Secondary Thinking about becoming a teacher

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Crash Davis said:
You sound like a real dickhead.
I'm not a teacher by both of my parents were.
The hours put in versus the salary doesn't equate, it's the love of the job and the ability to have a positive influence on a growing mind.
As far as salary goes, I'm more than happy to compare if you want to play a game of swinging dicks. I'm in Banking and you know what sort of salaries are bandied about in this field.
You haven't exactly explained what your job is! I'm guessing that you're embarrassed that's it's probably fairly menial or you're just some yes-man jerk that sucks up to your boss, stuck in a job that you never thought you'd be in after missing out on the admission score you needed to get into the course of study you wanted at Uni.
I wanted to be a teacher, decided to defer my first year of Uni and never actually went back. Entered the workforce and clawed my way up the pathetic corporate ladder via Part time study and countless hours of overtime. I'm very comfortable but if I had my time again, would've committed to going back to uni when I should have and becoming a teacher instead of some drone working in finance, going through the motions.
Now enough about my back story, what was it you said you did again so we can all be impressed?
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So you no lub IUB :'(
 
Gibbke said:
If you're a male teacher in a HS, no boy should ever enjoy a stay in the alpha position when you're in the room...!

Quiet authority, and setting an example the kids find cool while still getting the job done properly (and not at the expense of the girls and those boys not even close to being an alpha) is always the most desirable option. This can take more than one lesson, so sometimes winning the war means taking a few hits in battle...

In a fix, though, boys need to be put in their place. We need it, because that's how we function. We're a bit like dogs - give the dog his place in the chain, and everything makes sense...leave him to sort through it with no help, and he becomes a dick. Bringing a boy down can be good, because he learns how to function with other boys, learns a bit about saving face in the pecking order, all the shit we put up with and inflict on ourselves as adults.

So a couple that have worked for me with typical white Aussie boys:
"Are you trying to make yourself look cool in front of your mates at my expense?"
"Are you showing off?"

For Pacific Islanders, who usually come from a different, much more regimented family dynamic than Aussies:
"Are you disrespecting me?"
"What would your elders/parents say about the way you're acting towards me/in class today?"

Frame it as a question, make sure you've specifically stated the rule they're breaking in there somewhere, bring it out of them and make them stumble (because any adult should be able to outwit a kid), and let them bow out gracefully under ther own steam - it's a battle of egos, and theirs' are a little more fragile, so severe embarrassment can be counter productive. Just enough to let the kid know he's got no hope of beating you without looking like an idiot, and even if he's getting a cheap laugh, the fact you haven't lost it and/or have given him a clear statement that if it keeps going there will be inconvenient sanctions, will help greatly. Chest thumping at the kids, teachers losing it, anything that isn't typical teacher behaviour, and you've just given the little hyenas a lame antelope...if all this fails, then if you've remained calm, you can then use schoolwide disciplinary procedures...

Ok, that's boys...haven't got a f###ing clue about girls...!
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I just finished my first year of teaching and thoroughly enjoyed teaching an all boys class following a similar mindset to this. They were far and away the weakest of all of my groups, but once we got past the first few lessons of establishing my dominance the rest of the year was fantastic and they fast became my favourite group to teach. You're absolutely right - boys are idiots and all the stupid dumb shit they do is exactly what I used to do.
 

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Been offered two full time fixed term contracts for next year. Am tearing my hair out trying to decide which one to take. One is maths with a bit of health with the possibility of it continuing on after 2016 and the other straight maths at my old high school. My old teacher and mate's dad is head of department and the classes will be easier plus Ive done a ton of relief there and know what the school is like, but its only covering someone who is off sick for the entire year.

Heart says the former, mind says the latter.

Arghhhhh
 
I'd take the one with the possibility of continuing on next year.
 
raskolnikov said:
I'd take the one with the possibility of continuing on next year.
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Yep ended up the maths/HPE role. Better chance of a role in 2017 and beyond plus get some HPE experience for my CV.

Talk about when it rains it pours. Heard nothing all summer then suddenly got 3 job offers in 48 hours (other was regional).
 
My personal gut feeling, knowing nothing of the particular circumstances, would be to take the more certain option, which it looks like you have. Personal friendships and a perceived "easiness" can turn, or be nothing like the way you imagined. Better to be there for purely professional reasons. I've also found myself that the supposed "harder" schools have better staff relations - no time to be precious and everyone needs to band together, which makes for great people to work with...
 
Hudu Gurusingha said:
Yep ended up the maths/HPE role. Better chance of a role in 2017 and beyond plus get some HPE experience for my CV.

