There are many things a person can do to prepare for teaching. If they are interested in teaching English, major in English. If math is their thing, get a Math degree. Having a strong foundation in the area someone wants to teach in is tantamount to success in the classroom. Majoring in Education is not the strongest route to go. Minoring in Education is helpful and can help a first-year teacher dissect all of the acronyms the educational system uses. However, if a person majors in Education and minors in their content area, the students will be shortchanged. Let me elaborate.
1. Educational classes tend to deal in theory, not in real-life practical scenarios. In a perfect classroom, with unlimited funds, unlimited resources, and well-behaved students who want to be there to learn, a teacher will have perfect test results and a fantastic day. A first-year teacher it caught unawares of the real-life situations schools are in. School personnel are short staffed, over worked, underpaid, and extremely stress. Every couple of years, the curriculum changes every couple of years. This means there are new lesson plans to make, new guidelines to follow, and new tests to administer. This makes for a confusing and intimidating environment for both the teacher and student. If a teacher is new, there is also the trepidation of performance anxiety.
2. There is no class to determine how to handle classes. The biggest complaint first-year teachers have is “How do I manage my time?” “How do I do lesson plans?” “How do I make sure I get everything covered?” A first-year teacher is dumped into a classroom and told “go”. They are handed a schedule and told to do the best they can. How can someone be expected to do the best they can when there is no premise to go by? Most new teachers do not have anyone they can turn to. Due to the lack of pay and respect, and the high level of stress and frustration, they leave after the first year. Statics now show that new teachers don’t even make it to the five-year mark. They leave. There are the rare occasions that a new teacher is lucky enough to have a mentor. Those days are long gone. There is the Internet now, which is helping the situation. However, teachers are in the people business. Why can’t there be people for the teachers?
3. “I don’t want my students to hate me.” Most people need the acceptance of those around them. It’s hard not to. As a teacher, there is a line that has to be maintained. A teacher wants to be liked and accepted, leading to trust. But it’s still a job. You can’t be a friend and a teacher. Now a day, with smart devices being what they are, a teacher has to be on the defensive and remember to act as if they are constantly being recorded. Even then, the vindictive student has enough access to technology to render and splice anything together. If a teacher remains professional and documents, everything, as well as remain calm and respectful there should not be any problems.
Teachers who teacher feel driven to do so. Granted, there are benefits to the job. The trick now is to have first-year teachers weather the storm so they can become great veteran teachers students can look up to and learn from.
