Should You Be a Teacher? | Teacher Vlog 

After watching too many “why I quit teaching” videos, I started being worried about if I choose the wrong field. But your videos are always honest and remind me I chose the right field.... even when imposter syndrome is overwhelming me. Thanks Reynolds! Also, you are always making yourself available for teachers (and students) that seek help. And I appreciate that.

2nd year teaching Art, and I still feel nervous. Not as bad but feel anxieties come Sunday night. I don’t know what exactly it is, but I try to blot it out of my mind. I say to myself... self, you got this. Even when I doubt it.

And classroom management can be difficult for any teacher. It was a challenge for me when I first started out. Becoming more comfortable being the authority figure helps, but it takes time and life experience. Learn as much as you can, both from your colleagues and from sources such as RU-vid videos by Reynolds and others, especially about positive discipline and non-punitive consequences. Realize that there are factors beyond your control that make management more difficult...try to focus on improving your own situation. And try not to take student misbehavior personally. Many of them need you to be the role model of calm, control, and good behavior to which to strive.

I'm a first year professor. I had a week off between finishing grad school and teaching for the first time (the struggle is real). I've had to put lesson plans together on my days off and because of this things aren't perfect and that gets me down and I have doubts about teaching. You said organization and time management were difficult for you? How did you change that? I'd love to see a video talking about that. Thanks for making your videos!

Great carrier pigeon joke. Thanks for this video. I am pondering on becoming a Spanish teacher. I am currently seeking for motivation for why should I commit to this profession. I am familiar with personal development. Your video was great. At first I was not sure you were a real teacher because your video was so different. You were not the usual bubbly or soft spoken persona teachers have. Most importantly you hit it in the nail when you said, "Learn to be Vulnerable." Probably this is one of the best things to take away. Even though because we are males we are told not to show our emotions. Your video was very real, very straight forward. Thanks for this.

Thank you! I'm going to be starting me first year in August as a high school Spanish teacher. Classroom management is always tricky.

The Lord delights in you my friend! Thank you for living for him... he shines through you.

Sometimes I feel like I don't have what it takes to be a teacher. What you have said in this video gives me the inspiration to do this. Thank you!

Student teaching right now. Special Ed. All I can say is, thank you. This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I'm gonna keep going. Love my students more everyday. They are worth the late nights, early mornings, and everything in between.

I really needed this. I just got a job offer to be a music director for a private school k-8. For the last two days I am have been going back and forth of the pros and cons and I have made myself all worked up. Just the few seconds of this video my heart ached. This will be my first year as a teacher and I AM TERRIFIED. It's not like I haven't worked with kids before, for crying out like my education in school has prepared me for this moment, but I still don't know why/or what is keeping me back from saying yes..

As a third semester college student this video is helping me feel like I belong in education. Lately my classwork has been running me over. My field experiences with COVID-19 are difficult.I needed this. Thank you.

This is a very nice and very very helpful video. I was the kid that no teacher saw struggle, I was falling behind and no one could see. I was diagnosed with ADHD and depression after highschool- but I want to be the person who can look out for those introverted kids who need someone to look to.

Excellent advice! I've taught 2-8 grade over the years. I went to 2nd last year. Definitely NOT my bag! I loved teaching 8th grade. Soooo... next year I'm teaching 9th English. I have to do some self talk regarding classroom management and Romeo and Juliet. Lol. It has been well over 10 years since I taught above 6th graders. First day... I am sure I will be super nervous. I appreciated this video in many ways! Thanks!

Agreed on all points, the only thing that I would’ve added in the discussion is the ability to reflect- both personally and professionally. I think you gave a salute to it when you said something about “not beating up on yourself“. I think the hardest thing for me professionally is working beside people who have no idea why they entered the profession other than June and July.. and of course, you and I both know that those are the last two reasons that you pour your life‘s work into classrooms full of students. I’ve spent 25 years in middle school and high school, and I also teach preservice teachers, so I have a good perspective on the topic. Another thing that really burns my gourd is when people have failed out of other professions, or have no idea what else to do, so they “go teach“. Our profession is not one to be entered into lightly with the cavalier attitude. Unfortunately, if I teach 100 preservice teachers, I think I would put my stamp of approval on less than 20. Of course everybody can change, but that 20% would include those who are already good at their craft, and those who show strong potential. That “other 80%“ can be very discouraging, eventually ending up in American classrooms, and at the same time giving our profession a bad name.