Talk about when it rains it pours. Heard nothing all summer then suddenly got 3 job offers in 48 hours (other was regional).
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Already picked, so this is a little bit late. But consider the size of the staffs at these schools.

The larger the staff, the more likelihood that something opens up for you - regardless of what the Principal says.

My school is huge, staff of ~200 including teachers, ES, Admin etc.

If you're feeling in for maternity leave, and that person does come back, if you've done a good job, there'll be an opportunity in a different area of the school for you.

Having worked as Daily Org/Timetabler over a 4 year period, I've seen it happen countless times.

Don't confuse doing a 'good job' with doing an 'acceptable job' or 'not a bad job'.

In my experience, many people on 12 month contracts fall into the trap of coasting along, you've got to set yourself apart.
 

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TyroneVickery29 said:
Anyone done any teaching over in the UK? I'm heading over to do so in March and was just wondering if anyone had any tips or stories?

Cheers
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Not me personally but one of my tutors at Uni taught there for 10 years IIRC and she said the school she was at was a lot tougher than any school she taught at here.
 
TyroneVickery29 said:
Anyone done any teaching over in the UK? I'm heading over to do so in March and was just wondering if anyone had any tips or stories?

Cheers
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I haven't taught there but know people who have. I would avoid London like the plague
 
TyroneVickery29 said:
Why so?
Thinking about moving to Reading
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Reading probably isn't too bad. It's more the east end and inner suburbs. A colleague of mine worked in London and was told not to try to teach them. He said it's basically behaviour management with little actual teaching time.
 
Have heard two sides - some schools are rough and some schools are really good. Teachers who have come from the UK that I have worked generally rate their education system way above anything here.
 
Hudu Gurusingha said:
Have heard two sides - some schools are rough and some schools are really good. Teachers who have come from the UK that I have worked generally rate their education system way above anything here.
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I've experienced the opposite. Most I have talked to, say our system is a lot better. The support systems we have compared to there, the standard of teaching, facilities... the lot.
 
hilly said:
No problem with those who are dedicated to being a teacher but to be honest it seems a bit of a default option for those that aren't stupid but aren't particularly bright either.
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Reasonable point.
I had some great teachers and some terrible teachers.

I think teaching would become harder, the more you care and the more effort you put in.

The degree should be harder, and have placement from the start, and a lot of it. (I don't know a lot about the degree, this is all second hand information), so that you end up with more teachers who really want to teach, rather than the default option.

I know someone who did a sports science degree, and one year of teaching, and is now teaching year 11 maths. But this person doesn't understand the topic they're teaching.
This person works very hard though.

Then there are teachers who start a minute before the first bell, and finish a minute after the last bell. They have permanency, and will retire soon, so they are just left to it.

But permanency is becoming a thing of myth. Most teachers I know work on 6 to 12 month contracts...
Who the hell would want that? Get a degree, and go on 6 months? Do you move? Do you dare buy a house? Do you need to constantly be applying for work elsewhere, just in case?


Teachers are treated like shit by students, parents, the government and society in general. And a big part of that is because they are under so much scrutiny.
How many jobs are observed and monitored as much as teaching?

All jobs have a review system, but how often can you review a banker or an accountant? When do you ever observe someone on centrelink benefits (IschenkoUBeauty )?
But every family is critical of teachers.
If it goes right, they're not given credit... but anything that goes wrong is their fault.

I think teaching is an incredibly respectful occupation. And should be treated that way.
Which also means making it harder to become one, and getting rid of people that shouldn't be in that industry.
 
hilly said:
No problem with those who are dedicated to being a teacher but to be honest it seems a bit of a default option for those that aren't stupid but aren't particularly bright either.
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There are plenty of unintelligent people in jobs which are outside their scope of intelligence so don't go saying teaching is a default option. I failed 2 of the 4 of my 11 T.E.E subjects (or VCE if you're in Victoria. Basically need to do these to get into University), but I sat a test to see how intelligent I am when I applied to go to University as a mature age student and I was more intelligent than 60% of the people who sat the thing.

Fact is Universities do need to get tougher in the entrance examinations or subjects they are required to pass at high school..
 
Jack Richards said:
There are plenty of unintelligent people in jobs which are outside their scope of intelligence so don't go saying teaching is a default option. I failed 2 of the 4 of my 11 T.E.E subjects (or VCE if you're in Victoria. Basically need to do these to get into University), but I sat a test to see how intelligent I am when I applied to go to University as a mature age student and I was more intelligent than 60% of the people who sat the thing.

Fact is Universities do need to get tougher in the entrance examinations or subjects they are required to pass at high school..
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My observation is based on what I have seen from people I know. Nothing more, nothing less.
 

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Secondary Thinking about becoming a teacher

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