Thinking about going back to school, Need some advice

well.... I only juggle home and school, not work too. I take all my classes online. I did a night class Nov-Dec and honestly wont' do another one unless Jim is here to pick up the slack. I couldn't balance the face to face with the online, and the house. I like my online classes because I can do my classwork when it's conveinent for me, not at a set time every day.... I would suggest taking just one class to start and see how it goes.... then you can work your way up to 2 or 3.

With a teaching degree, you will have to do student teaching, which means that eventually, you will not be able to work unless you work at night. Otherwise, I would urge you to do online classes as much as possible. I loved the ones I took.
As a side note, teaching is a lot of work and be prepared to go in early, stay late, and bring work home with you.

I have a few friends who have used UoP... I know that it can be a little expensive. You might want to check with your local colleges first. Do you have an associate's yet? I ask because when we lived in Washington state I was taking online classes through the local community college and they were way cheaper than the ones I'm taking now. I go through University of Maryland now. Most colleges have online classes anymore, so you might want to check with any local schools.

I was going to say what Heather said. UoP is very expensive. Check out local colleges and universities first. It's not just your typical online colleges and universities that offer online degrees. They just do a better job of marketing themselves and advertising what they offer.
I just thought I would give you a brief disclosure about teaching. I love teaching, and I loved my students, but it was a lot of work, and I worked a lot more than the 8:00 to 3:40 I was required to be at school. When I was nine months pregnant with Emily, the last day I worked before Christmas break and maternity leave, I got to work at 7:30 and stayed at work until 6:00 that night. That was a typical work day for me, and usually I brought papers home to grade even after working that long. Granted, I was department chair, and I taught 150 kids, but I think most good teachers work a lot of hours and take work home with them. It's the only way to get it all done--between grading, calling parents, planning lessons, and doing all the other non-teaching type stuff you have to do (things you don't even realize you have to do until you start working), there's just not enough time in the school day. With elementary school teaching, you will have a lot more lesson plans to do. If you don't team teach, you will have up to 7 lessons to plan for each day you teach. If you team teach, that will vary depending on how many teachers you team with, but most likely you will still have at least four lessons to plan for each day. I just always tell people the good, the bad, and the ugly when I hear someone say they want to teach. If your heart is in it, there is nothing like being in a classroom doing your thing, it's absolutely wonderful. It's just that there is so much more to it than being in the classroom teaching.

Re: Thinking about going back to school, Need some advice

Just as a little add on the post before, which was very honest and certainly one you should consider, I felt I should add my experience from the other side.
My Mum is a full-time TA in a year one class (5-6) and has been since I was in that class. Although it wasnt quite as full-time as being a fully qualified teacher, what I did notice most about my Mums job as a child was the holidays. Instead of being looked after by childminders, or going to holiday playschemes like my friends, my Mum was there to take out me and my siblings (and usually my cousin and our friends as well) Day trips places, or even just to different parks we couldnt walk to. Having my Mum around in those times was really important and that attention has deffinately benefited me in the long term, and it wouldnt have been possible if she'd had any other job. Im still considering going into teaching myself for this reason, so I can give that same special time to my children. Although I'd want to teach teens, not kids!

Yes any full-time can take you away from your kids when you want to prioritise them most, but you could always do a job share or something? When I was in year 2 we had two teachers, who shared the days between them. I think this is a fantastic option for parent teachers who want to be at home, but also need or want to work as well.

If its what you want to do, then go for it. The hard work now will really pay off long term.

Re: Thinking about going back to school, Need some advice

Great perspectives ladies!

Re: Thinking about going back to school, Need some advice

Actually I DO attend University of Phoenix online. If you look at the cost per year, it's really not THAT much more than a traditional university. College is going to set you back some ching no matter where you go. It also depends on WHAT you are going to school for. Have you priced a year of Law school or Medical school? Yikes.....

UOP has really great resources and you are not left hanging for anything... you have an admissions counselor, academic counselor and a financial counselor. They help you get registered. They help you fill out your FAFSA.... they do what they can do to get you financial aid. They really do work for you.

The classes so far have been fine. There is one that is 3 weeks and is an introduction to online learning so you are taught how to work in the online environment and what is required of the online learner. There is so much more that I could tell you, but this would become a book & I'd bore the tar out of most people. LOL!

My advice... just check out the program that you want to get into.... then check out the appropriate schools. Then decide if it is something you could do online (if that works for you), then research online learning - check out the schools to see if they have what you need. There are several accredited schools out there. If you would want to look at UOP, let me know.

Good luck!!

Re: Thinking about going back to school, Need some advice

I will play the devil's advocate here. There is alot to be said to online courses, but alot for in class courses. My personal experience was that actual classes worked WAY better for me. It was too easy to be distracted at home and then never get around to what I had wanted or needed to get done on a particular day. For me, I needed the structure of the classroom. I also needed the personal interaction with the instructor and students. I just learn better that way.

Definitely check ALL the local schools (2 year AND 4 year colleges). Just about all of them have online classes these days, if that is how you decide to go. A community college (junior college, 2 year college) is almost always going to be cheaper than any 4 year college. But then you have to always make sure that the classes you are taking are going to transfer to the 4 year college you plan on attending later. I know here in Houston, that Houston Community College works with all of the local 4 year universities (we have 7 here). So they can help you decide what degree you want to work toward at which school and help to make sure that you are only taking the classes you need and that those classes will actually transfer when you are ready. Just something else to think about.