ravinlunachick Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Do you think you will ever return to a public school classroom? How will your teaching style be affected by having been a homeschooler? I personally am amazed at all that I wasn't taught in teacher education. I'd never heard of Charlotte Mason or Liping Ma or of most of the curricula out there. Yet, I have no doubt that I was a very effective teacher. Were I to return to ps teaching at some point, I think that I would probably be more than willing to incorporate the things I've learned. If I were allowed, of course. I taught for 8 years in a district where we were not allowed to do spelling or any sort of worksheets of any kind for kids in grade 3 and below. My first graders weren't allowed lined paper for writing! I don't know if I will ever return to teaching professionally, but if chances are that it would be in a private school that is more accepting of classical methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I doubt I'll ever be a public school employee again. If I were to go back, I'd be more compassionate and patient to parents and students. I'm not sure if that's a product of homeschooling, parenting or maturity. Probably all of the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravinlunachick Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 I doubt I'll ever be a public school employee again. If I were to go back, I'd be more compassionate and patient to parents and students. I'm not sure if that's a product of homeschooling, parenting or maturity. Probably all of the above. I'd be a lot more understanding towards parents as well, but I think that is a result of having children of my own in school. I guess I've seen "the system" from pretty much every perspective at this point: childless teacher, teacher with young baby, parent of a regular ed kid, parent of a special needs kid, homeschooling parent with one still in ps....the only thing that is left is for me to return to teaching with school-age kids, I guess. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 YES! And if not the classroom, then to the counseling office. I have credentials to work as a teacher (English, History and ESL) and as a School Counselor. I can teach grades 6-12 for English and History, but am certified in K-12 for the rest. I have never worked with Elem. student though and am really more of a middle or high school person! :D I would much prefer counseling, but my guess is that I will get my foot in the door with ESL. That is my trump card even when teachers are being laid off. I miss working TERRIBLY! HSing has been hard for me. I worked for 17 years in CA. But, I know HSing is where I need to be right now. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily in FL Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I can't imagine working in the school system again. I left to stay home with my daughter never even imagining that we would homeschool. I was already disillusioned with the school system though. Now that I have been homeschooling for so many years, I would not enjoy having so many restrictions on how/what I taught my students. I appreciate the freedom of choosing the curriculum that I like best and teaching to meet the individual needs of my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 For me, in my heart, I am a public school and inner city girl when it comes to work. That is where I have always worked. I LOVE working with those who have no choice at all. Even though we were dictated by Standards, I found ways to add in things I thought were important. Noone ever bothered me about it. Now, for ESL, I have always had free reign to do whatever I wanted as long as I got the job done. I have heard some of this has changed, although I am positive I would still find ways to get in what I thought would be important. Dawn I don't know if I will ever return to teaching professionally, but if chances are that it would be in a private school that is more accepting of classical methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I wasn't a teacher, but I worked as a classroom assistant/teacher support for a few years. I have no desire to go back. There were some good times, but a lot of bad times too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 If I did go back it would be to the elementary level. Or special ed which is much more like tutoring. Or a juvenile correction facility if it were with older kids - I was actually safe there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 If I did go back it would be to the elementary level. Or special ed which is much more like tutoring. Or a juvenile correction facility if it were with older kids - I was actually safe there! I taught special ed for 10 years before coming home. 3 years in middle school. Tutoring it isn't. Paperwork nightmare is more like it. I spent more itme on paperwork than I did on preparing to teach. Then all the days in the spring that I had to miss for IEP conferences. Then the lack of funding for specialized materials or for me to get training.... No way. However, the one year in self contained K with aides was not so bad. I spent more time fightin with the principal who thought our kids should never be included anywhere at anytime though. Then I went to preK. Ok, yes, I would love to work more in preK early childhood special ed. I loved that I had a low case load. I loved that OT, PT, and Speech were easier for kids to receive and that as professionals we all worked closely together. I loved that I had time worked into my day forplanning, IEPs, testing, and such. I would go back to this but I would like to be more of an administrator than full time classroom teacher. But I doubt it will ever happen. My license will expire this year and I don't have enough CEUs to renew it. In addition my youngest is just turned 4. I plan on being home for many more years with her Lord willing. By that time, I may want to do something completely different depending on the educational climate. If I had not come home with my son in 2001 I was in line for an assistant administrator position in a fabulous preK special ed school. But, we moved, and my son became very ill, and I stopped working. I'm not complaining at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Sorry to hijack, but DH met with the program director at the local state school to discuss his entering the Special Educators Masters/ Teacher certificate program yesterday. He is very interested in being a Special Education Teacher but was told they won't admit anyone into the program until they've spent time in a SPED classroom because it's often not what people think. Did you find this true, could you possibly PM me about teaching SPED. Thanks! I taught special ed for 10 years before coming home. 3 years in middle school. Tutoring it isn't. Paperwork nightmare is more like it. I spent more itme on paperwork than I did on preparing to teach. Then all the days in the spring that I had to miss for IEP conferences. Then the lack of funding for specialized materials or for me to get training.... No way. However, the one year in self contained K with aides was not so bad. I spent more