Teaching as a Career

1

CAREER DAY PROGRAMME ORGANIZED BY FINAL YEAR GUIDANCE & COUNSELLING SANDWICH STUDENTS

CAREER TALK DELIVERED AT THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION HALL, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA [AUGUST 31, 2015]

BY

CHIEDU ESEADI, Mcasson, ACPM.

TTEEAACCHHIINNGG AASS AA CCAARREEEERR If you wish to make a difference and transform our Nation –Become a Teacher!!!

Introduction Globally, teaching as a career is well regarded. Teaching brings out the creativity in a person. It

can offer a work/life balance that is suitable for many individual. Ordinarily, a person who

provides educational training to students is known as a teacher. Because most people hold

different perceptions and beliefs (both right and wrong) about teaching, it is important to clarify

us on how one could become a teacher, what teachers do, where teachers work, and what kinds

of teachers there are, and so on. This could provide the rationale for one to consider teaching as a

wise career choice.

How to become a teacher

A person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain professional qualification from a

College of Education or University. Examples of such professional qualification may include

NCE, B.Ed, B.Sc.(Ed.), and B.A(Ed.). Teachers, like other professionals, may have to continue

their education after they qualify, a process known as continuing professional development

(CDP). For teachers with NCE qualification, they can enroll to earn a Bachelor degree for

professional development. Teachers could also further their studies to obtain postgraduate

qualifications like PGDE, M.Ed, M.Sc(Ed), M.A(Ed), and Ph.D. The postgraduate qualification

invariably brings about promotion and salary increment. Many teachers call their work a ‘labour

of love’. Many teachers look forward to a long career of educating students and possibly moving

2


up into administrative positions, where they can have greater impact on curriculum development

and school system planning.

What teachers do

Teachers play a key role in delivery of quality education to students including:

1. Planning, preparing and delivering effective teaching and learning programmes for every

student in allocated classes and/or groups.

2. Establishing and maintaining a supportive school environment.

3. Contributing to the development and implementation of the school objectives and school

planning.

4. Assisting with the management and further development of school personnel, financial,

information and technology assets and facilities to ensure their optimum use.

Teachers work with students of different ages and abilities; prepare lessons and teaching

materials; assess student progress; liaise with non-teaching staff such as teacher aides and

therapists; engage with parents and guardians; work with colleagues and in professional teams;

involved in extra curricula activities, school excursions and performances and sporting events;

and continue their professional development.

Teachers make students believe in themselves and press on in the face of adversity so that

they will know how limitless their potential is. As teachers see their students mature into unique,

talented individuals, they make sure that the future generation learns all that they can today, so

that they may become all that they can be tomorrow. Therefore, teachers make schools the right

place where students can discover their talents, and aspire to greater heights.

Where teachers work

Teachers work in many different types of schools and educational settings to support learners

with a diverse range of ages, cultures, learning needs and interests. The settings include but are

not limited to:

Nursery schools/Kindergarten

Primary schools

Secondary schools

3


Post-secondary schools/Tertiary Institutions (e.g. Innovation Enterprise Institutions, Colleg

es of Education, Monotechnics/Polytechnics, Universities).

Kinds of teachers

There are many different kinds of teachers. If one have an interest in a specific subject area, or

enjoy working with a particular group, one may be suited to a specialist area of teaching as can

be seen from the Table below.

S/N If you like You could become

1 Spending time with young children Early childhood teacher 2 Managing and leading others Education administrator/director

3 Mathematics, reasoning or problem solving Mathematics teacher

4 Physics, chemistry, biology, agric. or marine

science

Science teacher

5 Woodwork, metalwork or graphic design Industrial technology/design teacher 6 Helping people who have special needs Special education teacher

7 Dance, drama, music or visual arts Teacher of creative arts subjects

8 Literature, language, communications, media or

writing

English teacher

9 Languages Igbo/Yoruba/Hausa/French/Greek/

Latin teacher

10 Sport, physical activity and promoting a healthy

lifestyle

Health and Physical Education

teacher 11 Politics and issues related to good governance Government teacher

12 Entrepreneurial activities, business/trading Commerce/Business Stud./Economics

Teacher 13 Keeping records of events and storytelling History teacher

Qualities of a teacher

There are many personal qualities and skills that make someone a good teacher. These

include:

4


Being good at explaining things to others. A good teacher should able to clearly explain

concepts in a way their students will understand;

Enjoy working with a wide range of people;

Having a strong knowledge in particular subject areas. Teachers should be extremely

knowledgeable in their area of expertise so they can answer questions from students and

create excellent curriculums;

Being a good time manager;

Being able to work in a team as well as using your own initiative;

Being patient, resilient, and understanding;

Being fair-minded;

Enthusiasm;

Coping well with change;

Enjoying a challenge.

