packrat
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2008
- Messages
- 10,614
Last year over the summer I took Para Educator classes and was hired at our preschool to work as the para in the Special Education room. I've worked more physical jobs like packing house/manufacturing jobs, and then I'd had office jobs. I really enjoyed my first year, and we're back at it for this school year, working on the class room, getting ready for the kidlets.
For our accreditation, I have to have my CDA (Child Development Associate), so I've been working on that since school got out last Spring. JD's been (strongly) encouraging me to continue on and become a preschool teacher. His main reasoning is that I would get paid during the summer, and I'd make more in general.
We live in a small community. We have two preschool rooms, plus our Special Ed room. All three teachers are young, and I don't really see them moving or anything--and actually would be sad if they did, b/c they're my coworkers and I really like them. He says a lot could change in the years it takes me to finish school, and that's true.
I admit to being one of "those people" who always thought teachers started their day a few minutes before the students walked in and ended it a few minutes after the students left. No weekends/holidays, long summer break, that kinda thing, my oh my the luckiest people ever. So then I started working at the preschool, and my lead teacher was there every day 30 minutes before me, an hour and 15 minutes before the kids came. Sometimes she'd be there 3 hours after the kids left, or she'd take work home w/her and do it on the weekends. My first day last year, she said she'd already been working in the room every day for 2 weeks. I myself put in a lot of unpaid time last year. There is so much paperwork involved, all the assessments, computer work, holy moly!
This past summer really hurt us financially, w/me not working. This sparked another conversation the other day about continuing my education. I've no problem w/going back to school. But, I like what I do, where I'm at, being a para. I like the room I'm in, my lead teacher. I don't want to go back to school and end up working 50-60 hours a week during the school year, having longer days, working weekends/holidays, spring break, and times during the summer, so that my salary averaged out to hourly isn't that much greater than what I'm making now.
He insists that teachers have more time off than the average 8-5 M-F worker. I can't say that I totally believe that, after seeing how much the preschool teachers worked last year. I'm under the impression that you don't student teach in the district where you live or where you'll be working. The district won't hold your job while you're gone student teaching, so I would basically be quitting for that year or however long you student teach, and then crossing my fingers to get hired right away. So, I wouldn't be able to just come back to my para job until a preschool teaching job came open. I could sub for teachers.
I don't know really where I'm going with this thread/post. Kind of talking out loud, trying to gather my thoughts in a way. I would enjoy being a teacher, I think. But, I already enjoy what I'm doing w/kids, and I don't have to deal w/the stuff the lead teachers do. (not that we paras don't have crap we have to deal w/too of course )
I don't know how long it takes..4 years I'm guessing. I'd still be 43 in four years whether I went back to school or not, so there's no "I'm too old" argument! Not sure if my CDA counts toward it..would be nice if it did.
I do plan on talking w/the teachers at school about it, maybe even talking to our Principal as well.
I guess basically, if anyone wants to weigh in on what to do when you're unsure what to do??
For our accreditation, I have to have my CDA (Child Development Associate), so I've been working on that since school got out last Spring. JD's been (strongly) encouraging me to continue on and become a preschool teacher. His main reasoning is that I would get paid during the summer, and I'd make more in general.
We live in a small community. We have two preschool rooms, plus our Special Ed room. All three teachers are young, and I don't really see them moving or anything--and actually would be sad if they did, b/c they're my coworkers and I really like them. He says a lot could change in the years it takes me to finish school, and that's true.
I admit to being one of "those people" who always thought teachers started their day a few minutes before the students walked in and ended it a few minutes after the students left. No weekends/holidays, long summer break, that kinda thing, my oh my the luckiest people ever. So then I started working at the preschool, and my lead teacher was there every day 30 minutes before me, an hour and 15 minutes before the kids came. Sometimes she'd be there 3 hours after the kids left, or she'd take work home w/her and do it on the weekends. My first day last year, she said she'd already been working in the room every day for 2 weeks. I myself put in a lot of unpaid time last year. There is so much paperwork involved, all the assessments, computer work, holy moly!
This past summer really hurt us financially, w/me not working. This sparked another conversation the other day about continuing my education. I've no problem w/going back to school. But, I like what I do, where I'm at, being a para. I like the room I'm in, my lead teacher. I don't want to go back to school and end up working 50-60 hours a week during the school year, having longer days, working weekends/holidays, spring break, and times during the summer, so that my salary averaged out to hourly isn't that much greater than what I'm making now.
He insists that teachers have more time off than the average 8-5 M-F worker. I can't say that I totally believe that, after seeing how much the preschool teachers worked last year. I'm under the impression that you don't student teach in the district where you live or where you'll be working. The district won't hold your job while you're gone student teaching, so I would basically be quitting for that year or however long you student teach, and then crossing my fingers to get hired right away. So, I wouldn't be able to just come back to my para job until a preschool teaching job came open. I could sub for teachers.
I don't know really where I'm going with this thread/post. Kind of talking out loud, trying to gather my thoughts in a way. I would enjoy being a teacher, I think. But, I already enjoy what I'm doing w/kids, and I don't have to deal w/the stuff the lead teachers do. (not that we paras don't have crap we have to deal w/too of course )
I don't know how long it takes..4 years I'm guessing. I'd still be 43 in four years whether I went back to school or not, so there's no "I'm too old" argument! Not sure if my CDA counts toward it..would be nice if it did.
I do plan on talking w/the teachers at school about it, maybe even talking to our Principal as well.
I guess basically, if anyone wants to weigh in on what to do when you're unsure what to do??