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Career changers and first year teacher

by Doug

Nov 21, 2012

I would really like to connect with first year teachers that are not licensed and are not going through a licensure program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be a secondary teacher. I currently teach mathematics as a highly qualified teacher at a public charter school and I am having a hard time balancing teaching and family. On top of that there are many questions (do I have students retake a test if they failed the first time, pros and cons of doing this or doing that, what if have class gets it and others are not, how to motivate students who are not turning in homework, how to grade, how to handle a girl who cries from drama, cuts herself, etc.). I am really tired of bugging all my colleagues for help and don't want to seem like a bleeding heart but how is a teacher supposed to know what to do when their is no guidebook, no expectations set as far as curriculum. I just need moral support as I am very tired all the time. The school is 35mi away and I work long hours ...See More

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pixie Doug, There are ways to make a classroom activity more interactive that do not require a lot of planning. Students like anything that allows them to interact with a peer. One activity that I did as a sub on a multi-day assignment in middle school social studies,that the kids enjoyed, was to assign small groups of kids a section of text. (You would ...See MoreDoug, There are ways to make a classroom activity more interactive that do not require a lot of planning. Students like anything that allows them to interact with a peer. One activity that I did as a sub on a multi-day assignment in middle school social studies,that the kids enjoyed, was to assign small groups of kids a section of text. (You would have to create the groups ahead of time) Give each group a transparency or two and a marker. Give them a time limit to create a list of X number of important details from that section of text. You walk around and monitor. Then each group comes up and displays their transparency and orally presents their details to the class. The class takes notes. Every group member has to write a point on the transparency and speak about it to the class, so everyone is accountable. This is just one example of an activity that makes the students actively working, with a minimum of planning by you, and the kids like it. Good luck.

On 12/18/12, Doug wrote: > One more question Sara, did you have a family with school age children and > a spouse that wasn't very supportive of your position especially when being > a teacher and prepping took away from time with the family? > > I talked to many teachers and either many of them are either really young > without kids, both are teachers, or kids are on their own. This does seem > like this is a job for a person when school age children switching careers > midstream. > > My main question is ask myself a lot now is do my kids deserve better? I > believe an experienced teacher could do better and am I really doing the > kids a dis-service by remaining as an inexperienced teacher and working my > way through day by day. > > I see my kids bored as hell. I think occasionally about getting them more > involved but sometimes there just isn't enough time to plan a lesson with > lots of DI this first year. I barely make it through the lesson myself to > understand it enough myself to teach it. > > I find a lot of my relating to real world is done in real-time in the > classroom thinking on my feet. > > On 12/14/12, Doug wrote: >> On 12/10/12, Sara wrote: >>> On 11/22/12, Doug wrote: >>>> On 11/21/12, Ed wrote: >>>>> On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: >>>>>> I would really like to connect with first year teachers that >>>>>> are not licensed and are not going through a licensure >>>>>> program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be >>>>>> a secondary teacher. I currently teach mathematics as a >>>>>> highly qualified teacher at a public charter school and I am >>>>>> having a hard time balancing teaching and family. >>> >>> In your first year of teaching it's normal to feel like you're >>> drowning. Everybody does. >>> >>> On top of >>>>>> that there are many questions (do I have students retake a >>>>>> test if they failed the first time, >>> >>> I do. And I don't average the two grades together. Parents love that >>> you give make-ups. There's no downside to it. I want the kids to >>> learn the material and if takes a make-up to help them 'get it down' >>> then fine. The point is to learn the material and everybody doesn't >>> always learn in lockstep with everybody else. We all have different >>> learning styles and learn at different speeds. Some kids need that >>> first test for the light bulb to go on. "Oh, this is what Mr. Brown >>> meant when he said..." >>> >>> pros and cons of doing >>>>>> this or doing that, what if have class gets it and others >>>>>> are not, >>> >>> You're in a charter school. Parents have not put their kids there to >>> fail. If half the class doesn't get it, then you need to reteach it. >>> It's math, they can't move on if they don't get the prior operation. >>> >>> how to motivate students who are not turning in >>>>>> homework, >>> >>> Nobody knows the answer to that one. Some kids have homes in which >>> homework cannot be done. I try to give class time to get homework >>> done and I NEVER assign homework on a weekend or a holiday. >>> >>> how to grade, how to handle a girl who cries from >>>>>> drama, cuts herself, etc.). >>> >>> A cutter? You alone cannot cure a cutter - you need to report that >>> the girl is cutting. This is a major illness, not a drama queen. >>> Cutters are not dramatic, they are in need of help. >>> >>> I am really tired of bugging >>>>>> all my colleagues for help and don't want to seem like a >>>>>> bleeding heart but how is a teacher supposed to know what to >>>>>> do when their is no guidebook, no expectations set as far as >>>>>> curriculum. >>> >>> Right. You just have to feel your way through it. >>> >>> I just need moral support as I am very tired >>>>>> all the time. >>> >>> I got four hours of sleep a night in my first year of teaching and I >>> used to fall asleep with my head on my desk after school. >>> >>> The school is 35mi away and I work long hours >>>>>> to avoid traffic. >>> >>> Smart. >>> >>> A lot of time is spent prepping >>> >>> Absolutely in your first year. That's normal but it DOES get better! >>> >>>>> And yes, few schools have good mentoring programs. I was lucky, >>> my school did have a mentoring program. How's your principal? My >>> principal had an open door policy and I went to him with my >>> questions. >>>> >>>> I am using the Prentice Hall series of math books and it seems odd >>>> that there shouldn't be a canned set of lesson plans that a new >>>> teacher could use. >>> >>> How do you know there's not? Call the publisher - there usually is. >>> How old is the series? >>> >>>> >>>> It is shame too because I became a teacher to serve God by serving >>>> people and I am finding that being a new teacher asks too much of >>>> a toll to balance a family especially when I am spending my >>>> weekend prepping a weeks worth of 15 hour lesson. >>> >>> The summer is coming - having summers off is a BIG perk and a Big >>> help to the family. >>> >>> Everyone tells >>>> me it will get easier next year - it will! >> >> Thanks Sara, that's the encouragement I need.