To be successful in their field, teachers also need to:

Be organized and have excellent attention to detail;

Be able to think on their feet, give thorough and intelligent answers to questions from

students and have contingency plans for classroom activities or lessons that don’t go as

planned;

Have strong writing and communication skills, which come into play when developing

exams and homework, teaching courses, and speaking with parents, other teachers and

school system members;

Be computer literate.

Teachers’ Salary

Teachers can make different salaries depending upon where they work (whether they work in a

private or public school), what subject they teach, what kind of experience they have, and the

level they teach at. However, some of the greatest variables in salary are the degree they hold,

the State in which a teacher works and even the city. Although, a beginning teacher’s annual

salary could compare well with most graduate professions.

5


Potential Hazards/Risks

Teachers face several occupational hazards in their line of work, including occupational stress,

which can negatively impact teachers’ mental and physical health, productivity, and students’

performance. Stress can be caused by organizational change, relationships with students, fellow

teachers and administrative personnel, working environment, expectations to substitute, long

hours with a heavy workload, and inspections. Teachers are also at high risk for occupational

burnout. A recent study found that teachers experienced double the rate of anxiety, depression,

and stress than average workers (Naghieh, et al., 2015). This means that teachers have several

sources of stress in the workplace that may also include increased class sizes, student

performance objectives, lack of control over work hours and methods, lack of student

motivation, difficulty working with parents, lack of professional recognition, and inadequate

salary. Although everyone reacts to stress differently, too much stress can affect teacher’s mood,

behaviour and physical health. The Mayo Clinic says that stress can lead to headaches, sleep

problems, fatigue, muscle tension, upset stomach, chest pain and muscle pain. For them, stress

can also cause anxiety, irritability, depression, anger, drug or alcohol abuse, social withdrawal,

and changes in appetite.

Teachers spend their days with students, colleagues and parents, making them susceptible

to bacterial and viral infections. In fact, a study led by investigators from the MGEN Foundation

for Public Health revealed that teachers are more susceptible to certain types of infections than

other workers. During the study, researchers surveyed 1,817 non-teachers and 3,679 teachers

ranging in age from 20 to 60. After adjusting for variables, they found that male and female

teachers had a higher lifetime prevalence of laryngitis and rhinopharyngitis, two infections of the

upper respiratory tract. They also found that female teachers had a higher lifetime prevalence of

bronchitis. The results of this study appeared in the April 21, 2006, online edition of “BMC

Public Health.” There is also no doubt that when teachers stays in a classroom all day with about

30 or more students –any number of whom might have an illness – he stand a chance of catching

the latest virus as well. Students’ bad behaviour is also linked to increased illness in teachers,

according to a 2012 study published in the "Journal of School Psychology."

The American Psychological Association has confirmed that teachers are threatened with

injury each year. These threats are more prevalent in urban high schools, and female teachers

receive more than twice as many threats as male teachers. In 2007, the Centers for Disease

6


Control and Prevention surveyed students as part of the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance.

Nearly 6 percent of the students surveyed admitted carrying a gun, knife or club on school

property during the 30 days preceding the survey. This increases the risk for physical violence

against teachers.

Teachers spend much of their time standing, and may have to bend, stretch and lift to use

educational aids and equipment such as blackboards and projectors. This puts them at risk for

varicose veins and for injuries, including sprains, strains, pulled muscles, and back injuries. For

teachers who spend a lot of time using a computer, the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome

is also a concern.

