Thoughts and ramblings of TheDon

[TheDon]

So I just had two weeks off from school and during this time I've gotten a lot done around the house and stuff I've wanted to do. Plus it's nice not having to stress about school crap and students problems on a daily basis.

But I dont want to go back to the school and teach the mass of ungrateful, apathetic, and disrespectful trolls that I call my students. Now not all of them are terrible. Maybe about 15-20 out of them all I'd say are decent kids but for the majority. I dislike them all.

I should have spent my two weeks off making lesson plans and lessons but this is my time off that I get to do with what I please.

I'm seriously considering quitting and becoming a statistic of teachers that don't return after the first year. It's honestly not worth my effort to deal with 5 different classes I have to plan for( one being high school credit), to try and teach the students common core crap in addition to my content, to appease the administration and the state inspectors as well as the parents that complain about what their students are learning.

I'm done, I thought that it would be fun teaching students stuff that I enjoyed when I had the class but the school has changed since I had been there and kids these days are incredibly selfish, their behavior is terrible and they don't care. I've called home to parents, written referrals and given alternative assignments with no change. I've told my administration that I have too many students, not enough computers, I need assistance if we are to use the shop.

It's just too much for too little pay. I'm not going to have a heart attack at 25 because of the stress I have gotten since starting the job. My mood has changed so much since starting to teach. Two days before Christmas break I found that some students stole some stuff from me and I flipped my
&$&) so to speak.

Lately I've been thinking about going to the school and learning to weld. I have a BS degree in IT but I don't think I'll ever get hired. I've been sending out resumes and everything since January with no calls. Everyone wants a senior level IT person for an entry level position. And I feel like I don't know jack when it comes to IT stuff. I really don't. I wasted my time in college and should have just went and learned a trade.

But really, there is a tech school by my house and they do welding. Financially I can quit my job and we would have money for bills for 12 months or more. Actually. Yeah. Two years worth of mortgage payments. And more if I sell off crap I own. Plus we have room mates that pay rent. I could get a job at Disney again that would works with a school schedule or somewhere close to my
House.

So I don't know what to do. My wife and I have talked about it and prayed about it. She thinks going to school for welding would be a great idea.


She loves her job and it isn't even a job for her. Sure it's crap pay compared to what others make(10.50 an hour base plus other premiums) but she loves performing and there's nowhere else in the world she can do her job as a full time gig. She could perform in a local theater but she's have to do that as a hobby and get a job to help support. So there's that. Moving far would be pretty hard I think for her to find a job she would love. I don't want to take that away from her.

Anyways....

What to do. What to do....



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[suginami]

I say go for it.

Life is short, and you are clearly not enjoying your job.

I find that my friends who work in a trade generally enjoy it.

Give the welding school a shot.

[greazzer]

Here's my .02 cents. If you enjoy (enjoyed) teaching, have you thought about a private school? Excluding one year for one child, all years for my kids were at Catholic School. I visited the public school and it was a zoo. I deeply regret subjecting my one child to the public school system for that year, and Richland County, S.C. supposedly enjoys some of the best public schools in the nation. IF that is the case, then I really feel bad for the rest of the nation. I can say you will generally not experience a bunch of hellions in private school, and one call to the parents will nip any issue in the bud.

I only teach 1 evening per week at a CCD class as a volunteer so I have nothing to compare against a full time schedule. I have a mix, with half the kids being really respectful, interested, participating, et cet., and the other half just waiting for the bell, with a handful who need to be told to simmer down, be quiet, get on track, et cet. every 10 minutes. Some years are better than others, but overall the same experience give or take.

Teaching is a super tough job IMO, especially in the public school system. Personally, I could not do it since I do not think there is any real enforcment mechanism. I went to a tiny inter-city Catholic school run by nuns who had really clever, almost sadistic methods to enforce the rules. All I can say is thank God for them. Now, I wonder what enforcement the public schools have for those who cannot shut their mouth, listen, and apply themself?

Good luck on teaching.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by greazzer

Here's my .02 cents. If you enjoy (enjoyed) teaching, have you thought about a private school? Excluding one year for one child, all years for my kids were at Catholic School. I visited the public school and it was a zoo. I deeply regret subjecting my one child to the public school system for that year, and Richland County, S.C. supposedly enjoys some of the best public schools in the nation. IF that is the case, then I really feel bad for the rest of the nation. I can say you will generally not experience a bunch of hellions in private school, and one call to the parents will nip any issue in the bud.

