Need some help (serious answers only please)

W

Wulaw Horn

1,000+ Posts
I think I want to sell my business/practice and teach.

On my application they asked me (2500 character or less- and I had to seriously cut this alerady) why I wanted to teach. The following is my answer (completely honest). My question is should I be honest, does this sound sincere, and is it too over the top. Also, anyone who has ever been a school admin or teacher please help.

Here it is:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I want to be a teacher because I want to do something to positively impact my community and the world around me, and I can think of no better way, at this point in time in my life, to do that then by educating and training young adults. I shudder to read the above and realize that the answer most definately sounds like the kind one would expect to hear from a contestant in a Miss America Pagent, but I've given this answer because it is truthful and honest.

I attended law school with the idea being that I wanted to prosecute criminals or work in the Army JAG corps. I thus interned with both Montgomery County Prosecutors Office and the Army Judge Advocate General and discovered that it is wretched, soul crushing work. Don't misunderstand, I have incredible respect and admiration for the people that work in those offices, but it warps your view of human behavior and runs the risk of causing a loss of faith in humanity. I decided that this was not for me, and instead started my own law practice directly out of law school. Although financially rewarding this career has not been spiritually fulfilling.

I view this step to be akin to the explorers burning their ships upon reaching a new world and new land. They knew that if their crew did not have a chance to sail back to the old world then they would have their full attention. This is what I'm doing in applying to teach. I want meaning in my life and I think I will receive it from teaching and coaching. I was a scrach golfer that played at the UIL state tournament in high school and a total and complete sports fanatic that would welcome any opportunity to help out coaching- though I don't view that as any more than a sideline for what I want to do in the classroom. I also debated at the state level my Junior and Senior years in high school and would be interested in teaching or coaching debate. The people with the greatest impact in my life were all my teachers, and I want to be remembered that way by future generations.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To make this a quacks post the reason I'm asking on this board is b/c I've seen other stuff up about like job reviews and hiring stuff here before, and the heart of my short essay really deals with meaning in life and career.

Thanks
 
I'd omit the part where that jealous mistress, the Law, has sucked your soul and spit it into hell. It makes it sound like you don't want to teach as much as you want to leave your current job situation.

I would emphasize students and how you have the desire, skills, and ability to both convey information and to help them think. Your organizational skills gained from being a lawyer (assuming this) will help you create and implement lesson plans. But that's a bit ahead of the game at this point.

Your initial paragraph seemed a bit clumsy, pardon my critiquing.

Streamline the writing and instead of writing "positively impact my community" (I personally don't like the how "impact" is being used in today's lingua franca) say something like "contribute to my community". Nurture and enrich could be thrown in, too.
 
Thanks for the thoughts Per- that's not at all what I was meaning (about teaching being a stop gap b/c I hate my current job) but that's why I wanted to post here to see how it sounded to an outsider that did not know me at all.

All other thoughts and opinions welcome, the more the better.
 
Teaching could make you lose faith in humanity and can be soul crushing work depending on your outlook.
From your article, it sounds like your looking to teach high school. Keep in mind that aside from athletes that you coach, the 60-100 students you teach don't want to see you and give little or no thanks to you foir teaching/helping them. Teaching can be trying in your first 2 years, after that fewer and fewer things suprise you and you become more effective in classroom management.
The biggest challenge I have faced is trying to understand why so many students treat their teachers the way that they do, when teachers are working for little pay and always have their students best interest at heart.
Despite how teachers are treated sometimes, it is a rewarding job that takes a monumental amount of patience. And it gets easier with experience unless you are not good at what you do.
 
Texashorn-

thanks for the perspective. I had to edit the stuff in there about my mom being a teacher for 20 years and watching her do that. I do know that the job isn't a panacea and that you can't change everyone, but I've seen/know a bunch of good teachers and they have a good impact on a fair number of students throughout their tenure. Any thoughts as to if my application essay would be ok- is it too honest or frank, sound flippant or does it sound sincere like I want to help?

Thanks

PS- also- how hard is it to get a first job. I obviously have no teaching experience but am willing to teach pretty much anything high school (I know I have to get my cert- I'm in the process there) and obviously have pretty strong academic credentials and 5 years of business experience in the "real world".
 
As a teacher, my opinion is that you used way too many "I" statements.

