I've given it some thought and I have come to a conclusion.
As a volunteer, I've spent untold hours helping teach and mentor youth.
But as true teachers, "we" have shied away from the bureaucracy, the youth problems, the parent problems and left a vacuum.
The "Me-llennials" have filled this void with their brand of unsophisticated populism unencumbered by the influence of Gen X'ers.
In a nutshell, its a mess.  Maybe you don't feel its of our doing but no one else is going to solve it either.  Kids have to be taught.
Anyone else thought about starting a second career as a school teacher <shudder!>?
Not much about entering the field calls to me on a personal level, but I feel the responsibility has been shirked enough to consider it.

My mom went back to school to become a teacher at 40 when I was in high school and now has her masters and tenure at a school and loves it.  She teaches 3rd grade. From talking with her I understand that you really need a supportive administration within the school and that greatly helps with problem kids.

no way would  i teach below graduate level.  Have fun dealing with low pay and ghetto kids.

I retired as a boss from a medium police department ~ 1000 sworn, and taught at the university level, then in the public school system.

I am now an administrator in a middle school.

We have had a number of career switchers, some successful, some not so much.

Right now I have a retired ring knocker O5 aviator teaching math, a retired E8 teaching math, a former housewife, several former IT folks, and the rest are career teachers.

I'm close to being eligible for my FL temp. license, but still not sure I want to pull the trigger. Teaching in FL has its challenges.

America's public schools are systemically ill.

Many teachers enter the profession as idealists.  They either quit (the 5-year attrition rates are insane), or they dispose of their ideals (if they ever had them) and just cruise an easy government job looking for a cushy admin position.

Most teachers know the game is rigged from the beginning, and simply jockey for that admin position from the start.

Private schools are under assault politically, but the teaching positions are still good.  That's why they're in ridiculously high demand - from those teachers who remained idealists and are either suffering greatly under the gears of public school bureaucracy, or have quit, taken other employment, but still look for a private school job to open up.

Barriers to entry are high.  This is intentional, as it entrenches and strengthens the union position.  Have fun getting certified to even qualify for a job in the first place.

As always, local political climate and demographics matter.  If you really want to teach, step one is to move to an area of the country that's politically conservative and where white people are having kids.  North Carolina, Arizona, etc.  Avoid anything urban and liberal.


Doing this as an older person used to receiving respect in the workplace is a sure recipe for a hastened retirement.

The majority of your time will be spent on fuckwits.


I would only consider going back if I had enough money to walk out the door and retire whenever I wanted.



It takes a special kind of person to put up with the system, the parents, and the fuck-up kids.




The smart kids are the best, but you don't get to work with them as much.  They run off and do their work like you'd expect.  



I had this strange vision of working with bright, young adults on their path to success... and I would help them get there.  That didn't pan out.



On the flip side, different people have different visions.  Some people thrive on dealing with fuckwits, because they see gains every time they crack the whip.  I always saw the whip cracking as taking away time from the productive kids.


Your mileage may vary, of course.  I do note that coaches and guys that worked in such roles did a great job, likely owing to their natural whip cracking abilities.

Don't waste your time. If you're not doing it for personal reasons but out of some sense of altruism then you're wasting your time as you'll probably burn out pretty quickly.

In a former life I taught special education, emotionally impaired kids as a matter of fact. That particular field has the fastest burn out rate of them all. Other areas of teaching the burn out rate is slower, but it's there.

I loved teaching that particular population and enjoyed my students immensely. I basically taught those kids that other teachers simply couldn't tolerate or handle. I was able to avoid the burn out because my reason were personal and very selfish; I enjoyed the challenge that they offered.

I've seen plenty of folks like you and most of you pretty much come and go and within a year or two you've thrown in the towel and then you're forgotten about. Why? Because you went into this field for the wrong reasons. If you're reasons are personal and selfish then there's a good chance that you'll succeed. It's the do-gooders that are eaten alive.

My advice think long and hard about this.

I loved volunteering at my kids' elementary school.  I worked with some really good teachers and don't have anything bad to say about the administration of the school at that time.  As a result, I considered a career change and even applied and was admitted to the University of Washington's Master's in Teaching program.  BUT, when push came to shove I could not pull the trigger.  Many of the teachers I met were working as hard as I do as a CPA (and harder than I work outside of tax season).  They got there early and were often there late for school events and busted their asses for much less than I make.  I just couldn't bring myself to take the pay cut.  Also, the Seattle School Board is a fucking joke  

With a few exceptions, I have a lot of respect for the Seattle public school teachers I have met.  The local public elementary schools served all my kids well enough to permit them to excel in private middle schools and high schools.  However, the senior administration regularly does things that make me wonder what kind drugs they are on...