I only teach 1 evening per week at a CCD class as a volunteer so I have nothing to compare against a full time schedule. I have a mix, with half the kids being really respectful, interested, participating, et cet., and the other half just waiting for the bell, with a handful who need to be told to simmer down, be quiet, get on track, et cet. every 10 minutes. Some years are better than others, but overall the same experience give or take.

Teaching is a super tough job IMO, especially in the public school system. Personally, I could not do it since I do not think there is any real enforcment mechanism. I went to a tiny inter-city Catholic school run by nuns who had really clever, almost sadistic methods to enforce the rules. All I can say is thank God for them. Now, I wonder what enforcement the public schools have for those who cannot shut their mouth, listen, and apply themself?

Good luck on teaching.

Since we're throwing in our $.02 coins, here's mine.
I've taught high school, college and industry, in English and in French, uin the US Canada and France.

If the public school sucks but you like teaching, teach in a private school or work as a tutor. I know people who make about 150/day tutoring high school kids after their regular job, so it's about 30,000 above work.

Check out whether you can teach adults. Like a GED program. The ones who are there always want to learn.

I am really surprised about the IT degree not being marketable. If you also have an A+ cert or a MCSE cert, which you can learn in two week cram courses -- studying for the test-- those guys with a cert and with a degree are doing ok over here.

Don't do welding as a job unless you really like it.We all do some work we don't like but that helps us appreciate the other stuff we do. It is a good trade, but it's also a trade where you have to unscramble most people's bad welding jobs. I say that because I know a guy who's the third generation in the welding business, the family has a fairly prosperous shop.

I hate the weather in Michigan but when I retire I'm not going to move everything, just take a 60-day vacation in the winter.

Whatever you do, suggest you talk about it extensively with the missus. Good luck!

[tbomachines]

I am surprised to hear that you've had trouble finding IT work, around here they can't fill positions fast enough -- different markets I guess. I am not surprised to hear about your public school issues though. It's a mixed bag from the teachers I know. Going to trade school sounds like a great choice but do you like IT work? Do you enjoy teaching? A lot of times just a change of venue or companies makes all the difference.


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[Benzasaurus]

I think Greazzer's got a great idea there. There's a headhunting company called Carney Sandoe that it may be worth ringing up and doing an informational interview with. From what I know about it (there were a few workshops at my grad school) they look for people with teaching experience, who have wanted to teach for a while/enjoy teaching and show it through the resumι, and sometimes for people who can teach the students other skills or do extracurriculars.

In New England, they're also pretty flexible about area of expertise and you can teach in a whole lot of areas where you have basic competencies. On the university job market I have one defining competency, maybe two. For private schools, I have well over 15. So if you do decide to go that route, list everything you would feel comfortable teaching an intro to after reading up. That you could teach their students about mechanical systems and IT would probably be a bonus.

Most of the schools now go through Carney Sandoe which sort of pre-filters candidates for them and then they do hiring conferences.

Maybe it's worth a shot? Also, pay is multiples of public school pay (at least in NE).

Best of luck with whatever you decide to pursue.

[compu_85]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

I am surprised to hear that you've had trouble finding IT work, around here they can't fill positions fast enough -- different markets I guess.

I had the same problem here in VA - everyone wanted a super specific skill for short money. It took me months of applying to every posting that came to get the position I'm at now.

-J

[TheDon]

I don't have a teacher certification, I'm working under a temp cert. I have two more tests, a year long course, and some sort of teacher test to take before I get my certification.

I'm not an English or math teacher, I'm industrial arts, a dying elective so its pretty hard to find those positions. Private schools are kind of sketchy to work at, in FL teachers at private schools do not have to be certified, the pay is usually lower, and they can fire you at the drop of the hat. I at least have to be certified and they can't fire me unless I do something incredibly stupid. I joined the union the first day just so I could have the $1 million liability on me since I have a full shop.


I'd like to get back into IT, it usually pays well and there is room to move up, I'd like to do desktop administration over help desk but im having a hard time finding one of those positions in the Orlando area. Orlando is mostly a tourist area and the tech jobs are out by the university or on the coasts, nothing in my immediate area. A friend of mine works for Dell and he works from home, he said they might be hiring soon for his team and he is keeping me in the loop

I don't know how the welding market is in Orlando as well. I should probably look

[Benzasaurus]

Originally Posted by TheDon

I don't have a teacher certification, I'm working under a temp cert. I have two more tests, a year long course, and some sort of teacher test to take before I get my certification.