4:37 "I'm not nearly the teacher I want to be yet." YOU'RE AWESOME!!! My hubby and I think you are anyway!!!

I love this video so much! I always feel very frustrated that I am not as patient and understanding with my students as I would like to be. You reminded me that it's only my first year of teaching and I will have so much opportunity to learn and grow into the teacher that I want to be if I keep working on myself

Thank you Ryan. Really needed this motivation talk. I suffer from a lot of those cons you mentioned which had me scared about applying for teaching. I am feeling so much better now

Love you Reynolds. Very helpful as always :)

This video was EVERYTHING I needed! thank you!!

This is inspiring ❤ thank you

My issue is that i dont want to be a teacher forever. I see teaching as a full life commitment, and i feel like i know that i want to work in teaching to a certain capacity. I want to work with kids, but i want to realy focus on being a writer as my full time career. However, writing isnt a career unless i go into technical writing or some other type of writing that i dont want to do. I dont like the idea of paying for all these college classes with the idea that im investing in my future just to deicde that i would rather just volunteer twice a week as a tutor and find another job so i can support myself as i focus on writing. Idk still conflicted

Thank you so much for the video and it is inspiring and insightful. I am considering being trained to teach foreign language in secondary schools, but I have serious concern over the following: 1, I have often seen the behaviors of many student at my target age group on buses or public places---how they behave and how they talk. Sometimes I dislike the manat the attitude or even the taste immediately. I know not all young people like that but I don’t know how big my heart is if I have a couple of students like thatand I fear that if I don’t find them likable from the bottom of heart then I will have no choice to leave, and neither do the children. I don’t want things to go that bad to realise that I cannot bear some student and then I do not have my passion and full motivation to teach them although I continue to teach. 2, I have not grown up in this foreign country so I do not share common background knowledge and culture. What if I cannot get close to my student because if this?

i love this video! i am also quick to anger and very guarded (aka not vulnerable) and i know those will be my personal challenges when i become a teacher. i start student teaching this fall, so it will definitely be a time for me to practice and grow. and thank god for youtube too... haha.

Thank you for making this video. You make so many good points.

That was seriously wise.

This was great! Much needed. Thanks.

Looks familiar. When I quit teaching I became a merchant seaman and used to go to the military ocean terminal in Bayonne, NJ to ship out for the Middle East to deliver army and Air Force cargoes. The way it is today virtually no one should be a teacher. But I’m not trying to convince anyone because a certain type of person is really better off trying it and then quitting like you did yourself. I taught public school substituting in the suburbs, parochial school junior high also suburban, then ghetto high school, Job Corps GED and community college GED. There is no quality control vis a vis managing student promotions, and mainstreaming has taken kids who belong in private tutoring and dumped them on the hapless classroom teachers. Then you have inappropriate curriculum with all the hordes of low to dull normal IQ kids being force fed college preparatory liberal arts when they really belong in manual arts getting ready for trade school. Then finally there is no disciplinary enforcement, kids who belong in juvie lock-up constitute perhaps one quarter of your typical big city high school, and of course the pay sucks. I eventually became a barber and did that for 20 years. If someone you’re waiting on proves to be a psychopath you can at least stop the haircut and demand that they leave. Nor can you realistically be required to do more than one thing at a time. But as a shop keeper you’re allowed to arm yourself so you’re prepared in advance if someone assaults you. By way of contrast school teachers are actually expected to allow the kids to beat them up if they so please. Nor will your teenaged assailants be expelled or even transferred most likely. Be prepared to get absolutely no respect if you’re foolish enough to even try teaching.

The main reason I am becoming a teacher is my love for earth science of course but especially because I had such a terrible high school experience. I was the introvert with no friends, didn’t do sports, and kept to myself. I felt scared in school and felt like everyone was making fun of me. I wanna be someone that students can come to if they are struggling and I wanna be the teacher that can make high school fun, comfortable, and low-stress for students who were like me in high school.

This helped me so much, I'm more of an introvert myself and struggled with the idea of teaching for a while. I feel so much better after watching this.

