The Advantages and Disadvantages of Working With School-Aged Children
- People who are naturally creative and think on their feet are ideal teachers. Working with school-aged children, gives you the opportunity to influence their lives in a positive way. Most adults recall a teacher who affected their future in some way by recommending a book or just making math fun. Helping the life of one child helps her community and the future in general. Your classroom can reduce all the inequalities your students face, and you can promote opportunities, such as literacy or future job information, students may not find elsewhere.
- Teachers who work with school-aged children do not receive high salaries. According to "The New York Times," teachers earn about the same as bartenders and as of 2011 their pay has declined in the past 30 years. On average, teachers make 14 percent less than other professionals with the same educational background. Low income means teachers cannot afford to buy a home in large and expensive metropolitan areas and many teachers need another job to support their own families.
- As a teacher working with school-aged children you share your knowledge with others. In your own training, you may have studied a particular field of interest, such as drama or science. Use your own specialty to teach school-aged children. You can use it in the classroom or set up an extracurricular club at your school. As a leader, you energize your students with your own passions.
- Parents and government agencies increasingly want more accountability with schools and teachers. Teachers are supposed to raise test scores, play surrogate parent and be a therapist. All these duties are not necessarily part of the teacher's curriculum. You may be blamed for low performing students and low test scores, and parents complain to their children's teachers first. Bearing the brunt of the entire educational system is another disadvantage for working with school-aged children.