Being a teacher is not about you, and never will be. As a teacher, you go to work, bust your ***, put up w/ all kinds of beaurocracy, etc etc, and you do all that for KIDS. You will get little to no thanks- ever.

Seriously stop and think about it. Don't be a teacher because you think it will make you happy to be around kids and help them grow. Be a teacher because you're willing to sacrifice yourself and make it all about them - because children are our future and you can help them. (I know, trite, but deal.)

seriously, I see teachers fail all the time because they expect teaching to make them happy and be fullfilling. It CAN make you happy and it CAN be fullfilling, but you have to be willing to understand that nothing about teaching is about you, if you can derive happiness from seeing others succeed, you'll be OK.

I suggest you take a few weeks off and substitute teach before you give up your business for the teacher pipe dream. It's rare for someone to be able to go from the business world to teaching and be successful.

Go back and read your essay and see how many times you said "I".
 
There are few jobs that I believe I could never do, and teaching is one of them. Kids these days have no respect for anyone, and the political ******** that has taken over the school system along with the pay is just something I could not do. I commend those who do, and am thankful for their contributions AND sacrifices they are making for the next generation. Good luck!
 
Okay, I just re-read what you wrote and changed my mind. Smurfette is right--you placed the focus too much on your quest for meaning and self-fulfillment. I'd be prepared to excise that whole last paragraph because it comes off as really self-serving (which is fine and true and all but probably not what they want to hear).

I don't think being a scratch golfer or an excellent debater has any correlation with strong teaching.
 
Agree with Smurfette in general and LCHorn on her advice for an alternative route. I'm not a teacher, but you did use "I" about 20 times and wrote about the desire to help children two or three times, and one of those times you said it was so they would remember you.

But you threw yourself out there and wrote something heartfelt. Sorry to bash it, but it looks like you could get burnt out pretty easily if it's not as self rewarding as you would like. I think you've got to be a bleeding heart masochist to really want to teach.

I think there are ways you can retool the way you start teaching though. Volunteer reading to children, substitute, etc. Although there is something tempting about diving off the deep end and like you said, burn the ships.

Good luck on your decision.
 
the golfer/ debate thing is b/c I was looking at a couple jobs where they wanted A) a golf coach or B) a debate coach- that's where that came from, sorry if it wasn't clear.

Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate them.

Right now my practice is very successful, I just don't want to do it anymore.

I will try to change the focus, I hadn't thought of it that way before. It really is that I want to do something to help out others, I will concentrate my focus more on that. Any other suggestions are certainly welcome.
 
I already fixed that, but after I posted. thanks for the heads up though, I'm the worlds worst speller and I was typing ti directly into the application as I was filling it out b/c it doesn't get sent out until you hit submit. I didn't think to paste it into word perfect for the spell/grammer check until later.

I figure a typo on an employment ap or resume should result in no hire. It' s certainly the way I manage my business. If you can't get the details right when you are trying to put your best foot forward you probably won't ever get them right.

Just a personal pet peeve of mine, as someone who has seen a bunch of really crappy cover letters and resumes.
 
Yes-

I have done some volunteering/mentoring of people that age.

I do think I have a passion to teach, otherwise I wouldn't be contemplating going from making decent 6 figures to 40k a year. I want to help educate young minds otherwise I wouldn't want to do it.

I would think that's self evident, but maybe I need to spell it out more.

Keep it coming, I'll probably work on a rewrite the next couple of days.
 
Also-

I really do get that it is a thankless job at times. I've seen my mom do it and get beat up emotionally along the way. I also know that it isn't an easy job to do well.

Anyone can teach to a certian extent, that's why there are a fair amount of crappy ones out there, but not everyone can teach well (I figure you need passion, dedication, patience, tolerance, intelligence and a sense of humor).

If I sucked at it I wouldn't continue to do it. But I wouldn't go into it planning on sucking either. I do appreciate the idea of a learning curve and I'm sure I wouldn't be the best in the world or anything at first.

I have a ton of respect for quality educators. That's part of what this whole thing is all about.
 
As someone who works in administration, I would watch your "I" statements, even though it is an "I" essay, I would also cut out the last sentence of the first paragraph, and the part in the second that reads wretched, soul-crushing work and the sentence after that, and move straight to your it wasnt for me line.

It never hurts to talk about the value of reading, and reaching every student.
 