Everything you just mentioned on your con list is what kept me from doing anything in life. This is my 2nd semester in college after taking a 5 year break and I'm really leaning towards teaching ! Thank you for this video

I am Autistic, have ADHD and clinical depression. These are not my limitations, these are my strengths. It means that I get the learners that no one else gets. I am pretty introverted, but I have learned to mask it, so I see the kids that no one else sees. It is not about the attribute, it is about what you do with it.

Yeah, as a kid I was the introvert, so shy that when I had to answer a question in class my face would turn red, fast forward 20 years into teaching art class (high, mid, and elem) I totally relate to those kids and they'll always tell me - how peaceful and relaxing my class is and through the years I see them growing in so many ways. Very true what you're saying!

Amen.... I am a teacher, I should be a teacher, I want to be a teacher.

I've been debating going back to school to get my degree to teach history. I am a history nut and I want to make history come alive for the student. History always repeats itself. I love kids, all the kids at my church gravitate to me and I am "their best friend." For the last eight years, I have been a funeral director/ manager, The dead don't talk back 😆. I was on the fence about doing it. My own limitations were stopping me. This video helped me decide to do. I filled out college applications today. I'm really excited about starting this next chapter of my life. I just wanted to say thank you!

I needed this video today! I've been struggling with the idea of going back to school to become a teacher. Something just keeps telling me it's what I need to do. I currently work in the dental field as a Treatment Coordinator and I'm really good at it. Don't get me wrong,I'm passionate about dental health. But teachers saved my life as a kid without parents to guide me in a positive direction. I have this internal desire to feel like I'm benefiting my community, and I just don't feel that anymore with where I'm at. I took the leap and signed up for classes, and I know it'll be tough with working full time, but I'm more excited than anything else. My only fear about teaching is not being good enough, but I think if I'm passionate enough about it, anything is possible. Thank you for being a positive person to look up to!

I agree 100%. There are a couple of other questions I ask people who are considering teaching. 1. Can YOU live happily on a teacher’s salary? Teacher pay is low-really low, depending upon which state you are in. Do you have a partner who makes money? Do you have, or want, children of your own? Do you have to have expensive shoes, bags, clothes? Do you have an expensive hobby you couldn’t give up? How nice of a house do you need? Some teachers who love teaching are very unhappy because they want to live a lifestyle they cannot afford. So really think about that. 2. Have you worked with the age group you want to teach? I don’t mean babysitting or playing with siblings or cousins. Try teaching Sunday School or Youth Group or volunteer at the Y or be a summer camp counselor. I know I could never teach primary school because I can’t stand little kids in big groups. Before you waste years of college, get involved with kids in some capacity to find out whether or not you like them. 3. How thick skinned are you? My principal likes to say that I have “an extremely high tolerance for teenage high jinx.” High schoolers can get LOUD. It doesn’t bother me a bit. I find the stupid stuff they do endearing. A long long time ago I once taught preschool out of desperation for a job. I hated it. Everything those kids did annoyed me. So...can you tolerate whatever nonsense your age group carries out? Also, can you be thick skinned when it comes to parents yelling at you, co-workers criticizing you, and students disrespecting you? I don’t mean can you be a doormat, because you should definitely be assertive and not tolerate disrespect from anyone-but can you be thick skinned? Not go home and cry every night for a month because some parent said you are doing everything wrong? Those are some things to consider.

I loved this video. You touched on a lot of the struggles that I saw within myself. I've always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was really little, but as I got older I saw these obstacles that stood in my way. I have always struggled with social anxiety and general awkwardness haha. I saw myself questioning if this was really the right choice for me or just wishful thinking, but I'm now in college to pursue my dreams of being an elementary school teacher and I'm really excited! Thanks for the reassurance, it was really needed.

I’m still a teenager in high school and teaching was never really a career choice I was deciding on until recently, because I started teaching swim lessons to young kids a few mo this ago. I honestly love teaching the kids and I’ve had this feeling since that maybe I should teach but I don’t know if I would be a good full time teacher. I have a short temper/ little patience, mostly with people my age, and I’m somewhat introverted, I don’t like talking if I’m not in a comfortable situation, which mostly is around people my age, but am comfortable around the kids and talking to their parents. But I also struggle to explain somethings because I typically go into too much detail or tell the wrong details. I also can get all over the place when explaining (as you can probably tell by reading this) and I don’t have any clue what age/grade I should teach and worry that I would be a horrible teacher.