Dec 19, 2012

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Old Teacher First years are usually challenging, Doug. Best wishes.

Put your family FIRST! You won't regret it. Teaching is a JOB. An important JOB, but it is still just a JOB! Family is more important than any job, including teaching.

On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: > I would really like to connect with first year teachers that > are not lice...See More

Dec 31, 2012

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My 4th year will be my last Hi Doug,

This reply is out of sequence because I'm responding to your original post, though I read the replies of Sara and Pixie and Old Teacher. My reply, in contrast to theirs, is negative and therefore selfish, but it's my experience and feeling.

I too switched careers and became a math teacher at about your age. I'm in my fo...See MoreHi Doug,

This reply is out of sequence because I'm responding to your original post, though I read the replies of Sara and Pixie and Old Teacher. My reply, in contrast to theirs, is negative and therefore selfish, but it's my experience and feeling.

I too switched careers and became a math teacher at about your age. I'm in my fourth year now, and rather than getting better, it's only gotten worse for me. I'm always tired, the workload has increased rather than abated, and worst of all, I've grown to become disinterested in my students because I can no longer be a social worker (I'm in an urban school district where the behavior, home-life traumas, and dispositions against academic performance are simply more than I can, or want to, handle).

As for supports, I don't know that I'm looking for any in particular. The school I'm at now doesn't seem genuinely interested in student achievement - the message I get is to coddle the student resistance to learning. It's beyond me at this point, after entering teaching with a starry-eyed enthusiasm and a feeling that I could make math intriguing and enlivening. I can't. I'm done after this year.

Sorry.

On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: > I would really like to connect with first year teachers that > are not licensed and are not going through a licensure > program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be > a secondary teacher. I currently teach mathematics as a > highly qualified teacher at a public charter school and I am > having a hard time balancing teaching and family. On top of > that there are many questions (do I have students retake a > test if they failed the first time, pros and cons of doing > this or doing that, what if have class gets it and others > are not, how to motivate students who are not turning in > homework, how to grade, how to handle a girl who cries from > drama, cuts herself, etc.). I am really tired of bugging > all my colleagues for help and don't want to seem like a > bleeding heart but how is a teacher supposed to know what to > do when their is no guidebook, no expectations set as far as > curriculum. I just need moral support as I am very tired > all the time. The school is 35mi away and I work long hours > to avoid traffic. A lot of time is spent prepping as I > haven't used (or taught) some of this math in 25 years. > Everybody tells me things will get better and I agree if my > supervisor lets me teach the same preps next year.

Jan 6, 2013

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Literacy Advocate Ed, it's a shame that you didn't read the OP before posing your questions to him.

On 11/21/12, Ed wrote: > On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: >> I would really like to connect with first year teachers that >> are not licensed and are not going through a licensure >> program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be ...See MoreEd, it's a shame that you didn't read the OP before posing your questions to him.

