Teacher: Hang on Through the First Two Years!

Introduction
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 old timer (teacher) in the building, "The worst class she had ever seen in her 30+ years of teaching."

The kids were eating me alive and my high aspirations were crashing more with each passing day. Finally, the aforementioned colleague told me to put on a show, basically telling them that they were like my family and how hurtful it was to hear all the nasty comments that were being made about them. After many minutes of showing my total disgust and hurt-but assuring them how much I liked them-they were very concerned and totally onboard to fixing their image. Obviously there were many more days of reinforcement needed but I gained their respect, and in my classroom they were always good and actually did decent work.

Job Function
The best is making a difference in someone's life, either touching them educationally or personally. Teaching helps children become better people. Getting kids to learn and understand is a VERY awarding experience.

The worst is dealing with parents who do not recognize any flaws in their child or parents who just plain don't care. Lifestyle
Teaching does allow for much time off. However, 1 week every 8 weeks is a must for everyone's sanity. From a lifestyle perspective, the first 2 years are really a learning experience and you need to feel your way to find a comfort level between work and play. Prep time gets shorter as you learn and become familiar with teaching and your subject. Keeping current with latest techniques and technologies is of utmost importance. It is easy to get stale and perhaps bored if you don't keep yourself engaged.

Additional Information
Teaching is a great profession but just like with anything, you only get out of it what you put into it!!!!