Hi. My name is SkinnyG. I've been a high school shop teacher for 28 years. I have 4 more to go.
I have been directed by other teachers to NOT talk to the student teachers, because my first words are always "It's not too late to get out."
I'm going to try and keep my rant short....
You are either cut out to be a teacher, or you are not. There is a HIGH burn-out rate in the first five years. You need to be PASSIONATE about teaching to make it.
There are two kinds of teachers - those who love kids, and those who love their subject. One isn't necessarily better than the other, but the relationship you have with the kid is more important than the curriculum.
20% of what you do is curriculum. 80% is classroom management. You might hate that.
Everything you say or do will be taken out of context, twisted, and used against you at their earliest convenience. You might hate that.
You have NO IDEA how much of teaching is politically driven. "The System" is not about the kids, it's about saving money, looking good publicly, and getting re-elected. You might hate that. WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR CLASSROOM is what matters.
I am one of the very FEW mechanics teachers in my district (if not the only one) that DOES NOT bring in "outside" work. We don't work on staff cars, we sure as heck don't touch MY cars. I have a FULL program with LOTS to do; I just don't need the stress of little Billy berkeleying something up. Again. And then little Johnny berkeleys it up even worse
Last year I really tried to woo the heart of a sociopath student in my class, so he doesn't hatchet murder me in a dark alley.
Over the years I care less about the academic success of my students, and try to come along side them and direct them to a path that will bring them success in life.
Watching good kids turn to drugs or whatever and ruin their lives is harsh. You might hate that.
Some of my sayings to new teachers:
"There is no task so simple that a kid cannot screw it up."
"30/30/30 - 30% totally "get" what you're talking about. Another 30% haven't got a clue. The last 30% completely misunderstood what you said, but will fight to the death for what they thought they understood."
"You made it through University, with a teachable major and a teaching degree. Statistically, only 10% of these kids are actually going to finish a degree, so if you're teaching to who YOU are as a student, you're missing 90% of your class. You have the teach to the majority."
Having said all that - I absolutely LOVE teaching, and have always enjoyed trying to explaining how and why something works, even before I got into teaching. I cannot wait for the career to be over so I don't have to deal with all the other crap I absolutely hate.
Would I do it again? Probably not; I don't love people enough (I love my subject). I'm also high-functioning Autistic which is both a help and a hindrance.
If you need curriculum, ALL of my EVERYTHING that I do is here: www.gwellwood.com/subjects - help yourself!