I'm not an English or math teacher, I'm industrial arts, a dying elective so its pretty hard to find those positions. Private schools are kind of sketchy to work at, in FL teachers at private schools do not have to be certified, the pay is usually lower, and they can fire you at the drop of the hat. I at least have to be certified and they can't fire me unless I do something incredibly stupid. I joined the union the first day just so I could have the $1 million liability on me since I have a full shop.


I'd like to get back into IT, it usually pays well and there is room to move up, I'd like to do desktop administration over help desk but im having a hard time finding one of those positions in the Orlando area. Orlando is mostly a tourist area and the tech jobs are out by the university or on the coasts, nothing in my immediate area. A friend of mine works for Dell and he works from home, he said they might be hiring soon for his team and he is keeping me in the loop

I don't know how the welding market is in Orlando as well. I should probably look

That sucks about how they treat private school teachers down there. I remember reading something about it a while ago because they treat university professors really badly too. Not too much love for educators.

I don't know anything about the market for welding, but why not keep applying in IT while you do whatever it is you decide? An acquaintance said this one thing to me though that's stuck with me: "You only need one 'yes'." It sounds as apt for IT as for tenure track jobs.

[TheDon]

I'm applying for IT jobs daily but never get any calls. Honestly, I don't feel like I'm that great with IT when compared to others. I'm really in a funk at the moment. I have 4 lessons I have to make and crap but I can't figure out how to structure it and what I want to do because I don't care anymore. I have too much to do


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[JB3]

If you dont like it, you arent going to start liking it, so good idea to move on.

My BIL just spent the last 8 years teaching at a charter school in harlem. Guy was working 14 hour days for years dealing with everything under the sun. Teaching is a hard job.

Word of warning on welding school, dont lull yourself into thinking it will be sunshine and roses in the job market after you complete it. You will find a job no problem, but it might be a job like repairing used dumpsters ect.
Had a friend who spent 3 years doing that after welding school. He said coming home from work to relax takes on a whole new meaning after spending 8 hours laying in a pool of putrid dumpster water in 100 degree heat repairing part of a hydraulic ram housing.

[jake12tech]

Well, you have 6 months to decide whether you want to quit. It sounds like it is a good idea for you. As others have mentioned, if you hate it now, that won't change any time soon. I think that teaching older kids (I remember you saying you teach 6 or 7th grades IIRC) can be a lot easier than younger kids. Most of them have calmed down by senior year, aren't as immature.

[t walgamuth]

No job is perfect.

I'd keep my nose to the grindstone until I had another job for sure.

The perfect job is being born to the right parents, then you can do what you love and not worry about money.

For the rest of us though if we are lucky there is a part of the job that we truly love, the rest we do so we can do that part we love. For me the design work is what I love. For the rest, I developed solid competency over the years. Ratio for me back in the hay day was doing what I loved for 5% of the time, the rest I ground out with competency so I could build innovative designs and get recognized for them.

For any aspiring teacher I suggest as required reading "The Hoosier Schoolmaster". It was written in 1870 or so (I have a first edition of it) and its in a tiny one room school in rural Indiana, but the challenges are similar to what you face.

It is hilarious and readable.

[MTUpower]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

No job is perfect.

I'd keep my nose to the grindstone until I had another job for sure.

The perfect job is being born to the right parents, then you can do what you love and not worry about money.

For the rest of us though if we are lucky there is a part of the job that we truly love, the rest we do so we can do that part we love. For me the design work is what I love. For the rest, I developed solid competency over the years. Ratio for me back in the hay day was doing what I loved for 5% of the time, the rest I ground out with competency so I could build innovative designs and get recognized for them.

For any aspiring teacher I suggest as required reading "The Hoosier Schoolmaster". It was written in 1870 or so (I have a first edition of it) and its in a tiny one room school in rural Indiana, but the challenges are similar to what you face.

It is hilarious and readable.

I agree- keep your job until you find another one. However the perfect job is not being born to "the right parents". Plenty of kids are born to "the right parents" and do nothing. Or less than nothing. Or waste the parents money on stupid ****. Being born to "the right parents" is a idiotic leftist meme.

Teaching is tough- and it's low paying. You had better really like it or you won't last. If you do last and don't like it you'll be a horrible teacher. Find something which you can do, you can learn to like and pays the bills. Some folks look their whole lives for this position, some find it after decades and some are happy no matter what. Do what you gotta do.

[TnBob]

Welding is fun yes... BUT .... for 60 minutes and hour, 8 hour a day, 5/6 days a week for 52 weeks a year ??? Hmmmm....
Private school sure sounds like a better option or digging and networking into IT.