The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
If you’re considering teaching, you probably are filled with things you want to know about a credential program. From scheduling to duties to classes to job opportunities, there were a ton of things I wanted to know before I applied. However, I couldn’t always find an honest review of programs and what to expect. Because of that, I’ve compiled a list of ten things I wish I had known before I started my teaching credential program.
Before you read, though, you should know that everyone’s experience is different. Each university and state has different requirements and processes, so it is good to look into yours specifically. My credential was earned through San Diego State University. I would recommend this program, and this is where my experiences are rooted in below!
Good: Pathway to a Credential
This is the best part from a professional standpoint. Doing a credential program is a straight pathway to actually earning your credential, and that lets you get a job. One of my favorite things about the teaching profession is that it’s pretty straightforward in that sense. You get your bachelor’s, you get your credential, you get a job, you decide if you want to go back for more. About 8% of teachers leave every year, which means that there are always opportunities. Plus, there are schools everywhere. It might be tricky to find a job at first, but at least there’s a straightforward path that you can follow for this one. Additionally, the skills you gain in a credential program obviously prepare you for your first job in the real world. By time you have your own classroom, you’ve likely spent about a year at your practicum site, so you have that experience.
Good: Connection with Students and Meaning
This is the best part of teaching. While you might not be getting a paycheck and you might be slaving away over schoolwork, you do get genuine connections with kids. You get to know many kids over the school year, and you learn all about their life stories, struggles, joys, and learning journeys. Each day is different and brings its own surprises. When a student comes up and confides in you or says that they appreciate something that you did, this is one of the best possible feelings. There are very few other jobs where you can truly say that you have made a difference in the lives of potentially hundreds of kids each day. Teaching is, without a doubt, one of these jobs.
The fact that this part does exist is good to know about a credential program before entering. There will be trials and tribulations, yes. But every single person I have ever known to go through a credential program has had these fantastic experiences with students (even if it’s just one!), and these keep you going. The meaning it provides is unbeatable, and it will stick with you forever. This alone is reason enough to join a credential program.
Good: Creativity and Skills
In your credential program, you will gain so many useful skills, and you will be forced to be more creative than you ever have before. Every day, you’ll be making lesson plans, resolving conflicts, dealing with parents, and learning on your feet. This isn’t easy. It takes time to learn how to make lesson plans that bridge your school site/grade level’s material with common core standards, all while making it relevant to the kids. You also have to get creative with how to keep their attention.
This, naturally, lends itself to the development of more skills. You get to be a great public speaker, a great improviser, and a great planner. Google Suite and many other LMS (Learning Management System) platforms become your best friend. You figure out how to balance your time most efficiently, boss around 40 kids at a time, and keep order. All of these are highly transferrable skills, and even if you don’t stick with teaching, you’ll be able to bring these skills into your other careers.
Good: Making Great Friends
People who go into education are, generally, great candidates for friends. They are caring, compassionate, driven by meaning, and intelligent. They want to help others and make the world a better place. Their empathy is crucial to them, and they obviously know how to work hard. On top of that, you’re all in this together. Nothing makes great friends like mutual suffering, and between the work, schoolwork, and other duties, there’s a lot of that going on.
On top of that, credential programs usually divide their students into cohorts or smaller groups. These cohorts usually range from about 20-30 students, so it gives you much smaller class sizes than most colleges. Groupwork, after-class hangouts, and text groups all provide excellent opportunities to make friends. Because it’s the same people you’re seeing so often, usually for most of your classes, you will get to know them well and establish a community. Being a part of a group of go-getters is definitely a benefit that you should know about a credential program!
Good: The Pride That Comes with a Good Lesson
This is something that really can’t be beat. Yes, there will be bad days, but these days will far outweigh those. When you create a lesson that lands with the kids, you’ll be so proud of yourself. Creating a good lesson is a mix of science and art. You have to combine content knowledge and pedagogy, then you have to make it visually appealing and relevant to kids. A ton of work goes into good lessons, and when a lesson hits with your students, it feels fantastic. Engagement is one of the highest forms of validation you can receive as a teacher, and if a kid says they actually enjoyed an activity? Priceless.
It’s this fusion of skills–creating materials, presenting them, guiding students, etc.–that makes you remember why this is a fantastic job. When you see test scores or understanding go up and know that’s because of you, it will hold you over for days. I’ve had days where I’ve been upset and not wanted to go to school, but then I think of those lessons where kids were smiling and participating, and it’s the reason I get up sometimes. This is something I didn’t know about a credential program when I started, and it’s turned out to be one of my favorite things about it!
Bad: The Lack of a Paycheck
It sucks to not get paid when you’re working full time. I’m very opposed to this, and considering you’re practically doing a full time job and fulfilling all the responsibilities of a teacher, you really should get paid.
Yet that’s not the case.
Some credential programs aren’t a full year, but mine was. It sucks to get to work at 7:15 every day and not leave until 2:45, all without seeing a penny. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me second-guess what I was doing quite a few times. When you have to save up to go to a credential program OR live in an expensive city while you’re completing it, it’s even worse.
