for the teachers out there

[ehirsch83]

I am graduating(hopefully) in August, with my bachelors in psychology and I think I want to teach, instead of going on to my phd(at least for a few years). I am looking towards teaching kindergarden-2nd age groups.

I know we have some teachers out there, not sure though if anyone is teaching in this age group, but I would love to hear input from everyone! I am also thinking of teaching at a more progressive school, over your traditional school program.

So any words of wisdom or thoughts that you would like to share, please feel free to:-)

[RoadRaven]

I teach teachers who will teach children age 0-6yrs in pre-school services...

Don't know if I can throw any light on anything, but if you think of something, let me know...

Congrats on completing your course of study - I KNOW what a huge committment it is!!!

[Aquila]

Congrats on finishing!

What sorts of certification do you need in your state? In mine, it's a pretty rigorous thing to go through, and usually part of a college major (elementary ed or something).

If you're thinking of doing a PhD to teach at the college level (as opposed to practicing clinical psych), make sure you have a really good sense of the job market on the other end, and of the pay scales for your field and such BEFORE you decide to get the PhD.

In my field (English, not unique among humanities re the job market), it takes the average person 8.4 years to finish a PhD (after a BA/BS). About 30% of people leave PhD programs without finishing. And of those who finish, about 50% get a tenure track job in the first year after finishing, and about 30% leave the field without ever getting a tenure track job after 3 years.

Those are DISMAL statistics, and if psychology is similar, you should know that before deciding to go to grad school.

Here's a wiki that will give you a sense of how the job market looks to applicants this year. Your undergrad advisor or someone else in your department should be able to give you a sense of what the market's like in your field.

Sorry, I don't mean to be unencouraging, but I wish someone had given me a better sense of the realities of academic job hunting BEFORE I was in the midst of dissertation writing. (Though I am one of the lucky sort who has a decent job.)

[makbike]

Have you ever worked with little ones? If not, I would suggest you do some serious volunteer work at a local school. Spend some time (several days to weeks) shadowing a teacher and see what the "normal" day is really like.

Good luck and congratulations!

[ehirsch83]

Have you ever worked with little ones? If not, I would suggest you do some serious volunteer work at a local school. Spend some time (several days to weeks) shadowing a teacher and see what the "normal" day is really like.

Good luck and congratulations!

I used to teach horseback riding lessons(as a working student) to the young ones for about a year and a half(my kids ages ranged from just 4-16), so I have had some experience with the little ones

And on the note of going back for phd- I feel that if I did, I would do it in sociology and not psychology, putting my focus on sex and gender.

I really just have no idea what I want to do, but I know I want to work, and I love working with kids.

[kelownagirl]

I teach 3rd Grade and love it! I'm in Canada so I can't give you any "advice" other than to say I think teaching is a wonderful profession, well paid (imho), great vacation time if you have a family, and you can live anywhere because nearly every town has a school.

[uforgot]

I went to college to become a professional musician (percussion) but couldn't get to graduate school after college, so temporarily I taught. That was 29 years ago and I'm still teaching. I teach high school (not little ones) but somehow this is what I was meant to do. I love my job, love my students and can't imagine any other career. I wish the same for you!

[Tri Girl]

I teach 5th grade, but taught 2nd grade for one year. Although I didn't love the little ones as much (too touchy-feely, and they didn't get my sometimes dry sense of humor ), I had a lot of fun with them. I really love my job, and consider myself to be very lucky that I have the opportunity to be an influence on a young person's life. The pay isn't bad (considering the time off), the rewards are great, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. That being said, there is A LOT of work involved. Not only in the planning and grading, but managing 24+ families and keeping the peace with everyone. Burnout is common (I experienced it myself after 7 years), and stress can be high with so much at stake- but it's still the best job I could ever imagine having.
I agree you should volunteer in a classroom and really talk to teachers and see what it's all about. I tell my non-teaching friends that although I get two months off in the summer and two weeks off at Christmas- I work as hard in those 9.5 months as others do in their 11.5 months of work.

[wannaduacentury]

I am graduating(hopefully) in August, with my bachelors in psychology and I think I want to teach, instead of going on to my phd(at least for a few years). I am looking towards teaching kindergarden-2nd age groups.

I know we have some teachers out there, not sure though if anyone is teaching in this age group, but I would love to hear input from everyone! I am also thinking of teaching at a more progressive school, over your traditional school program.

So any words of wisdom or thoughts that you would like to share, please feel free to:-)

Have you considered getting a masters in sociology and getting your teaching certification as you go? This might give you some leverage in the school system for counseling and/or teaching etc. Just an idea. Lots of great advice given so far. TE is the best. Jenn

[ehirsch83]

Have you considered getting a masters in sociology and getting your teaching certification as you go? This might give you some leverage in the school system for counseling and/or teaching etc. Just an idea. Lots of great advice given so far. TE is the best. Jenn

That is a really good idea! I hadn't thought of that actually:-)

Everyone here has given great advice, sorry it took me so long to reply as I have been having computer problems. I really want to write a long reply to everyone, but my laptop keeps shutting itself off. So I don't want to risk not getting this posted. I want to give a big thanks to everyone for your input, and for talking amongst each other about your schools and jobs- it has given me great insight, and has made me want to teach even more.

Thank you all so much!