Becoming a teacher

[dtengineering]

Originally Posted by Scott Ritchie

First off you are "NUTS"

Oh, good... he's qualified, then! :-)

Originally Posted by Scott Ritchie

Secondly I don't think you want to be a Tech Ed. teacher...

I can't speak for the American experience, but as a Canadian Tech Studies/Industrial Ed/Shop Teacher with a background in Engineering, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tech studies courses tend to be electives, meaning for the most part you tend to get students who choose to be there, as opposed to required courses where you get everyone whether they want to be there or not. The curriculum for Tech Studies also tends to be much more flexible, and is -- at least here in BC -- not constrained by having to teach towards Provincial/State exams. That's why we can build robots in class...

Of course having a shop that involves many potentially dangerous power tools does require some additional education (on the other hand, you do get to use tools as your textbooks...). In BC you would have to complete a two-year diploma in tech studies before spending another year getting your B.Ed. All teachers in B.C. are required to have a minimum of a B.Ed, with a very few, very specialized exceptions.

Teaching is a great career choice, and tech studies I think is one of the better options for someone technically inclined... but remember that you aren't likely to start out with a FIRST team... more likely with a more challenging class... and you aren't likely to start out with any funding. The kids will know you are a rookie and will challenge you. It will be very demanding, and not particularly financially rewarding. You will be expected to teach to a variety of learning abilities, language abilities, and levels of interest. You will work evenings, weekends, and never get paid overtime. You will get great holidays... but burn them taking courses. From the sound of it, you will have to write a number of exams... that I am sure are all very meaningful (yeah, right.) But you will learn every year, and occasionally you will realize that what you are doing is actually very meaningful, even if it isn't always recognized as such. A quality public education, after all, is a neccessary component of any democracy.

Good luck, have fun, and be ready to work your $@#$@#$@# off. It ain't as easy as it looks.

Jason