AboutJames J. Kovalcin Expertise I am teaching or have taught AP physics B and C [calculus based mechanics & electricity and magnetism] as well as Lab Physics for college bound students. I have a BS in Physics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Arts in Teaching from same. I have been teaching physics for 27 years.
What's the quality of life like for teachers?
Generally speaking, can they pay their bills?
Do they have a decent amount of free time?
Do they have a somewhat stress-free life?
Can they buy most of the things they want (i.e. house, nice clothes etc.)?
I know these questions might be hard to answer, but considering your experience and just based on what you know, what would you say about the quality of life for teachers?
Thank you very much,
April
Answer The answer to your question is very complex! A lot depends on:
1. Where do you work.
2. What subject do you teach.
3. How serious is your commitment to be a good teacher.
4. What standard of living to do expect for yourself.
5. How well do you get along with kids.
6. What age group will you be teaching.
In the first case, the salaries and teaching conditions vary enormously. In some states a "normal" teaching load might be 250 students per day, while in others it might only be 100 students per day. In some states teacher at the top of their career might make more than $100,000 per year, while in other states salaries top out at $40,000. In addition you have to consider cost of living. Yes, Connecticut has the nations highest salaries, but it also has on of the highest cost of living. [The really bad combination happens when you end up in any area with lousy salaries combined with high cost of living - San Francisco comes to mind!]
Whether a teacher has a decent amount of free time depends on so many variables. If you are teaching higher academic levels you are more likely to have students who turn in their work - leading to more time grading papers [I spend about 10-15 hours a week grading papers plus 2-3 hours preping each week.]
Yes, you have summers off, but many would argue that good teachers probably work as many hours per year as any other worker, it is just that those yours are not distributed evenly throughout the year.
Stress free?!? You've got to be kidding! If you want a stress free career - pick something else. What with "No Child Left Behind" pressures throughout the country, poorly behaved students and their parents, student cheating and administrator who often lose sight of why their jobs even exist - NO! Teaching is NOT a low stress job.
The truth is that many teachers leave the teaching profession within their first few years in the field, while "alternate route" teachers [Those whose training was something other than education!] generally have about a 1 in 5 chance of staying.
But before you misunderstand all of this, there are parts to this career that can be very fulfilling! There are MANY great students out there - and you just might be the one who sets him/her on the path to the Noble Prize!
Unlike most other jobs, every September you get to start over and correct those nasty mistakes from the previous year!