time fightin with the principal who thought our kids should never be included anywhere at anytime though. Then I went to preK. Ok, yes, I would love to work more in preK early childhood special ed. I loved that I had a low case load. I loved that OT, PT, and Speech were easier for kids to receive and that as professionals we all worked closely together. I loved that I had time worked into my day forplanning, IEPs, testing, and such. I would go back to this but I would like to be more of an administrator than full time classroom teacher. But I doubt it will ever happen. My license will expire this year and I don't have enough CEUs to renew it. In addition my youngest is just turned 4. I plan on being home for many more years with her Lord willing. By that time, I may want to do something completely different depending on the educational climate. If I had not come home with my son in 2001 I was in line for an assistant administrator position in a fabulous preK special ed school. But, we moved, and my son became very ill, and I stopped working. I'm not complaining at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Do you think you will ever return to a public school classroom? No. Never. I let my certificate expire and it will be too much trouble (and expensive) to renew. Well, I won't say never, because if I need a career that will pay reasonably well and give our family health benefits, I would need to. However, I'd rather not. If I ever have to go back to work, I'd prefer a job I can leave behind at the end of the day. Teaching follows you home. You're never done working. Also, teaching in Florida has become extremely stressful due to what state politicians have done (and are still doing) to the profession. I personally am amazed at all that I wasn't taught in teacher education. I'd never heard of Charlotte Mason or Liping Ma or of most of the curricula out there. Yet, I have no doubt that I was a very effective teacher. :iagree: People used to say to me that homeschooling would be easy for me because I had been a teacher. I think it was harder. I had to unlearn what I was taught, and relearn so much. I do believe I know more about teaching, education, and self-education now as a homeschool parent than I ever knew when I was a professional teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I taught special ed for 10 years before coming home. 3 years in middle school. Tutoring it isn't. Paperwork nightmare is more like it. I spent more itme on paperwork than I did on preparing to teach. Then all the days in the spring that I had to miss for IEP conferences. Then the lack of funding for specialized materials or for me to get training.... No way. Yup. I was an ex. ed. teacher. This describes it perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Never, I will never go back to teaching a whole classroom of children. I don't know what I will do if/when I need a job. I like working with kids (I taught middle school) individually or in small groups. Right now, the idea of working with/being around adults sounds very appealing. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I taught special ed for 10 years before coming home. 3 years in middle school. Tutoring it isn't. Paperwork nightmare is more like it. I spent more itme on paperwork than I did on preparing to teach. Then all the days in the spring that I had to miss for IEP conferences. Then the lack of funding for specialized materials or for me to get training.... No way. Probably it has changed greatly since I taught special ed 20 years ago. I know that there was a lot of paperwork but I worked with another teacher who did the paperwork for the two of us. In my self-contained classroom with 4 aides, it was like tutoring for me to take individual children or small groups aside to work with them. But - like I said - this was 20 years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Probably it has changed greatly since I taught special ed 20 years ago. I know that there was a lot of paperwork but I worked with another teacher who did the paperwork for the two of us. In my self-contained classroom with 4 aides, it was like tutoring for me to take individual children or small groups aside to work with them. But - like I said - this was 20 years ago! Wow! I taught ex. ed. from 1977-1997 (quit when ds was born) in 2 different states (Florida and Georgia), and at 3 different schools. I taught elementary, junior high, and my last and longest position was in a high school. I was lucky to have one aide. I always had to do my own IEP's, my class was often larger than the law said it was supposed to be, and though I supposedly taught just one type of disability, I had students with mental handicaps, emotional handicaps, and learning disabilities. Each of those types of kids needs a different approach yet I was expected to teach them in one classroom with one aide (usually a class of around 15 kids). If I had the kind of situation you describe, I *might* go back, but I'd still rather have a job that I don't take home with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I can't imagine ever going back to teaching in a classroom environment. I was already so disillusioned when I left to stay home with my oldest. I just don't think I could cope with the bureaucracy, restrictions, and paperwork now that I've experienced the freedom of homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 No, I won't go back to teaching. I just couldn't do it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Lea Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Butterfly Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I am getting ready to start an educator prep. institute and I am very curious to see what my studies will "teach" me compared with the voluminous research I have done on various educational methods myself. I would prefer to work in a private school over public. But I'll be honest, I don't really intend to work anytime soon:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I can't imagine working in the school system again. I left to stay home with my daughter never even imagining that we would homeschool. I was already disillusioned with the school system though. Now that I have been homeschooling for so many years, I would not enjoy having so many restrictions on how/what I taught my students. I appreciate the freedom of choosing the curriculum that I like best and teaching to meet the individual needs of my children. :iagree: I don't think I too could return back to the classroom. I would like to go back to graduate school and go into Child Life. Work in a hospital with children who are critically ill. But I'm done with teaching in the public schools. Too disillusioned with the system. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsDoMath Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I have been in high school and college classrooms. I would definitely be willing to go back to the college. High school? Ummmm, nope. (barring extremely desperate financial situation, in which case I could just go back to office work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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