I am a first year teacher at the age and of 45 and I previously worked in the printing industry. I teach 4th grade and this first job I have ever had in which I look forward to work each day. The pay is not great but job satisfaction far outweighs the compensation for me.

Yes, I've thought about it, but the barriers to entry are high.

My lady is a teacher. She's working with drop-out prevention kids.

Not a chance I'd consider it. She's on her way out of it too.

No way, the system is broken, just one new part won't fix it.

Cheers!
-JC

ETA:


We're in FL.

Your effort to correct societal ills and save education is not likely to succeed, but if you must try ........... good luck.

Try subbing for a while. Not a huge commitment and you gain valuable insight/experience. Getting a credential is a tedious process and you must be quite certain you want it.

The experience you get while subbing will be completely different.  Students don't respect subs AT ALL.  They will not listen and they will actively disrespect you.  It's a good way to poison yourself against wanting to teach.

I know 3 people that have become teachers in the last 5 years ...there all miserable and hate it. Not the kids... the Admin and parents, they are the problem.
One of these started late in life to "give back"....She hates it the most, can't understand whats wrong with people ..... .

Go for it!  Schools need better teachers.  There are too many career teachers that couldn't possibly do any other job.  



A lot of your job would depend on the kids' families that attend that particular school.  

- If you're in a nice residential area, with most kids in traditional two-parent households, you'll have a traditional teaching job.  

- If you're in da hood, with 90% of kids living in one-parent households, you'll be a babysitter.  

Got tired of hanging around after I retired ( police then nurse) so I  got a job as a high school sub.
First day some dumb jock tried to act up. I got in his face and asked how he was going to explain to his momma that a 65 year old man beat his ass. He thought better of acting up and  I got a rep that continues to this day. Got the nickname Sarge. Kids see come in and go YES! The kids are easy, it is parent and admin that are the dipshits.

Let me help you with that.....


That's right up there with....  " Let's get another puppy", and " Why don't we have another baby at age 45."

My sister is a teacher.  She enjoys her job but had problems with the administration at previous schools.  She is happy at her current school.



Her husband is a teacher at an alternative school for students who's "conduct prevents them from succeeding in their regular school", the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy of Excellence.  He has so many horror stories.        

No way in hell I'd consider it for a second.

I went to school to be a teacher. Changed my mind after graduating. Glad I became a parole/probation agent instead. At least I could put a-holes in jail for fucking up. Teachers have to grin and bare it. That sucks the big one.

Teachers are overpaid.

The most frustrating thing with public schools are that 1% of the students are devoted 99% of the attention educationally and financially. By 1% I mean english second language primarily here in Texas(yes actually well over 1%), as well as socio-economic challenged groups like homeless, single parent, extreme discipline problems, etc. Thank no child left behind for that.  Kids that are college/career bound will not get your school funded adequately, but if you are high risk population community then the gov will send you much more money.

If you live in the city and your kids don't fit into those groups, you are a private school fan. If you go to rural schools then public schools are just as good of an education as private usually, but not in the governments eyes.

Public school teachers get after it just as much as private school teachers, but public school classrooms don't get to choose their clientele like private schools do. Kind of like comparing China's education system to America's???? Do you think China has MR's or non-native language kids in their schools??? Ya right. They cull out the lower level learners from the beginning, just like private schools here are able to. Before the special education act and no child left behind, we use to let some kids go in homemaking and shop classes. Now we have to teach them all to be doctors and rocket scientists.

That being said, more and more people who would be great teachers fear the challenge, so now there are less great teachers.

Dude, if you want to help our nation and its development it is the most effective way to do so.
Just ask the progressives......


You can do a lot of good shaping a young mind, but don't expect any kind of paycheck, respect from your peers, or even the majority of you students. You will be tested often on you ability to deal with entitlement, self delusion and pretentiousness on an all encompassing level at some times....and this will be on a daily basis.

But it is IMHO one of the most honorable and necessary professions out there.
It is a huge responsibility.

Looking forward to teaching at a charter high school when I leave the military.

It's a goal.

Really ?

With rare exception, they're usually very underpaid.  I live in a upper middle class area that's mostly white, and a friend of mine, who is an award winning history teacher at the local high school for 20+ years, and has a masters degree from U of Penn, makes 2/3 of what I make as an IT geek at the local university.  And I'm underpaid by industry standards.