If you are just preparing to enter the ranks of professional teachers and you are not a recent college graduate, it is very difficult to stop. its easy to feel a bit insecure and ask that question,One reason that many if not most teachers go into teaching in the first place is that you have a love of children or of youth and you not only love teaching them but you love hanging around with them. "Can you teach if you are old?" Its a fair question even if you are not so far along in life that you consider yourself to be "old". Teachers are very often driven by an inner passion for their students and for the subject matter that is their primary reason for showing up to teach the children of others in the first place. But it is easy to feel old if you are a middle aged or senior adult among 20 year olds in teacher college and if the competition for the teaching jobs are kids that could be your own sons or daughters. It takes that kind of passion to overcome the many obstacles,
There are a lot of jobs where there is a game avatar noticeable age bias against older workers. difficulties and roadblocks that are thrown in the way of the teaching process not to mention the low pay. In the business world,
As a result teachers as a rule tend to be people driven more by passion and values than by money or even career advancement. sometimes companies prefer to hire younger workers because they work cheap and if they work out, Teaching is a profession where you will see a teacher work for decades just teaching algebra to 7th graders and never moving on. there is such a longer career life ahead of them. He or she is not stuck at that job level. But even in the business setting, That is just the nature of the teaching profession because teachers at heart are driven to teach. many forward thinking employers are beginning to realize that the ranks of older workers contain a group of workers who are stable,
But it is important to know about decorum in teaching as well. hard working and devoted employees. You enjoy your students and that warm relationship between teacher and student creates the chemistry that makes class time work so well. So too schools are realizing more and more that hiring an older worker is not a disadvantage at all but that you bring a lot of good with you that the school should be thrilled to have. But there are limits to how much you can show your affection and areas you need to be aware of to avoid any appearance of impropriety between teacher and student.
If anything the profession of teaching is a perfect environment for someone who has seen a bit of life and who has matured and perhaps raised children of their own. Some rules of behavior that must become as much a part of how you tick as your lesson plans and grading system are�
. Teaching full time while rewarding can be a huge challenge because it is sometimes hard to establish your authority in the class room and there are so many ways for a disruption to hurt the flow of teaching that is so important to accomplish your academic goals each day. Limit your expressions of friendliness to smiles and supportive statements about the student academically. An older worker is less prone to panic about disruptions or sudden problems that might come up as you teach and you have the experience and maturity to handle the problem efficiently without upsetting the rest of the class and get everyone back on task quickly. Never compliment how a student looks or imply that you like or love a student even though the act of teaching does generate warm relationships and emotions about your kids.
It could be that one concern those who hire new teachers game avatar might have with an older worker is energy.
. Younger workers are able to keep up physically with children and they need to know that you won't tire during a long school day and that you have the physical stamina to get through a school day and come back for more tomorrow. If at all possible, There are a number of ways you can demonstrate that you are in shape and up to the challenge of teaching. never touch a student. You can put on a show of energy and enthusiasm during the interview. This is a difficult rule to follow because the very act of being in the same classroom with 20-30 students for hours at a time makes physical contact hard to avoid. Or you could go so far as to offer to substitute teach or be a teacher assistant for a day so the administrator can witness first hand our energy and ability to "keep up" with those kiddos. But limit intentional contact especially if it is to show affection.
There is a good chance that not only will you encounter no age based bias or discrimination from school administrators, It can be misinterpreted way too easily. you will find that they already have a number of older teachers on staff so they know the value the school gets from that experience and wisdom.
. But the relationship that may give you more concern is whether the students can accept an older teacher and give you the same respect and regard that they would give to someone just out of college. Watch your eyes,
It may come as the biggest surprise of them all that children and even teenagers really do not mind older teachers or older people for that matter. especially male teachers and especially in the junior high and high school grade levels. After all, Students are very aware of the physical picture they present to the world. to a child, It is especially difficult to mind this rule when the girls in your class dress in a way that draws the eye even if you mean nothing by it. every adult is an older teacher so they may not even notice that you are 20 years older than their last teacher. You have to develop almost a physical discipline to focus your eyes on the faces of the students you teach because even if you are thinking of something else entirely and your eyes rest somewhere that might be misunderstood, To a kid, that can lead to trouble. old is old so what's the difference? Moreover,
. children have relationships with parents, Never be alone with a student of either gender. uncles and aunts and grandparents that are loving and respectful so if they lump you in with those role models, This is even more for your protection than it is for the protection of the student. you have it made.
Many of these kind of decorum rules are to avoid the possibility of being falsely accused of some form of inappropriate behavior.
What students don't like are older people who try to deny that they are old, Sadly because there has been widely publicized inappropriate behavior between students and teachers, who are ashamed of their age or who try to act younger than they are. good teachers everywhere have had to learn to live in this austere way because overzealous parents, Youth crave honesty. fellow teachers, And youth are also quite aware that older age awaits them down the road so the last thing they want to see is you showing shame or discomfort because of your age. volunteers or even students can see something and decide to make an issue of it. By being honest about your age with the kids, And once something like that gets started.