Even the most enthusiastic teacher can begin to feel worn down by her dealings with

unhelpful parents, belligerent students and lackluster school administrators -- who are often

themselves burnt out. When added, pressure to increase standardized test scores, poor school

resources and an increasing number of non-teaching-related tasks results to burnout.

Violence against students gets considerable press, but what often goes unreported is the

everyday violence that teachers face. School teachers are prone to physical assault at school,

according to the National Education Association (NEA). Verbal abuse, while not life-

threatening, is also widespread and contributes to teacher stress, says the NEA.

False accusations of wrongdoing have been nightmares for some unfortunate teachers. It

is probably the last thing a teacher would ever imagine would happen to them, but even innocent

teachers have ended up on the evening news or police cell because of a child’s accusation.

Hazards/Risk Reduction Strategies

There are several ways to mitigate the occupational hazards of teaching. Organizational

interventions, like changing teachers’ schedules, providing support networks and mentoring,

changing the work environment, and offering promotions and bonuses, may be effective in

helping to reduce occupational stress among teachers. Individual-level interventions, including

stress management training and counselling, are also used to relieve occupational stress among

teachers. While there is no sure way to prevent burnout, good self-care plays a role. A teacher

should never feel guilty about springing for a pedicure at the end of a long teaching day.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle to lower the risk of succumbing to bacteria that enters the classroom.

While there is never a guarantee that one won't be a victim of a false accusation, be savvy and

7


document problematic interactions with students and avoid being alone in a room or vehicle with

a student. Decrease the chances of becoming a victim of school violence by learning and putting

into practice de-escalation techniques. It is also a good idea to document any threat a student

makes, no matter how subtle.

Conclusion

Selecting a career path is challenging and exciting because there are so many things to consider.

Teaching is a unique and rewarding career choice. It is a career that provides challenges,

excitement, personal reward and a chance to encourage and support others to achieve their goals.

Given that every child needs an education and every adult is promised the opportunity to pursue

higher education, teachers are in constant demand. But some teaching jobs are more in demand

than others. For example, teachers are often needed in urban or underserved areas, and some

parts of the country will see higher demand due to a booming population.

Although all teachers have the same basic work functions, their jobs may vary

significantly depending on their classroom placement and specialty. Teachers’ responsibilities

include developing classroom curricula, teaching courses, conducting exams and helping guide

students toward academic success. The after-school lesson preparation and marking may seem

stressful, but the working hours can be family-friendly. In fact, good teachers know that by

listening to and working with colleagues, parents, other professionals and community members

that they can inspire students and improve their learning.

Those who earn higher degree have the opportunity for higher pay, greater job flexibility

and easier advancement into administrative positions. If one chooses this career path, they could

also have additional opportunities to exercise their talents. One can use their leadership skills to

mentor other teachers, lead curriculum design teams or pursue school leadership options.

Teachers can also use their leadership talents to advocate for others through involvement in the

teachers’ union, professional associations and community organizations. If these options are not

enough, one should know that the skills of a teacher are transferable to other professions.

Government and business-and-industry employers like to hire teachers because of their abilities

to work and communicate effectively with people. This added to their ability to plan, organize

and inspire, makes teachers very attractive as employees. Although schools do not like to lose

great teachers from the classroom; it is always nice to know that when one chooses a particular

career path such as teaching, they will have a wide range of options for advancement.

8


Conflict of Interest: This paper was prepared to serve only as a guide for the career day and

may not have met certain criteria for crediting some of the contents to the presenter. Thus, doing

a Google search for the original materials is recommended.

Some of the Used Resources

[1] How to become a teacher: Careers in teaching. Retrieved from http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/teacher/.(accessed August 30, 2015). [2] http://education.qld.gov.au/hr/recruitment/teaching/qualities-good-teacher.html. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teacher [4] Ministry of Education, Singapore (2015). Teaching as a Career — What you need to know? Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/ [5] Naghieh, A., Montgomery, P., & Bonell, C.P., Thompson, M., & Aber, J. L. (2015). Organisational interventions for improving wellbeing and reducing work-related stress in teachers. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4: CD010306. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010306.pub2. [6] Teaching as a career. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/hr/recruitment/teaching/qualitiesgoodteacher.html. (accessed August 30, 2015).

Documents

Teaching as a Career