Should I switch my major from nursing to special education teaching?

dream'n, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2016

RN job security and opportunities are not too great in many areas of the country.

SakuraLVN · Feb 10, 2016

If I were you, I would consider to be a school nurse:)

pixierose, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2016

I'm a certified K-12 SPED teacher who's going back to school for her BSN after teaching for almost 18 years ... here's my take on it.

I *loved* it.

But... (always with the 'but,' but that is with all careers and hence the moral of the story, as you always have to outweigh the positives and the negatives of the career you choose)

* My caseloads were enormous (this was not unique to my SPED positions).

* Because said caseloads were enormous, my interaction times could feel rushed.

* Constant meetings, which made trying to get to certain kids so very challenging.

* Common Core contributed to unnecessary curriculum modifications that added to the students workload, which contributed to student stress, frustration, and aberrant behaviors. This lead to even more meetings to address these issues ... and around and around the circle we go.

* Grading papers at soccer games, field hockey games, and swimming meets... Oh, my kid scored a goal? Go team!

* Developing/modifying curriculum after my kids go to bed.

* Going into work by 5:30am to get a 2-hour quiet jumpstart to my day because once the kids get there, I won't even have time for lunch. I need to get to my students, meetings, and most likely parents.

When I became a SPED teacher, I had much more time to spend with my students. I had way less meetings. As the years passed, my time spent with the kids became less and less but with the same expectations (and more). It became overwhelming to me. I feel alive in the classroom. So, of course, my time in the classroom decreased.

My husband is an APRN and, over the years, I watched him with some envy as he went to work and came home. He still got to work with people, does what he enjoys, but leaves his work ... at work. One of many reasons why I'm switching careers.

But that's me. I don't mind crazy hours, giving up my schedule, etc.

Much luck to you.

Nature_walker, ASN, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2016

Like PixieRose, I am a certified K-12 ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher. I taught for 8 years. It was an amazing career, but (again with that but caveat), the teaching career is not exactly all this wonderful teaching time shaping young minds...My days were running from building to building, meetings, teaching three different groups at the same time because of my limited time in each building, then more meetings about my students during my lunch, another half hour or so of actual teaching, parent meetings and then at the end of the day, pack up all my teaching stuff to take it home to plan lessons. My weekends were planning lessons, prepping my books, modifying classroom lessons so my students could understand the content, and then planning meetings with other teachers so we could have consistency for my students. I loved it and it was so much fun but you bring a lot of your work home with you. I spent countless hours and money to make sure my students got the quality lessons that I know they needed. I wouldn't trade my time teaching for anything, however with less student contact time, running between 6 buildings a day, and administrators who had no idea what my job really was finally caused me to walk away. It certainly has it's rewards, but make no mistake, you will take your work home with you because you want the absolute best lessons you can make for each and every one of those kids.

Natasha, RN, BSN · Feb 11, 2016

I'm a certified K-12 SPED teacher who's going back to school for her BSN after teaching for almost 18 years ... here's my take on it.
I *loved* it.
But... (always with the 'but,' but that is with all careers and hence the moral of the story, as you always have to outweigh the positives and the negatives of the career you choose)
* My caseloads were enormous (this was not unique to my SPED positions).
* Because said caseloads were enormous, my interaction times could feel rushed.
* Constant meetings, which made trying to get to certain kids so very challenging.
* Common Core contributed to unnecessary curriculum modifications that added to the students workload, which contributed to student stress, frustration, and aberrant behaviors. This lead to even more meetings to address these issues ... and around and around the circle we go.
* Grading papers at soccer games, field hockey games, and swimming meets... Oh, my kid scored a goal? Go team!
* Developing/modifying curriculum after my kids go to bed.
* Going into work by 5:30am to get a 2-hour quiet jumpstart to my day because once the kids get there, I won't even have time for lunch. I need to get to my students, meetings, and most likely parents.
When I became a SPED teacher, I had much more time to spend with my students. I had way less meetings. As the years passed, my time spent with the kids became less and less but with the same expectations (and more). It became overwhelming to me. I feel alive in the classroom. So, of course, my time in the classroom decreased.
My husband is an APRN and, over the years, I watched him with some envy as he went to work and came home. He still got to work with people, does what he enjoys, but leaves his work ... at work. One of many reasons why I'm switching careers.
But that's me. I don't mind crazy hours, giving up my schedule, etc.
Much luck to you.

I couldn't agree more!!!

I was a former teacher of many years as well... and went back to school for all these same reasons listed above. Best decision I ever made was getting my BSN. Good luck to you, I know it's not an easy decision to completely change careers.