Report from the front lines: pros and cons of teaching in a Reformed high school

It is one thing to hear from school administrators, boards, and parents about what is contributing to a teacher shortage. But how do the teachers themselves feel about serving in the career right now?  What follows are the thoughts of six high school teachers with 104 years of teaching experience between them.

It’s worth noting that teachers in different schools or provinces may well come up with different answers. What’s on offer here could provide direction for schools trying to figure out how best to retain current teachers. My hope is that it will also be a great encouragement to those considering the profession. 

Pros of teaching as a career:

1. Can be very satisfying helping covenant kids grow in the Lord and helping parents fulfil their baptism promises – it’s very meaningful work (Eccl. 5)
2. Often excellent communal support – all pulling together for a good cause – many allies
3. Good support structures in place in daily school work – administration, parent committees, learning assistance department etc.
4. Great colleagues who share the faith and worldview make for a pleasant work environment
5. Job stability, including when the economy is suffering and jobs are harder to get
6. Lots of holidays – off when your kids are off, and in good seasons (like summer months)
7. Easier on the body – manual labourers can get worn out elbows, backs, knees, etc. More noticeable by middle age (assuming teachers take care of themselves)
8. Decent wages – similar to a lot of government jobs – fairly close to public school teachers (about 90%)
9. Benefits can be quite good – comparable to similar careers
10. Indoor, climate controlled, clean, comfortable work environment especially nice in winter months – great resources and access to good supplies
11. Good hours – never have to work odd hours, weekends, awkward shifts, unless you choose to (but there is a lot of work outside of school hours that needs to be done)
12. Can make extra money, do bigger projects, go on long trips in summer holidays
13. Some flexibility in when you want to work (go home sooner and work at home in the evening, e.g.)
14. Good variety – can teach different age groups, courses, etc., and room to change things up over the years
15. Potential for lots of fun – many of the activities or topics are quite enjoyable
16. Kids can be easier and more fun to work with than adults – enjoyable to be around, lively and enthusiastic, great sense of humour – keeps you young (but can be exasperating, too)
17. Freedom to come or go – sign contract yearly or choose to go elsewhere if you want, rarely any long-term commitment.

Cons:

1. Need to jump through a lot of hoops to get trained – lots of unnecessary/politicized courses and topics to cover, which can get tiring and demoralizing
2. 5-6 years of university – expensive, especially if you have to move out of town – and lost wages for those 5-6 years, and lost years of experience, seniority, working your way up in other careers, requiring decades to catch up to peers (if ever)
3. Pay not that good for that much university training – many trades pay better, RN nurses start at around $90k, RCMP make $106,576 after three years, etc., while most teachers start at $50k and max out at $80k
4. Exhausting to be working with 20+ students all day – overstimulating and draining making decisions non-stop and trying to attend to them all, and especially hard if you’re an introvert (as quite a few teachers seem to be)
5. Many students are getting harder to teach – less respect, less attentiveness, less willingness to work, more distractions outside of school
6. Multiple students with learning issues mean more adaptations and modifications to ensure they are all included – this can take a lot of time and work
7. Often lots of longer hours – marking, report cards, etc. – especially if there are large classes or if the course or grade level is new
8. Can be pressure to teach new grades, courses, etc., which means you often cannot get familiar with one grade level or one set of courses (esp. in smaller schools or when there is lots of staff turnover)
9. Government curricula changes regularly, forcing rewrites of course outlines, and the various bureaucratic hoops can get tiring and cause disillusionment
10. Can be emotionally draining when you have troubled or struggling students
11. A very public job – everybody in the community knows you and could have opinions about you (either good or bad).