After another meeting about the possibility of becoming a teacher, I’m even more conflicted about what I’m eventually going to do. The meeting went well, possibly as well as it could have, but some concerns still need to be addressed.
I realize the actual day to day of teaching in a public school may not be as fun as teaching New Media summer camps over at the University—with many students suffering teenage angst and apathy for learning in general. That isn’t what’s bothering me.
The real conflict comes from the fact that I’ll still have to take two art classes before I can even apply to the Faculty of Education, and another five after that before I can start the year and a half of practical studies requirements. So the best case scenario would mean I wouldn’t start PS1 until Fall 2009, PS2 Spring 2010, and PS3 Fall 2010—I could be a fully paid teacher by January 2011. I’ll be almost 32.
Perhaps when it comes to furthering my education, I should think about a higher level degree, as opposed to moving laterally. Do I really want three Bachelors degrees? Perhaps I should be thinking about a Masters.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:59 am
J.,
Choices,
Despite the time…will it be a career you really would enjoy? Find a class that is similar to what you want…volunteer…did you like it?
One part of teaching that used to be a requirement was the application process required hours and hours of volunteer time by the applicant. It may give you an idea if it’s worthwhile to pursue.
I took the long way to becoming a teacher. B.Sc with another sub-degree added on (actually have 1 specialist, and one major)…then took two years at U of L (great place, great people). 7 years in total….which does help you on the pay grid as well.
Once you receive the B.Ed…go where you want to stay in the future. Don’t bounce around. If you select a large centre (eg. Calgary, etc…) the large divisions have a lot of internal structure/ departments with specialties that you may want to pursue in the future with the particular division.
Decisions, decisions.
Peter
April 29th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The nice thing about a master’s degree is that it will allow you to teach at a college or university as well.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
How long would it take to get a Masters?
May 1st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Have you looked at the M.Ed. at U of C? I have some friends that have done this with various types of undergraduate degrees - would get you into a classroom in 2 years, WITH a Masters degree … two birds with one stone - AND … you can do it online (so no need to move to Calgary if you don’t want to):
http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/gder/htdocs/programs/item.php?id=13
My friends that have done this have been very pleased with the result. While I’ve heard that average teacher burn-out rates are at about 7 years … there’s so much more you can do with an education degree now - think corporate training … and with your two degrees you’d be the ideal candidate for a place like SMART technology! Endless opportunities (not to mention the opportunity to be a principal or something).