The teaching profession is widely considered one of the best jobs for mothers. Yesterday, my sister asked me if I could now better understand why some people choose teaching as a career simply for that reason, and it got me thinking... what makes teaching a great job for moms? And a not-so-great one?
The first obvious advantage are the breaks, especially summer break. As a mother, there's nothing better than getting to spend an entire summer break at home with your child. And once your children are of school age, I'm sure it's even sweeter to be able to stay at home with them on spring, fall, and Christmas breaks, as well as snow days. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, if you want to advance in your career, you often times have to work during those long breaks. For example, although I have turned down numerous trainings for this summer, I am training teachers for two weeks in July, and I have a two-day leader training in Louisville. These are minor compared to no break at all, but it is a reality. Speaking of breaks, another disadvantage of being a teacher is you do not get to pick when your family goes on vacation. It may be cheaper in "out of season" times, but as a teacher, your vacation time is picked for you - June and July!
Another great advantage to teaching are the work hours - we can leave school at 3:30 pm. I used to never leave school at 3:30, but this year, when I was still adjusting to not being around Emerson very often, you could see me walking about the back doors at 3:30 sharp every day. However, this comes with a disadvantage, based on your subject and your work ethic. Although I would leave school at 3:30, it meant I had to spent hours at night, preparing lesson plans and grading papers. That, to me, is one huge disadvantage of teaching... you can't just leave your job at work. I know there are lots of other professions like that too, but some people are fortunate enough to walk out the door at 5 pm and not have to think about work again until the morning. That isn't the case for most teachers. That means, I either miss out on time with my child by staying at school until my work is finished, or wait until she goes to bed and spend the little "me time" I have working. Of course, as I stated, this is totally dependent upon what type of teacher you want to be.
Speaking of that, another disadvantage I recently thought of deals with continuing your education. Teachers in KY are required to get their Masters, and if you want to "move up" the professional ladder, you usually have to get 30 graduate hours to be certified in any other job. Unlike in some professions where you can get promoted simply for your work or your time invested, in the education world, you have to get special certification for each job. This means time -- and money -- taken away from your child so you can pursue your graduate degrees.
There is another advantage that I think few people consider. Teaching has taught me so many of the characteristics I need as a mother: patience, flexibility, discipline, etc. The traits required of teachers are the same ones required of mothers, and after years of practicing these in the classroom, they come a little more naturally at home. While it is more difficult to discipline my own child, I have seen firsthand what happens when children aren't disciplined at home, and that is a strong reminder for me to tell Emerson "No," to give her a curfew (when she's older, of course), etc.
It is definitely not a one-sided issue (what is?). Teaching is a great career for mothers, but it isn't a perfect one. And it definitely isn't something someone should choose simply because they think it would be good to have for that reason. I wouldn't want any other job, but I felt that way before being a mother. I love my subject, I love my students, and I love helping them learn. Those are the reasons to be a teacher. The rest are just bonuses.
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