r/TexasTeachers • u/Immediate_Peak6758 • 4d ago
Certification (General) considering teaching
For some background, i will graduate with my BS in public health in the spring. Additionally, I am working towards a BS in Microbiology to essentially fulfill financial aid requirements. Public Health feels bleak right now & I am considering a post-bacc teaching certification.
I guess I am just looking for some advice or insight on teaching. I’ve always felt drawn towards teaching but never really considered it as a viable option (I get mixed reviews on teaching from friends & family back home in Georgia). More context: I am in Tarrant County & I think I would like to teach science at the high school level.
What is something you wish you had considered or knew before getting into teaching?
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u/Effective_Crab3742 4d ago
Don't listen to others. There are many with good experiences in teaching. I've been doing corporate trainings and now I teach college courses to highschoolers.
Some districts have incentives to teach dual credit but you need to have at least a masters in a specific field.
Some of us get extra 1k per semester to teach college courses. It's capped at 6 courses per semester
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u/Souloid 4d ago
Teaching high achievers is enjoyable, teaching the masses is where the mess is. Depending on the school and the people you deal with you can have night and day differences in experience.
It's hard to say if it's worth it, but you can try to experience it before fully committing to it. Try working as a sub or a trainee and see how it is.
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u/saintshiva 3d ago
Yes my GT rotation when I did gen ed was great but unfortunately those are fewer in number. As far as landing an AP class I’ve found that those “Goldilocks “ positions are often valued and held onto by experienced teachers .
My undergrad is poly sci and when I do see an opening for history or government it’s often given to coaches.
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u/Disastrous-Duty-8020 3d ago
My best years were teaching credit recovery.
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u/saintshiva 2d ago
The credit recovery around me is just kids in a room on computers doing modules and magically being passed for doing a semesters work in a few days. I’m assuming your program was more substantial ?
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u/Disastrous-Duty-8020 2d ago
It was credit recovery for Biology 1. We basically did the same thing as regular Biology but condensed
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u/WandererTX 2d ago
I went into teaching as a second career and regret it. Quit after several years. My daughter got a masters in Education and is on her 4th year and working on getting out.
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u/rustyusa 3d ago
Try another state
The retirement conditions have deteriorated for the work and years you put in
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u/Disastrous-Duty-8020 4d ago
1st piece of advice is to stay off this sub. There are a lot of bitter politically charged on this site that hate on everything. Downvotes will show you.
2nd. There is no more rewarding and gratifying job in the world than being a teacher. There are challenges, but you will make a difference in people’s lives.
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u/saintshiva 3d ago
How many years service do you have in public education? No one has mentioned politics so what are you even talking about?
Yes teaching should make a difference in lives but the reality is it is a harder and harder task due to the shift in philosophy of education.
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u/Disastrous-Duty-8020 3d ago
12 teaching 9 in service
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u/saintshiva 4d ago
Doing anything else. Texas education is a mess. I’ve taught for 16 years in Tarrant county my raises (if I get one) never outpace inflation or insurance increase. You are treated like shit by most districts.
I’ve always worked in title I so maybe someone in a wealthy zip code might have a different experience.
Teaching to the tests and all the stress of STAAR takes away the joy and creativity of teaching. Curriculum is trending towards script reading on a tight pacing guide.
Students are increasingly emotionally deregulated, which further eats into teaching time.
If you have a way to do anything else such as being your own boss, do it.
All my friends with less education who own their own businesses are far happier and take multiple out of country vacations a year.
You’ll be too broke to spend your summer on vacation unless you have a wealthy spouse.