How Did High School Affect the Career Decisions of Current High School Teachers?

There are many incredible high school teachers everywhere, working to make a difference for students every day. In fact, I'm sure anyone can think about the environment of our school and be able to list multiple impactful staff in just a second. This is why, for this month’s teacher feature, I decided to dive deeper into the way our teachers’ teachers impacted their decision to become teachers! (Quite the tongue twister, I know!) I went around investigating which teachers already had a preconceived notion in their heads about becoming a teacher from a very young age and which teacher’s high school experiences encouraged their decisions. I received responses from 18 helpful Ken-West teachers and here’s what I found!

50% of teachers hadn’t even considered teaching before entering high school themselves. 88% of teachers had decided to be a high school teacher by the time they had finished high school, whereas the other 12% I spoke to, had changed their mind after a bit of college. I also found that English teachers were most likely to know that they wanted to be teachers before high school, illustrated by 85% of the English teachers I met with knowing from a young age that they were meant to teach. On the other hand, I found that high school had affected science teachers the most. I noticed this because 80% of the science teachers I talked to had not considered teaching prior to high school, but felt set on their decision afterward. Finally, I found that special education teachers had the most split data since only half of them knew they wanted to teach before high school. The other 50% however, were persuaded by their own high school experience. 

To conclude, this goes to show a few of the connections between current teachers and the many factors that may have contributed to their decision to teach. This also demonstrates the way high school education can greatly impact the future of teaching and the way that previous high school education impacted our teachers now. So take a minute to reflect on the impact your high school teachers have made on you AND the possibilities of the journey that led them there. And to finish, of course, thank you to all the staff who participated in this month’s teacher feature. Stay tuned and ready for next month!!

NOTE: If you are considering a career in education, there is a Kenmore West Club for you: Take a Look at Teaching Club.  See Mrs. LaManna in Rm 451.