On 11/21/12, Ed wrote: > On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: >> I would really like to connect with first year teachers that >> are not licensed and are not going through a licensure >> program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be >> a secondary teacher. I currently teach mathematics as a >> highly qualified teacher at a public charter school and I am >> having a hard time balancing teaching and family. On top of >> that there are many questions (do I have students retake a >> test if they failed the first time, pros and cons of doing >> this or doing that, what if have class gets it and others >> are not, how to motivate students who are not turning in >> homework, how to grade, how to handle a girl who cries from >> drama, cuts herself, etc.). I am really tired of bugging >> all my colleagues for help and don't want to seem like a >> bleeding heart but how is a teacher supposed to know what to >> do when their is no guidebook, no expectations set as far as >> curriculum. I just need moral support as I am very tired >> all the time. The school is 35mi away and I work long hours >> to avoid traffic. A lot of time is spent prepping as I >>> Everybody tells me things will get better and I agree if my >> supervisor lets me teach the same preps next year. > Doug-- > > First of all, I must tell you that I am a newly certified, > career-changer teacher looking for my first classroom > assignment. I was a commercial photographer in my former > career, and am now a highly qualified English teacher, grades > 4-12. I earned a master's in 2009, and have been subing since > becoming certified in August of 2011. > > Can you clarify a few things from this post so we know more > about your situation? > > First, are you a new teacher? You write that you "haven't > used (or taught) some of this math in 25 years," which implies > that you have, perhaps, been teaching for this long. Yet your > questions about how to handle the every day exigencies in the > classroom seem to indicate that you are new to teaching. Are > you simply having a tough time managing the students? I can > certainly understand this. Please enlighten us. > >

Jan 6, 2013

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Confused about your credential status If you don't have a license, and you're not going through a licensure program, how is it that you're teaching school in the first place? I'm only asking because if you were taking courses to get your math credential, you'd have a whole cadre of professors whose jobs would involve teaching you to teach secondary-level math. Not only would a lot of y...See MoreIf you don't have a license, and you're not going through a licensure program, how is it that you're teaching school in the first place? I'm only asking because if you were taking courses to get your math credential, you'd have a whole cadre of professors whose jobs would involve teaching you to teach secondary-level math. Not only would a lot of your questions be answered in those classes, but you could go to your professors with any problems (as opposed to "bugging" your colleagues).

That said, I know myself well enough to know that I could not be a school teacher if I had kids of my own at home. That's just me, but I use up all my Youngster Energy between 8 AM and 4 PM, and when that last bell rings, I'm ready to go home to a quiet house with no noisy kids.

It seems as though your class textbooks would give you some basic curricular structure. Go online, too, and look up your state's secondary math standards. (At this point, you're probably still following the state standards, although check to see whether and when your state might be switching over to the Common Core math standards.) The standards will give you a list of what every eighth grader or eleventh grader, for instance, is supposed to be learning in your math class. The standards ARE your official curricular expectations, so print them out, refer to them like the Bible, and plan the rest of your school year accordingly.

Be sure your students have a clear understanding of WHAT they're learning and why. If you're teaching algebra or geometry, explain to them what the word "algebra" or "geometry" MEANS. (It's amazing how many math teachers overlook this basic step.)

Also, remember to point out the obvious, because kids don't always pick up on the obvious. There are probably little blue or purple boxes throughout their math textbooks that highlight important properties and theorems (the associative property of addition, for instance, or the area of a triangle). Point out to them that when they see one of those boxes, they need to MEMORIZE the rule or definition inside it. A lot of kids just don't think to do that without being explicitly told to. Many kids really have no idea how to study, so again, point out the obvious, and point it out again.

Every day, your whiteboard should clearly display the TITLE of the chapter you'll be covering. Say the title out loud to them at the beginning of your day's lesson. That will help them know exactly what they're supposed to be focusing on that day (as opposed to "some kind of math stuff." Teenagers don't do well with vague.)

And be sure to give them examples of real-life situations where arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or whatever are useful. "Why do I need to learn this?" and "How's it going to help me in life?" are valid questions, so start compiling a list of good answers that span a variety of careers and real-world activities.

On 11/21/12, Doug wrote: > I would really like to connect with first year teachers that > are not licensed and are not going through a licensure > program, have a young family, and are changing careers to be > a secondary teacher. I currently teach mathematics as a > highly qualified teacher at a public charter school and I am > having a hard time balancing teaching and family. On top of > that there are many questions (do I have students retake a > test if they failed the first time, pros and cons of doing > this or doing that, what if have class gets it and others > are not, how to motivate students who are not turning in > homework, how to grade, how to handle a girl who cries from > drama, cuts herself, etc.). I am really tired of bugging > all my colleagues for help and don't want to seem like a > bleeding heart but how is a teacher supposed to know what to > do when their is no guidebook, no expectations set as far as > curriculum. I just need moral support as I am very tired > all the time. The school is 35mi away and I work long hours > to avoid traffic. A lot of time is spent prepping as I > haven't used (or taught) some of this math in 25 years. > Everybody tells me things will get better and I agree if my > supervisor lets me teach the same preps next year.

Feb 5, 2013

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