Teaching: An Excellent Option in Hard Times
When I was in high school, my parents told me that the business world was the future for me; I ended up studying accounting, finance, statistics, and other important tools for my future positions in business and finance. Even though I learned important information which helped me get a start as managerial trainee in an insurance company, I felt that something was missing from my life.
After 15 years in the business world, a good friend who worked at the local university invited me to give some conferences to his students; it was a revelation for me. Fielding questions from these young people made me realize that my real vocation was in the classroom. After earning my teaching credentials from an alternative program in one year, I took the state test to earn my certification in special education.
In these tough economic times, becoming a teacher should be an attractive option for any college graduate. Not only do you perform an essential task that will benefit the country, you will also reap abundant rewards from the daily interaction with teens or children. The pay is decent, the hours are long, the vacations are awesome, and the need for teachers will exist no matter what the economic situation is.
A good friend of mine who spent a year working with poor children in Central America (she already had a Texas teaching certificate), returned to Houston last November to look for a job as a teacher. This was in the middle of the worst recession we have known since the Great Depression. She was hired after 2 weeks of interviews, and two schools offered her a position.
Many schools, from Pre-K to high schools, have trouble finding teachers, especially in the areas of science, math, and special education. If you have a college degree in these fields (a major in psychology or teaching for the special education area is certainly helpful, though not mandatory), you should have no problem getting a job, even in the middle of the school year, after following an alternative program (there are many excellent options in Texas).
What makes a good teacher is a question I frequently hear from friends who work in other areas. There is no one correct answer, as different people will use different strategies to ensure good learning by their students. The most important trait, however, is the ability to bond with your pupils, whether through good humor, personal caring, or winning charisma. Once the bonding has taken place, the children will trust and respect you, thereby facilitating the instruction process. Remember, however, that they can detect lack of sincerity immediately, so be genuine at all times.
One last word of warning: Once you start working as a teacher, there is a serious danger that you will become addicted. If so, there is only one way out, retirement, and even that may be difficult. Many retired teachers come back as substitutes just to enjoy the daily “bath” of excitement and youthful vigor.