Quote:
Originally Posted by afrakabob
hey, so i posted a similar question in the teaching thread, but i'm wondering what FPHettes might have to say. 
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i'm really interested in elementary education in the inner city (inner city boston, specifically). do you think it makes more sense to start out working in under-performing schools while i'm still young/idealistic/energetic and then move up to schools in more privileged areas later in life when i have a family to support and the income is more of an issue? because then i'd have seen the worst case scenarios and hopefully learned how to maintain discipline and properly work with children with problems going on at home/recognize warning signs and whatnot.
or could this burn me out? and could it look bad on my resume if i started off in a school that has a bad reputation?
might it be a better idea to get some experience in higher-performing schools first, and then apply what i've learned to maintain those high expectations? i'm just afraid that with that option, i'd just melt in with the status quo and forget about how badly good teachers are needed in less wealthy areas.
i guess it's a tradeoff between following what i feel strongly about and looking ahead to having a reasonable salary when i really need one (God knows teachers don't get paid enough already, even in wealthier areas)
jazaks |
I dunno, do what you love and the money will come...I'm also idealistic so you should probably ignore me.
But things are no easier in wealthy schools!!! Trust me!!! The parents there are extremely anal and everyone is prejudiced in some way. They put way too much pressure on teachers to perform miracles in lieu of actual parenthood!! And the kids can be major brats (this is my experience thought).
I've give talks at schools in impoverished area and my interaction with them was amazing. Elementary school children are pretty tame mostly and they problems they have don't disappear in the wealthier schools, sometimes its more challenging.
Andddd I think some teachers in certain schools (the inner city ones) get paid a lot more. And I think also ESL teachers get paid more? I dunno, I could be wrong.
I don't know easy it is to get a job at a uppity school right off the bat.
I have no idea what I'm talking about
I just wanted to pretend to help!