Such an inspiration! 💜 I'm deciding to pursue a teaching career largely due to your videos. Thank you! X

only thing im scared about is finding a teaching job after i finish college and the fear of my degree being useless

Your video was a answer to my prayers. Thank you. I am in my third and most challenging year in a title I school. Classroom management is a huge con for me and I have spent every waking hour trying to figure out how to fix my problem and having doubts in my ability as a teacher. Your words answered so many questions to finding my "con" list and hearing what yours were (almost identical to mine) made me feel there is hope and this is truly what I was meant to do. Your advice not only inspired me but most importantly told me how to move in the right direction. Thank you. Thank you.

I need to know the nitty gritty about what grades are the toughest for a hopeful future teacher to want to teach. I’m 30 and have held a BS Degree in criminal justice and minor in forensic science for 5 years now. I had planned to go to law school after quitting my job at the jail, because of her. I had just found my soulmate and now 4 years later we are expecting our first! Ive just had this. feel this calling to teaching since I found out. I have always enjoyed showing anyone things I find fascinating and teach them about things so that when the go home and finally fall asleep they will dream of the adventures of all who have come from before their times. #History Class

There’s no way that those were your cons and you still became a teacher. I never would’ve thought! Truly inspiring ❤️

One thing I do my best to keep in mind is "be the teacher that you'd have wanted to have". I never intended go become a teacher but here I am one year later, loving my job and missing the classroom and the constant interaction with both students and coworkers. Thank you for the great advice.

- Jason, get up! - Why? - You have to go to school. - I don't want to! I won't go today. - Jason, you really have to go! - WHY? - Because you're a teacher!

I've always kind of thought that learning is one of the most important things in the world and that teaching would be fun. I want to show them the importance and fun of actually learning because most teachers I see just give the information and a month later the kids have not learned anything so I want to be the one that helps the get it and not just throw up the lessons. As someone who is currently 17 I hope I can learn more about the profession since right now I barely know anything and am probably acting ignorant.

This is so encouraging! You pointed every single one of my doubts which keep me away of even trying to be a teacher,even though sometimes I see myself being one🤔

This is great. I am a quiet introverted type and this is reassuring.

Thanks for the video. I'm starting my 7th year of teaching and I've been rethinking it all...your video was very helpful.

Teaching is not what it used to be. Have been doing it for over two decades. Conditions have worsened so much that it is unbearable now.

This got deep but I absolutely agree. Great advice!

Leaders exude humility. You’re more than a teacher, man. You’re a leader! Thanks. Keep going!

Great job!! Love your balanced perspective! Love the transparency!! Excellent young man!!

A retiring teacher put it this way....."The teacher is afraid of their principal, the principal is afraid of the Supt. the Supt is afraid of the School Board, the School Board is afraid of the parents, the parents are afraid of disciplining their kids......AND THE KIDS AREN'T AFRAID OF ANYBODY!" Gee.....what could POSSIBLY be wrong here???? WELL DUH!!!!

Really beautiful . It is 3 am now, my friend told me I should do something I love. I was majoring in CS but I honestly hated it. But teaching.... just feels special. I can connect with kids, teach them in creative ways different ways to learn (math), and so much more. It just sounds like an amazing experience. I think I might go for it, there are no other majors that seem as meaningful as thus one. I love the idea of helping anyone and having the patience to go over a problem over and over. Well thank you for the video, which is nudging me / confirming my feelings. The only issue is with my public speaking . I am shy, but I know that fades, I could be so much more, bc deep down I have a loud voice, most people don’t know it. Ur example of the introverted teacher literally might be me. Thanks a lot!!!

Im 30 yrs old and been working at a bank since I was young. My dream job was to become a teacher I enjoy being around kids so much all the ones in my church gravitate towards me. For one reason or another I never pursued it. I have my bachelors I would just need to take the state certification but I just feel like its too late or that im too old to become an elementary teacher…

This helped me so much. I'm a student teacher and I struggle with classroom managment and I am having doubts about my ability to be a teacher. But watching this video makes me reflect that my limitations can be strengths . Thank you so much. God bless you!

