How to land a Teacher Job by Buddy

I landed my first teaching job by…

I did not start out wanting to be a teacher. I got a job in a hospital lab while I was in college. I majored in Biology and got certified as a Medical Laboratory Technician. I continued in this position after I graduated.
I married before I graduated. My wife taught kindergarten. We rarely saw each other. I was working full time and taking classes at night. After I graduated, things were better but I had to work weekends and some nights. I also had to be on call several nights a week.
My wife kept telling me she thought I would be a great teacher. At her urging, I went back to school and got certified to teach. I was immediately offered a job at the junior high level. No way! I knew that was not what I wanted so I turned it down and kept working at the hospital.
Two years later, a month after school had started, I got a call. The Chemistry teacher at the high school was leaving for a college position. I was offered the job. I took and and 27 years later I am still glad I did.
It is rewarding to have students come back and tell me how well-prepared they were for college. I am thrilled when one of my students decides to be a Chemistry major.
If you know what you really want to teach, hang in there. Opportunity does come knocking!

Buddy is a high school Chemistry teacher in rural South Carolina. He has two sons and is married to a kindergarten teacher. This is his 27th year teaching.

This post is part of the Teaching Jobs Portal: “How to land a Teacher Job”. What was your journey like to become a teacher? If you’d like to share your experience with other aspiring teachers please see this post for more information

Hope for the Future

My Teacher, My Hero has given me hope this year. Their partnership with DonorsChoose has been incredible. I am on my way to getting much needed supplies for my classroom. Strangers helping classroom teachers give me a new hope for the future of education.
Thank you My Teacher, My Hero and DonorsChoose!

This post is part of the MAT@USC: Masters in Teaching Hope for the holidays event. Did you have an experience or witness something in 2009 which gave you hope for the future of American education? If so, please see this post for more information on how to share it.