Careers In Education

High School Teacher: Teaching as Mentoring and Earning Trust
First, how to get there: Challenge yourself to learn and to understand what you learn in detail; learning is like a snowball. Second, by entering the profession, one assumes an immense responsibility, to reliably convey reliable knowledge. Third, know your students, their goals and aspirations, and be truthful with them about what they should expect given how much they work and given how much they could learn. Fourth, a great part of teaching is teaching how to learn, that is, how to become i...

Teacher: Hang on Through the First Two Years!
The one piece of wisdom that I can give and have given to many prospective teachers is that the better an actor you are the better teacher you will be. I say this because, as a young teacher, just out of school and excited to be there in my first job, I received this advice from a very experienced colleague. My first classroom experience was with 8th graders. I was given a very challenging group of kids, not the brightest in educational ability. In fact they were, and this is a quote from an...

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Grants Administrator
The advice I give is good for almost any career. Start with a college degree (in almost any field) and learn to be well organized. Common sense and good judgement are the most valuable attributes, and computer skills (not just internet browsing and instant messaging, but real skills like spreadsheets and databases) are essential.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Nanny
I would tell them that they have to be more than just "interested" in children to consider a job as a nanny. You have to be willing to really listen, to be patient and understanding, and to be ready for anything. It's a job that changes from family to family, from child to child.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Teacher Librarian
Be prepared to love books and to work with children. If you are not prepared with your lessons the children will let you know.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Art teacher
Don't take it lightly. You will influence a child's mind every day.

Librarian: A Child and his Library Media Center
The rewarding part of being in the Media Center at school is seeing the child getting excited about books. Just watching the interaction between children, preschool through second grade, talking about what they liked about certain books and wanting to take out that book you just finished reading.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Elementary Teacher
You need to be organized and have a lot of patiance with adults and children. You also need excellent communication skills and be willing to work very hard without getting paid and recognized for it every time.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Teachers Assistant
You have to love the kids and the age group you work with. It's best to do some of your internship or student teaching with ages that you don't think you're going to like. Sometimes can be surprised with the results.

School Counselor: High School Guidance Counselor
You need to enjoy teenagers with all of their enthusiasm and angst!!! You need to be flexible because every day is different and things come up suddenly requiring you to restructure your day. You should have the type of personality that enjoys an extremely varied schedule and a variety of tasks and problems on a daily basis.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Make a Difference! TEACH!
Get out there and see if it's for you! Visit classrooms-in as many settings as possible (elementary, secondary, urban, suburban, private) and see where your interest lies.

College Professor: Being a College Professor
Love your subject, whatever it is. Become a devotee. Read everything you can about it. Learn to write well. Develop an expertise few people have -- learn a language, publish an article, publish poetry, participate in local government, join a chess club, host an art show, become an officer in an organization outside your college. Travel to interesting places. These experiences and skills will help to distinguish you and your interests when you apply to graduate school. If you want to teach theate...

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Assistant Principal-Friend or Foe?
This is a great career move for a teacher. Spend your first year learning what the school is like and building trust with students and staff. Don't gossip.

Education (Adminstrative, Teaching, etc.): Medievaling on the College Level
If you want to become a medievalist, develop a few areas of expertise on the undergraduate level. These might include languages, especially very old ones like Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and/or Middle English; connections between past and present, or the way history is represented in popular culture or literature as refictionalized in modern texts or on film; or an in-depth understanding of the art history of the period. Use your creativity-make a medieval movie or write a script or a poem celebrating t...

School Principal-Administrator: Don't Get Sent to the Office...
Get ready to rumble, come into my office and you're going to get pimp slapped and slammed. Actually, that would be a school administrator's office run by the WWE. Amidst all of the tiny crises an educational institution may face, a school administrator serves as the the iron fist of fury to knock out all potential threats to the academic community. Creating solidarity amongst the staff and all of the departments is an integral part of being a great school administrator. The head administrator ca...

Librarian: Making Bookshelves Sexy
A career as a librarian means being a problem solver with a flair. A librarian is often characterized as a dusty, geriatrics floor-bound individual who checks books in and out at the local public library. This gross simplification is not the case; it is a satisfying position as a research and acquisitions specialist. A librarian may take a position to manage a vast amount of content or they may oversee specialized content in law, business, or corporate libraries. The best way to approach this ca...