I think you spelled definitely wrong.

if you do end up teaching, as a father, I thank you immensely. We can always use more intelligent teachers.
 
Wulaw

I agree with much of the feedback you've gotten here-
The whole thing seems a bit solipsistic, and maybe it has to be, but I would reframe the whole thing away from what you don't want to do anymore. It may be interesting to you, but isn't really germane to this question, though it would be to others.
Also, half of the first graph is about the question itself, which isn't essay, but meta-essay, or jerking off.

On a personal note, I am incredible jealous and look forward to the day when I have the financial independence to do what you are doing. I just don't have the wherewithal to take a paycut that size and support my family.

Live the dream.
 
Scrap the whole thing and start over. Your description of your lawyer job is FAR too negative. Even if it is 100% factual, leave it out. It makes you sound like a bitter person who likes to complain. Nobody wants to work with someone like that. The essay should focus on the things you love about teaching. If you really want to talk about your current job, discuss how your current job will make you a better teacher. Maybe say you have already accomplished everything you can accomplish and that you are readyu for your next challenge. You have to keep it positive. All positive. The fact that you hate you old job will not make you a better teacher.

Bernard
 
to pick a few more nits, you split an infinitive in your first sentence and have a "then" instead of "than" in it as well -- prolly a typo I know but might be one that spell/grammar check doesn't pick up.

I think it is fantastic that you want to do this, but you need to think carefully about the financial ramifications. Run out a budget based on your new income and live on it for a few months and see if it is still something you want to do.

Have you considered mentoring / volunteer coaching as an alternative way of positively impacting kids? It may make your "day job" more tolerable.

Also, how is everything on the home front if you don't mind my asking?
 
you talk too much about your legal career. talk more about teaching and what it would mean to you. good luck.
 
Bernard hit a lot of good notes. Your assessment of your profession won't help you get a job. If anything it'll leave you there.

Use experiences, specific instances, from your current position where you taught someone something. A client, a counterpart, anyone.

And don't start each paragraph with the same word.
 
Sawbones already touched on it, but I'll add to it...

Money matters. I'm sure you can get by on $40k, but you're going to have cut out a lot of the things that really make life worth living.

I'm a firm believer that one shouldn't stay in a job they hate, but if I were in your shoes I'd think hard about working one year at a $200k job that sucks while living on a $40k salary. After that one year, you should have enough in the bank to take a three year sabbatical at $40k/year. If you can suck it up for two years, you can six years off.

My mom is a elementary school teacher for HISD. She's a workaholic and at age 65 she has five times the energy I do at 38. Still, teaching takes a lot out of her. It's still a job after all. She's been at it long enough (25+ years) that she's pulling in $60k/year right now. She could have made mad jack in almost any other business, but she likes the lifestyle. Teachers work A LOT of hours during the school year, but she really enjoys the time off for summer, spring break, Christmas, etc. She liked having the same schedule as my sister and I when we were in school. She was also married to my dad for a long time so the salary was never her main focus. It sucked for her when my parents divorced and she had to teach at the Museum of Natural Science on weekends and work retail several weekday nights at Macy's to stay afloat.

My advice is to find a job with decent money that you don't hate. Then look for your personal fulfilment elsewhere in your life.

Best of luck figuring it out.

Bernard
 
I've seen my mom work 60 and 80 hour weeks (no that's no exagerationk- 6:30- 6 or 7 every day and then saturday and sunday as well) during the school year so I get what you are saying. The summer, winter and spring breaks would be awesome though, and if you get bored an opportunity to earn. I also would hope that I could earn some money on the side with some simple doc prep and the like to supplement.

Not a bad idea about the salary thing. I hate the bite the government takes out of the salary, so it doesn' treally match up from teh perspective you are talking about. Also, as I think I mentioned I'm selling the business so that clears the decks as far as loans and the like go, I start over at zero with no debt and money in the bank- which is a nice thought.

Thanks again for all the thoughts on this. I'm going to rework this over the weekend and incorporate what I like. I'll post my second draft for thoughts/ comments and revisions.

Thanks guys.
 
If you haven't already you should substitute teach some so that you can weave those experiences into your essay and then you will have something to write about when you take out all the other stuff people have told you. It will also give your essay more street cred and bring it out of the day dreams down to the nitty-gritty. Although I have to believe no matter what you write as long as you can fog a mirror you will get a job somewhere.
 
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