Felecia L. Christian - Corporate to Classroom: A Career-Switchers Guide to Teaching

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my gracious and loving God for giving me the idea to write this book and the grace to endure the extreme amounts of pressure.

Chris, I thank you for taking up the slack and loving me through writing this book and going to school. You are an awesome husband and father. I love you.

Noah and Emmanuel, there is greatness inside both of you. You are very special and handsome! Remember to always dream big and pursue your dreams.

Davonya, thank you for blazing the path.

Thank you Marcus Miller of 3DI Digital Design Group for the wonderful cover. You are amazing!

To the staff at Summer Hill and Lewis and Clark Elementary Schools, thank you for the experience. The experience has been enlightening and invaluable. You are a great group of educators.

My special thanks go to those who proofed and ripped apart the content of this book. You know who you are. You helped me give career switchers a glimpse of our world. You were brutal, and I thank you for it!

To Tom Koerner and Rowman & Littlefield Education, thanks for giving me this opportunity! Your patience and insight has been wonderful.

Introduction

On the Front Lines:

I didnt know the physical, mental, and emotional impact that my first year of teaching would have. It is something you cant really prepare for. I was overwhelmed and by the spring, I was burned out.

This actually happened the first four years of my teaching career. People who have never taught think its an easy job and that teachers dont need to have summer, winter, and spring breaks. I challenge them to walk a mile in my (or any teachers) shoes, and then complain about our breaks.

Throughout my first year I questioned if I had made the right career choice, but I hung in there because I felt that things would improve as my experience grew. Each year I learn something new and ways to make it a better year. I love children and I love art. Thats why I am still teaching.

Underwood

It is this type of sentiment about teaching that led me to write this book. There are professionals who decide to leave the corporate structure to follow their dream to teach impressionable students. They leave the corporate environment without a true understanding of what they are about to experience.

Teaching is demanding, difficult, and taxing on you mentally and emotionally. There is so much to learn and do. This is not a career choice that you should make unless you are clear on the expectations and the challenges that you may face.

For me personally, the transition from corporate to classroom was a hard one. I was not prepared for the politics, the lack of supplies, lack of training, and lack of respect that is so prevalent in many school districts. I like order and a sense of knowing what to do. I felt like many situations were chaotic and could have been handled more professionally. A concrete set of procedures and proper training could have eliminated many of these situations.

Many teachers that I encountered were burned out by lack of concern from parents, coworkers, and administration. The disapproving words and prejudgments of students, parents, and staff were appalling and heartbreaking.

I found that many teachers are disrespectful, unprofessional, and rude in meetings. This baffled me. Educators demand and expect their students to give them their undivided attention but they do not give it to others.

In one of my very first staff meetings, a teacher said, They say teachers are the worst students. Most of the meetings, professional developments, and training sessions exemplified why the speaker had voiced that observation.

Amazingly, there are many teachers who talk about the challenges of teaching, but those same teachers express their love for it. You must love what you do to stay in education for the long haul. If you do not, you will quickly be overwhelmed and feel burned out by the amount of work that must be accomplished, while trying to remain sensitive to the needs of the students that you teach.

Most teachers will quickly tell you how difficult it is to manage a classroom, and many of them will also tell you that they could not imagine doing anything else. Even with all of its challenges, the reward far outweighs the difficult moments. This book will challenge you to prepare yourself, do your research, trigger questions that you should ask, prompt you to examine your reasons for switching careers, and help you begin your journey.

This book has some additional featuresSticky Notes and On the Front Lines segmentsand the appendices are filled with useful sample forms to give you more information and tools from those who are working in the field.

Sticky Notes: The purpose of a sticky note is to highlight important information from the text. This invaluable information is something that you should take note of.

On the Front Lines: This feature highlights experiences from teachers, principals, and businessmen and businesswomen.

In the Beginning

Congratulations on your decision to become an educator. This book is designed to help you really think about whether teaching is the right decision for you. There is nothing easy about educating our future.

You will be faced with challenges before the first student ever sets foot into your classroom. Being informed about the challenges and rewards will be beneficial to you and the students that you teach. It takes a special person to leave what they know, to spend time with impressionable students.

First and foremost, this profession is about the students you teach. These students will come from different backgrounds, cultures, and mindsets. You must be prepared to confront this challenge head on. You should determine what your students already know, taking into account their background or prior knowledge and culture, and connect with them at that point, so that you can take them forward.

If students are not a priority for you, then please consider staying in your corporate environment. You should not decide to teach because you need more time with family or because of the time off that you will receive throughout the year. This is a decision that must be taken seriously.