There’s the option of working as you do this, but as I will explain in the scheduling section, this can be difficult sometimes. Not impossible, but not always easy. Just have that in mind before you commit.
Bad: The Lack of Gratitude
This is something that extends to the teaching profession as a whole. While many students are perfectly pleasant, rarely do students ever thank you for your work. They don’t often realize that you are doing full time work for no money. It’s frustrating to be treated poorly even when you are getting paid; now imagine what it’s like when you’re not. When you have a ton of responsibilities to balance, this can get old quickly.
Additionally, sometimes other people can take you for granted. Depending on guide teachers, they might just expect you to fulfill extra duties. Most guide teachers are fantastic, but there are a few who see student teachers as an opportunity to offload a bunch of work. Admin could also potentially take you for granted and expect you to do the duties of a paid professional. Similarly, parents don’t always consider your situation and treat you like another paid teacher (or treat you worse). While this is part of the job, it can wear on people. If this is something that will bug you, it’s definitely something that you should know about a credential program before joining it.
Ugly: The Mental Strain
This is something I didn’t exactly anticipate, and I fully believe that it’s something people should know about a credential program. You don’t leave work at work. When people said this originally, I thought that they meant the physical work–the grading papers, putting in grades, the lesson planning. All of that definitely comes home with you, and it gets to you, but it’s not the worst part.
The worst part is the struggles that students go through. If you go into education, you’re most likely someone who wants to connect with others and make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. That’s what makes it even tougher when you see what some of these kids are going through. Whether they’re bullied at school, have a horrible home life, are suicidal, or have to deal with legal action when they’re not even old enough to drive, it weighs on you. You grow to care so much for these kids, and you eventually have to face the reality that you can’t fix everything for them. Seeing this and feeling so helpless is something that wears on you a lot.
When taken with the additional strain of doing homework/lesson plans/grading/work for no money, it does get to be very overwhelming. Sometimes you just have days where you collapse on the couch and can’t take it anymore. You’ll think about these kids even after they leave your class and wonder if they’re okay. It’s this emotional weight that can get to be a lot, and it’s something that you should be prepared for before you enter a credential program.
Ugly (Ish): The Amount of Bookkeeping
Nobody ever tells you how much bookkeeping and other menial tasks go along with teaching. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that takes a minute to adjust to once you’re first starting out. Like starting with any job, you need to learn your school’s policies and procedures. A lot of times, this includes things like the following:
- Learning the school’s gradebook software
- Taking attendance at a certain time
- Posting and tracking grades at certain times (and possibly on multiple platforms)
- Keeping track of tardies, absences, bathroom passes, and other items of the sort
- Sending out progress notices and warnings to students
- Corresponding with parents and students
- Keeping rules straight and creating a classroom environment
- Documenting IEPs and 504s and attending meetings for those
- Creating seating charts and scaffolded groups for IEPs, gifted students, etc.
The list goes on. It might not seem too difficult when you first look at it, and it’s certainly easier once you get into a rhythm. However, it takes a moment to figure out your process and to make sure that you’re doing everything while still managing the 40 or so kids in your class.
Ugly: The Scheduling
A credential program is exhausting. I don’t know one person who won’t tell you the same thing. It’s a lot of work for no pay, which, as previously noted, is exhausting in and of itself. In my program at SDSU, the first semester of student teaching is about six classes and spending half the school day in a classroom. You’re in charge of teaching one class and preparing/observing during the other. In the second semester, you only have three classes, but you’re working on the edTPA and spending a full school day at your school site. You teach two classes, observe one, and prepare during the other. When you get home, you only have more work to do!
So, to break it down, here’s my spring schedule:
6:20= wake up, get ready, drive to school site
7:30-9:00= teach first class
9:00-12:30= observe and prep
12:30-1:00= lunch
1:00-2:30= teach second class
2:45-3:30= go home, relax (or, more likely, just do work)
4:00-6:40= classes (2-3 times a week, usually Tuesday and Wednesday)
6:40-9:00= dinner, grade, plan for tomorrow, edTPA (from February to March)
9:00-11:00= hopefully have some downtime, more likely work on something
11:00= time to sleep
As you can see, this is an important aspect that you should know about a credential program before you enter it. It’s busy, and you really don’t have a lot of time to yourself. However, this type of grind will prepare you for life in the real world of teaching. Some people need to take a year off before they go into their credential programs to get to a place (financially, mentally, socially, etc.) where they can do this. Consider what’s right for you.
A Final Word
Credential programs are difficult. There’s probably not a person in the world who can deny that. Over the year spent in my credential program, I had a roller coaster of an experience. This seems to be the case for most of my cohort members as well. You have days where you just want to quit, days where you want to stay at school longer, and days where you question everything. At the end of it, however, the good has won out over the bad and the ugly for me. If I had to do it again, I would.
Did this article help you figure out what to expect out of a credential program? Let me know in the comments below!
