It's the best feeling in the world when you know you've helped someone get to their "lightbulb" moment. The point at which everything clicks and makes sense. If you can deal with the massive workload and politics, then go for it! ...
Sorry I haven't contributed more..I'm actually jaded by my work at the moment...but that's another thread.
Good luck!
LZ - I'm sorry to hear you've had such a negative experience. It is difficult when we learn that things could/should have been done to assist us in the past and how unjust our experience was. But I have learnt to take my experience and use it to provide better care for those I am entrusted with. Not always so easy, but I try.
MG - I originally went into teaching knowing that what happened wasn't right, but that I could help others. Finding out how bad my life was, then that something should have been done, which would have changed my life completely: that was a lot harder to cope with than I thought.
I think Ali said almost everything I would say about primary teaching. I can't imagine doing anything else - it is THE most rewarding job, but also the most stressful and all-consuming. I can imagine that if you are not passionate about it, it would be the worst job in the world!
Be prepared for long hours (I am in my 9th year and still work 8-4:30pm plus a couple of hours several days a week at night and up to half a day on weekends), lots of politics (wondering what changes the new national curriculum will bring - we've had three new syllabus' since I started, and there's lots of focus on literacy and numeracy standards here in Qld) and spending the vast majority of your days on behaviour management. If you don't have the behaviour management skills, then you just don't get to teach - and that's where the rewards are. Those lightbulb moments. And, as Ali said, if just one child moves on and looks back and remembers something I did, if I can make a difference in just one child's life, then I consider it a career well chosen.
Having said all that, I am soooooo looking forward to my maternity leave (1 week and 3 days to go!) and if I wasn't going on leave, I'd be looking for some time out in other ways as it has burnt me out to a certain degree. It is an all-consuming way of life (if you want to be a great teacher) so I am really looking forward to being something else besides a 'teacher'.
I hope you make the right decision for you.
BTW, if you already have a degree, you can do a post-grad course in 1 year, at least as far as I know.
Have you spent any time at schools, volunteering? That's not a bad way to see if you like it. And spend extra time volunteering while you are studying too, it's an excellent way to build skills and to make sure it's the right career for you.
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