What Is It Like to Be a Teacher?

1.1 Identify the four most commonly cited reasons people give for entering teaching.

• Working with young people
• Making a difference in society
• Subject content
• Self-growth.

1.2 What are the major rewards in teaching?
Intrinsic rewards:

• Emotional and psychological
• This area goes hand in hand with working with young people and making a difference in society. For teachers, nothing is more rewarding than seeing the difference you make in the lives of your students, who in turn have an impact on society.

• Personal and intellectual
• Teaching is stimulating and challenging and makes a difference in the world. This provides the grounds for personal and intellectual growth. "I know what every teacher knows: that every time I teach a student, my life changes forever." -Mary Eldridge-Sandbo (2010 North Dakota Teacher of the Year)
• Sharing an interest in a content area.
• Occupational status.

Extrinsic rewards:

• Job security and desirable vacations. Teachers are terminated less often than other professions. School is not in session during holidays and summer break.
• Surrounded by colleagues who share the same passions.
• Attractive work schedules. Work is at the same time your own children would be at school, so they're not left at home alone, and there is ample time to spend with your family.

1.3 What are the major challenges in teaching?
Finding a Job:

• The downturn in the economy means a lot of educational costs and resources have been cut. But the current teaching force is aging, meaning many jobs will be opening up in the near future.

Working Conditions:

• Responsible for 20-30 students all day, every day or 5 classrooms of similar sizes throughout the day.
• Limited time to plan.
• Complex classrooms:
• Immediate - Events occur frequently and quickly.
• Multidimensional - Many components, tasks, and events exist in classrooms.
• Simultaneous - Classroom tasks and events occur at the same time.
• Public - Classrooms exist in "fishbowls," where events are observable.
• Unpredictable - Classroom events take unexpected turns.
• Multiple roles of teachers:
• Creating a productive learning environment
• Working with parents and other caregivers
• Collaborating with colleagues

1.4 How do experienced and beginning teachers feel about the rewards and challenges of teaching? What are the implications of these findings for you as a beginning teacher?
Experienced Teachers:

• Most experienced teachers expect to continue teaching in their futures. Many said they were very satisfied and even said they'd like to continue teaching via alternative means after retirement. Fewer than 20% planned on leaving the profession within 5 years. The vast majority rated their working conditions as satisfactory and related positive accounts of their relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. Most also described themselves as being effective and very competent.
• One of the biggest problems are incompetent or unmotivated colleagues. Inadequate salaries are also an issue. 
• This generally positive perspective has been on the decline, however, as public support for education has deteriorated.

Beginning Teachers:

• First-year teachers are especially confident in their abilities and optimistic in their endeavors, believing teaching is what they are meant to do. Most believe their students are lucky to have them as a teacher. More than half expect to still be teaching after 10 years.
• Teachers who fail to experience success in the classroom burn out quickly. Many also don't feel appreciated or supported by their principal, or optimistic about their ability to influence student learning. In essence, some teachers may become disheartened and discouraged.

Implications:

• As a beginning teacher, these statistics are pretty encouraging to me. A lot of my values and expectations align with the values and expectations of experienced teachers, meaning I am highly likely to be satisfied with my choice in career. It also means that I am starting with a fairly realistic idea of what life in the classroom will be like when I do become a teacher. Most beginning teachers are confident and optimistic in their abilities and goals, so I can likely look forward to getting the adequate education and training I will need to run my first classroom.