Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Reasons Teaching is Joyful
1. It can give you a sense of self appreciation. You might enjoy teaching people in a way no one else ever can. It can make you feel happy when someone learns something.
2. If you work at a job for a couple of years there is a high chance of job security. Teachers often work at the same school for many years and become heads of their department or just very respected teachers.
3. In the summer you can spend lots of time with your family. My father is a history teacher and we've always had the summers off together to have a lot of fun.
4. Maybe you love teaching. I think that it's a lot of fun and good for me.
5. The public usually appreciates a teacher. When you are a teacher, you earn a lot of respect and are accepted in the community.


Reasons Teaching might not be so Joyful
1. There is poor pay for teachers in many states. I have found that my parents made a good modest living with 4 kids and they both were teachers.
2. Teachers bring their work home. I can remember many nights where my father sat at the kitchen table with a pen, a highlighter and a stack of papers.
3. Your first teaching job is likely to include a move. I know that your first job may be out of state or a hundred miles away. That's an impossible commute unless you own a plane or helicopter and are willing to fly every morning.