
thousands under what masters in many other professions earn.
The hours are long, the big wins are few and far between, the
appreciation is low, the support seems lacking or nonexistent
at times. Parents will frequently not support you and you
will go home at nights pulling your hair out.
With all of that said, if you can get into a high school AP
physics position, you will be dealing with the upper tier kids
and able to pursue more academically challenging concepts with
fewer behavioral issues. But again, don't expect the
enthusiasm and passion that you are feeling right now now or
to be shared by your clientèle.
After twenty five years in the IT industry and frustrated with
big business, I am now making 1/4 the money trying to teach 13
year olds how to find area of rectangles. I am happier now
than I have been in 15 years, but I must preface this by
saying that I am financially OK and I do it because I want to.
It is not a job I have to do so if I get tired or overly
frustrated I will just stop doing it.
Your mileage may vary. Only you can decide if you have the
right personality to jump into this boat. Yes you will change
the world, but it will be done in minuscule and often
imperceptible increments and you will receive very little
recognition and appreciation for your efforts. Your
motivation and gratification must come from within if you are
to be happy in this profession.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
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