FROM FIONA: Your reply cordially requested

[pegkerr]

Tomorrow, as part of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work, Fiona is going to be visiting Rob's store and spending the day with him, learning about his job. The last two years, she has spent this day with me at my office, learning about my job.

I'd like her to give her the chance to learn about a lot of jobs. Specifically, your job.

Won't you tell Fiona about your job, so she can get an idea of the vast possibilities in the World of Work out there?

If you can, please leave Fiona a comment by tomorrow night, telling her about your career. Something like:

What your job title is, and what that means

A description of a typical day

What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job

Why you like it and (if you dare)

Why you dislike it

What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?

What kind of person thrives in your job

Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?

I'd like her to get as many replies as possible. Thanks ever so much!

Cheers,
Peg (and Fiona)

Comments

[akamarykate.livejournal.com]

Hi, Fiona! I've been reading your mom's journal for a couple of weeks, and I have to say, you sound like a cool kid.

What your job title is, and what that means

I'm a fourth grade teacher.

A description of a typical day

Since you're in school, you probably know some of this. :) I arrive at work by 7:30, prepare lessons and fill out paperwork, and then greet my students when they arrive at 8. During the 'school day', I teach literature, creative writing, grammar, vocabulary, science, math, and social studies, and when my students are at their specials classes, I call parents, complete more paperwork, grade papers, prepare more lessons, set up science experiments, make copies and overheads, put up bulletin boards...all that stuff. I supervise either lunch or recess most days, and the carpool line once a week. After the students leave, I finish the work I couldn't get done before 3:30; on Tuesdays, I coach a Future Problem Solving team as well. Most days I leave the building between 4:30 and 5:30.

What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job

You'd need at least a bachelor's degree, usually in elementary education; I have a master's in educational psychology/gifted education as well. To do the job really well, though, I think it takes a few years of experience. The first year or two of teaching is incredible and overwhelming, because much of what you learn in college prepares you to teach the content, but doesn't teach you much about caring for students and providing a nurturing, structured environment that means that every child gets a chance to learn and to be creative.

Why you like it

I enjoy young people and their ideas. I like being able to dive into many different subjects. I like the creative aspects involved in writing and implementing my own curriculum--making up new, fun ways to teach, especially about literature, science, and history.

and (if you dare)Why you dislike it

I'm an introvert, and some days I come home feeling like all the energy's just been drained from me--there is never any private place or time in a grade school! It's a time-consuming job that often interfers with my own ability to be reflective and creative, not just about teaching, but about my own writing and life in general.

What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?

Again, I'm sure you know a great deal of these! Students can have trouble learning, or can make learning difficult for others because of their behavior and lack of respect. This year we've had trouble with note-passing. Sometimes students get sick or hurt at school, and I wish my sister was with me, because she's a nurse! Sometimes my students come to school and seem to have all climbed out of the wrong sides of their beds--they're all cranky and don't want to focus. That's when I have to do something silly, like make them sing or act out their math problems, or do the cha-cha-cha to learn pronouns, or make up experiments involving cartoon characters. (I must admit, though, I don't always need an excuse to include silliness in my classroom!)

What kind of person thrives in your job

Someone who is sensitive to the needs of others, who loves to learn and to share knowledge, who is a good listener as well as a good speaker, and who is willing to find new ways to solve problems nearly every hour of every day.