Great video. I’m in my late 40s and I never considered teaching until very recently, when I realized I’m unfulfilled at my desk job and I want to do something rewarding with kids. I’ve been subbing, and I’m surprised to find how much I enjoy it. I’m still nervous about taking the plunge to full-time teaching, though, so this video is very helpful and insightful. Thank you!

My problem about teaching is: No Free Time. And while you might like children and teaching is alright for you, if it's still not your passion, you'd probably burn out, especially during the first year.

I'll add one more, find the right environment. Find the school that fits who and what you are. You cannot flourish in a school where your philosophies don't align. If you are struggling maybe it's because you are not at the right job or maybe you are not at the right school. Explore your options.

Really needed to hear this after a while I feel like I was doubting myself and wonder maybe teaching is just not for me . This was a motivation of why I want to be a teacher thank you so much 👍🏼!

What the heck, man. I haven't felt that moved by a message in a minute. Totally, wasn't expecting that. Thank you! I'm going for it.

I have had a passion to be a teacher my whole life. This year i finally decided to change up my career and become a teacher. I am currently working on my degree in college

I want to be a kindergarten teacher because I love children!! I am really kind and patient. ❤

I'd hate to add towards a conspiracy, but, good caring teachers, dont make school shooters. but the state/government doesnt pay them enough

If you are trying to be a teacher for things YOU want to do. You are half right. You need to be a teacher to teach children.

Holy Molly, I have all those limiting belief, but amen yo Personal Development has saved my life! Brené Brown helped with Vulnerability! I grew up with a complete mentality too 😬 I will start my first year in three weeks and your videos have helped tons! Thanks!!

Excellent video. Reynolds is absolutely correct that teaching is a craft that you will seek to grow throughout your career. This is my 28th year teaching HS Math at a high-achieving HS in South Jersey, and I am still learning and improving. That is the nature of education. The buzzword these days is "Growth Mindset", but I think it really rings true, for both students and teachers. Keep at it, try to have realistic expectations (even if admin doesn't), and openly and freely collaborate with your colleagues. We're all here for each other.

Great advice! My problem about it though (according to my own personal experiences) is that so many higher-ups in education expect new teachers to perform like seasoned veterans in such a short amount of time and they get unsatisfactory evaluations. I tried my hardest, tried to connect with the kids, my cooperating teacher even said (in the beginning) I was doing fine, but I still didn’t get a passing score on the evaluation and was let go after the minimum amount of time had passed for probationary period. No matter how hard I tried, connections with students just wasn’t happening (I have a mild form of autism which makes interaction difficult). That was when I decided teaching wasn’t for me, and all that time I wanted to be a teacher (my whole life) I was simply being delusional. 😞

I just came across your channel and I absolutely love your videos. Better late than never right? I'm going to be a sophomore special education major and this is really what I needed to hear. I've been in special ed/resource classes in most of my schooling but had some teachers that inspired me to become one myself. I want to be the teacher that I once had. Thanks again for making your videos.

This video hits the nail on the head! I wish I had watched this when I was transitioning from teaching. It's easy to make these mistakes, but being aware of them can save a lot of time and frustration. Well done!

Bro this is the best advice I’ve heard on RU-vid so far. I picked up the guitar years ago! I didn’t join a band until after a decade of playing. Fast forward a few years and I got a gig playing professionally. 20 years of music and it actually got me somewhere. Any craft takes time and effort.

I have been teaching karate for years and I have excelled in English my whole life, and as an eldest child I'm good with kids. I want to become and English teacher and I'm wondering what I would have to do to become that.

Would you recommend people to go into teaching now???

"Sometimes we're too close to our problems to know what to do about them." That is so truee

4th year band director here. I have felt a lot of the same things. Quick to anger, over-confident, introverted, etc. I have noticed a *huge* difference in my teaching from year to year. It definitely gets better with time.

Thank you for the excellent advice, I am currently lost right now for my future but this video is very assuring. Hope you continue to feel better with your life!

I want to be a teacher, cant decide what grade level. The only con on my list is, I hate common core.

I am struggling with this so much. I subbed for three years and now I am a after school teacher. I am constantly struggling with this.

I’m more worried about admins and parents causing problems. The kids don’t scare me.

Thanks this really inspired me. I'm just 16 butni love to learn and teach and write. I ws mt to either be a history teachrr or become a philosophy professor.

