3 Reasons Not to Become a Teacher

reasons-not-to-become-teacherAt first glance, there are a lot of good reasons to enter the teaching profession. Teachers change the lives of children, they have the summers off, and they have good pensions and job security. Unfortunately, there are also many downsides to becoming a teacher that many outside of the profession do not realize and many teachers believe that the negatives outweigh the positives. Many teachers would not choose to become teachers if they were to choose a different career path. Many teachers suffer from severe cases of burnout after several years of teaching due to the negative impacts of the job. Three of the main reasons that teachers cite for burnout are lack of money, a high and stressful workload, and a lack of respect from students and society.

Money

While most teachers receive a wage decent enough to live on, it is one of the lowest paying jobs that need an advanced degree. On average, teachers make 15% less than other people with similar educations and workloads. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for K-12 teachers in 2008 was about $49,000. A survey conducted by MetLife found that 66% of teachers did not believe their salary reflected their job responsibilities. Even if the time off during the summer is considered, teachers have one of the lowest hourly wages of those with similar educations. In addition to low pay, many teachers pay for some classroom expenses out-of-pocket.

Workload

One of the draws to becoming a teacher for many is the thought that summers are off. For most teachers, this is not true and many find themselves either working second jobs or taking classes over the summer. During the school year, teachers work the entire school day and then have extra grading and planning to do once the students have gone home. In general, vacation days are also spent planning lessons. In addition to teaching, many schools expect teachers to volunteer their time for extracurricular activities. These responsibilities can range from chaperoning a school dance to coaching an after school sports team.

Respect

In theory, teaching is a noble profession. In reality, teachers receive very little respect from society. Oftentimes, students dislike teachers and parents do not trust them. Many students inherently do not want to be in the classroom and will make this abundantly clear. Parents who want the best education for their child will question a teacher’s decisions and teaching style if their child is dissatisfied with their experience at school. Education is often considered broken by our society and many place the blame squarely on teachers. Communities claim to want improved education but are unwilling to raise taxes to increase the pay of teachers or to increase classroom budgets.

There are many positive reasons to become a teacher and most do so because of their love of children and want to make a positive impact on the world. Unfortunately, there are many negative aspects of the job that cause many teachers to abandon the profession for a job with a lower workload, less stress, and higher pay. Additional information can be found at Yahoo Answers.