I used to be one of those people who said “teachers have it easy, they get all those vacations and the summers off”. Then I became one and I wonder when is it going to be easy? Being a career changer I can see such differences in the corporate world and the world of education. In the corporate world not having the most up to date technology would be detrimental to a business. In the corporate world you attended meeting after meeting if you were expected to perform a new task in your daily routine. In the corporate world when you walked out the door you left your work at your desk to continue the next day.
Being in the education field it is not uncommon to have sub standard technology and expected to make the best out of it. In education you are given a professional development day, half day, or lunch period to learn something new and then use it to drive your instruction. In education when I leave work only half of my day is over. I grade papers, make parent phone calls, and search the internet for useful sites to use in my classroom the next day. I am constantly trying to better myself and learn more. Teaching may not be easy but I must say it is challenging, and exhilarating. To watch a student have their Ah-ha moment and realize that in a small way I was a part of that leaves me speechless. That can not be compared to any day in the corporate world.