Such an inspiring video! I'm currently on my second placement (I'm from Australia) but my first really stressed me out and I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it anymore. Surprisingly it was the behaviour of the teachers around me that made me feel this way, and not the students! Watching your videos and knowing there are teachers out there who are supportive and understanding really gives me hope so thank you!

Thanks so much for your videos Mr. Reynolds. It's so amazing to hear a teachers positive feedback on the field. I am currently applying to teaching positions and hoping to be that positive change in a students life and inspire them to be all they can be. I've done a lot of soul searching and even went to a different career route for a couple years but teaching still remained in me and I'm happy to embrace that yearning and start learning as much as I can. I'm both terrified and excited beyond belief. Thank you for your videos and ideas. Btw shout out to NJ!! New Jersey native myself living in Texas for 3 years and I loled when you said Pathmark in one of your videos

I've been seeing video after video against teaching and it's been hard to make a choice. I've been missing so much work at my current job (in a school) from the anxiety and depression of thinking I've wasted my time. I connect well with the students I work with but I need money. I love talking to the kiddos, helping the students, and explaining things. Seeing them want to learn makes me happy, but the whole hierarchy of the school system is wild to me. I am more introverted, but I adapt fast. I've always wanted to make a really peaceful classroom with lots of nice lighting. I know kiddos won't walk all over me because I'm pretty intense when I need to be. Haha I don't know. I don't want to waste my life and time.

In August, I will be beginning my first teaching job-- teaching 9th and 10th grade English. I'm so excited, but there's a lot of nerves as well. Your videos have been so encouraging and have reminded me that it's okay if I'm not perfect. Thank you for making them.

Great content! I am so excited to teach Spanish! I completed my bachelor's degree while living in my car; I spent the better part of 5 years traveling around Latin America, and I became fluent in Spanish at 25 years of age. I am currently enrolled in an alternative teaching program to teach Spanish, but as I will be around 8 months to get into the classroom, I've decided to get my CDL. A company will be paying for my training and I will be creating videos during the process and sharing as much as I can for everyone else out there interested in driving! I begin on the 31st. I would like to teach now, but I have not been able to find any districts that will allow me to teach without a license. For reference, I'm in Ohio! Take care.

I'd love to get your opinion on something. I'm 54, and I'm considering finally becoming a teacher (a lifelong goal). There's for sure what feels like a calling on my heart to teach. Do you think it's too late in life to pursue this?

Hey Reynolds, your videos are ultra helpful, I'm on my first year and I've found your videos extremely insightful. Maybe you could also talk about the bureaucracy of being a teacher...all the paper work...the reports, the legalities that sometimes in my opinion can get in the way of teaching...can somebody take all that stressful stuff you gotta deal with? I think a lot of people would want to hear about that as well.

INFP here... hope I am ready 😁

After my studies still don't know if teaching is what I should be doing. Some days I hate it other days I enjoy it. Either way can't seem to stop talking about my students/class since I started working this year. Everyone around me seem to think this is what I should be doing though, so I'm trying to figure that one out

Do you know your Myers Briggs Personality Type? Almost finished my first year teaching and enjoying your videos! :-)

As a year 4 teacher, I has been considering all these questions FREQUENTLY this school year. It seemed that I have the passion and patience to be persistent in the classroom as a supportive educator. However, I feel that this has been taken advantage of by some students, and my shyness and pushover personality is an obstacle to my career. I’m debating.

hi Reynolds...i have worked in the IT field for past 7 years and i am thinking of taking up teaching qualification now after quitting the IT job..my big concerns are the ones u mentioned...not being so extroverted and not being assertive at all..i have this yearning to teach since past 7 years but have only taken the first steps to follow it now..but i am very scared as to how i would fare,,as i am aiming for secondary teaching where the kids are teenagers and a teacher requires a very strong and assertive personality to control them...wonder how am i going to do that.

Enjoyed the video. I am introverted and have those views. I begin my program tomorrow and I’m half hearted about whether I should go for it.

Great video!

Very helpful video. Thank you

❤

At 50...white male. Huge mistake investing in a master's. Sadly. Felt I have a lot to offer.

This video was SO helpful! Thank you for sharing your insight and perspective. I realized that my “cons” are very fixable and my lifelong desire and feeling led to teach more than outweighs those cons.

Your videos truly are great