Thursday, February 18, 2010

I need a Master's to teach high school chemistry

Today, I received an email from my old uni about an opening for a teaching post in Baltimore, Maryland. Of course, this doesn't apply to me (yet), but I scrolled down the email anyway and read the requirements and details about the post.

Apparently, the hiring body is a private uni-prep school needing someone who can teach high school and AP chemistry. Their requirements are, here goes: Master's degree in Chemistry (or related field, which applies to mine), and excellent communication and leadership skills.

Excuse my french but...there is no fucking way in the world that I am going to teach fucking high school/AP Chem to a bunch of rich kids after going to hell and back while getting a Master's in Chem (or Biochem). 'Competitive rates' MY ASS. 45k in teaching vs 6 figures in the industry. Yes, you may be missing out on the honor of teaching the next Marie Curie, but really now...Marie Curie probably had great mentors, but she drove and satiated her own curiosity. Besides, her mentors were probably doing research themselves, and when you're teaching kids in high school, you don't get to work in a lab. Oh no, you get to prep their practicals and make their own agar gels 'cause they can't be assed to show up at the end of the day to mix agar and water. AND if you teach AP, the school board will probably end up twisting your arm while telling you to teach the AP exam instead of chemistry.

So Careers Center lady, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather work for Pfizer and deal with their ethics, or lack thereof, than teach a bunch of clayheads who expect to be spoonfed and magically get a 5 on the AP exam. meh

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