21 too young to start teaching?

pm123

I'm about to start my PDE in Dublin this September and when I graduate I'll be 21. Is this too young to start teaching secondary school students? I look a little older than 21 and I'm quite mature for my age... In spite of this, does it matter what age you are, once you're good enough to teach?

Enright

Makes no difference, the important thing is how you teach. On the plus side you can retire early

seavill

no its not

bdoo

Enright wrote: »

Makes no difference, the important thing is how you teach. On the plus side you can retire early

I wouldn't get too excited about retiring early you'll get no pension til your 65 afaik.

I started at 21 and I looked like I was 21, they get used to you.

Fortunately I still look like I'm 21 in spite of their best efforts to turn me grey.

I think kids always think their teachers are way older. To an 18 year old 23 or 24 is ancient.

milosh

I started at 21. My Dip year was fine as I only had first and second years. My first teaching job was tougher as I had 12 periods of 6th years many of whom turned 19. I ended up on the same football, hurling and tennis teams as lads I was teaching!

As long as you remember you are a teacher and not their friend you will be fine.

gaeilgebeo

I was 20 years old for the first 6 months of my teaching career.
I was only a year older than some of my Leaving Certs.
It was fine though. As another poster has pointed out, once you're a teacher, you're obviously old!

maynooth_rules

If you are a teacher then students assume you are ancient. in my Dip year a student asked if I had a son in 1st year. i was 23 at the time

Miss Lockhart

I am nearly 30 and my students are convinced I am only 20/21 - even though I've worked there for 5 years (maths is not their strong point!). So there's no guarantee being older will be of any help. Just maintain your professional distance and you'll be fine.

alexlyons

just make sure the older kids don't try to take advantage of being a bit younger and your inexperience. Assert your authority a few times early on and you'll be fine.
Literally don't accept anything out of line at all for the first week. Yes some say you get the name of a hard ass, but you get respect and can then ease up. They then know the line they can't cross but at least you can still have a bit of a laugh.

Teachers like that were the ones we got on best with. They taught you what they needed to, but you could also ask to cover topics and as the teacher respected you because you didn't cross the line, with some general banter thrown into classes but head down when it needed it.

Yes some will think your ancient, but others aren't as dim and will respect you if you can have fun but still be authoritative.

mtoutlemonde

maynooth_rules wrote: »

If you are a teacher then students assume you are ancient. in my Dip year a student asked if I had a son in 1st year. i was 23 at the time

On my last day of teaching practice the students asked me if I was retiring!!

pm123

Were ye ever afraid to confront really thuggish looking students, I'd be afraid they'd challenge you back and get physical - that's a main worry I have about the whole teaching thing... :-/

Miss Lockhart

That's hilarious mtoutlemonde!

seavill

pm123 wrote: »

Were ye ever afraid to confront really thuggish looking students, I'd be afraid they'd challenge you back and get physical - that's a main worry I have about the whole teaching thing... :-/

It depends on how you confront them, in reality it is a very rare occurance, but it also depends on the situation.

The only real time there is a danger is if it has already got heated or something very serious has happened. no hardly any student is ever going to get physical over something small in reality.

In relation to general discipline, or small class related things, you must stand your ground and at least give off the impression you are in control and be authoritative (WITHOUT ACTUALLY LOSING THE COOL) . In some challenging schools showing a weakness can be a killer and it can be very hard to recover from it. Generally like with a lot of teaching it is an act, act like you are in charge and not bothered even if they are roaring and screaming. You can go into the staffroom afterwards and collapse with the fright but they won't know any of it.

As I said it is very rare that there is a physical situation. I have experienced a student trying to throw a chair at a teacher, one student come in with a hammer looking for another, I discovered knives on a few first years, we had one student try to physically assault a teacher, some kick doors and walls instead of teachers. These things all happened in one school, however nothing of the sorts has happened in any other school I have been in. These are extremely rare but in reality again no one will know what to do until it happens, generally it involves stepping back and getting out of the way, or sometimes when it doesn't involve you stepping in the way but in each of the situations above the key was to keep calm, step back if it involves you, seek out another teacher immediately, or get a student to, usually the nearest one is only yards away.

In a school where discipline can be an issue generally the key is to speak with your colleagues as much as possible. The teacher there 15 years is more than likely having hte same problems as you are in your first month there with the same students. The best bit of advice I was given in the first difficult school was to ask for help every time, teachers in these schools will be well used to dealing with things.
Watch and learn, the ones there years are generally experts at diffusing a situation or knowing what to do.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness ever.

happywithlife

you'll be fine
i remember on my first teaching practice (i did a concurrent course and did 4 weeks tp during my first year of college) i was only teaching 1st years but was asked to supervise a repeat leaving cert class for a double period -
they were big strapping rugby type lads 18 & 19 years of age -- here was little 5 foot ole me all of 18 years telling them to sit down and get on with their work !
if only they knew !
but boy was i glad i had my 'power suit' on that day
seriously they haven't a clue re age and will assume you're at least 25 or thereabouts