How to figure out where to start.
Background: I just graduated high school 2 days ago. I know most people don’t know what they want to do yet, so I feel a little better since I have a general idea. However, that is all it is—an idea.
Obviously I plan to be a teacher, the only problem is I don’t know subject/grade-wise what I would like to do. Elementary seems fun because I could teach all of the subjects or two of them (if I decide on 4th or 5th level classes).
The only problem is, high school level seems to stand out for me. Mostly because they are more developed mind wise and you can have a conversation with them. Debating and conversations in the classroom is something I enjoy very much. However, the problem there is that I wouldn’t be able to pick a subject. I enjoy both math and English. I have made pretty good grades in both my whole entire life.
Pros and Cons of being a math teacher:
Pros:
- I am good at math, never have gotten below a B on an overall grade
- A teacher told me that there’s a ton more openings as a math teacher than an English teacher because “everyone wants to be an English teacher”.
- I have that thing I imagine every teacher does starting out where I want to ‘change how people see math’ and ‘make the ones who don’t understand start to enjoy it’
Cons: - I feel like math teachers get a bad rep
- There’s no room for the debate and conversation aspect, math is straightforward. The only argument you’d hear is ‘when will I ever use this?’ And ‘math is stupid.’
Pros and Cons of being an English teacher:
Pros:
- I am pretty good at English, especially grammar.
2.The ‘literary crisis’ and children not being able to write, spell, read, or pretty much anything stands out to me. I feel like finding ways to improve it would be worth it - Debate and conversation, like I mentioned
Cons: - I am not amazing at it, I still make mistakes here and there.
- Kids are AWFUL in my district when it comes to English class. I have interned and experienced so many evil classes that make the teachers cry it’s awful.
So, as you can see, I’m pretty stumped. On top of that, other subjects slightly interest me as well, such as history and other forms of science (not necessarily biology, but I took a forensics class I really liked and it made me more interested in science)
I know those aren’t great reasons to consider other subjects, but since I can’t choose, I’m EVERYWHERE!
I also know I have time to figure it out, but everyone in my Teacher Cadet class has it figured out besides me.
Notes:
- I will not do middle school, it’s the hell of both lower and higher grades put together.
- I have considered asking if a classroom where 1-2 blocks are math and 1-2 blocks is English is possible. I understand that many will say that is stressful, but it’s just an idea.
- Tips on how to decide would be GREATLY appreciated 🙏