JOB Talk with schoolteacher Becky Mayer
JOB Talk with schoolteacher Becky Mayer
Name: Becky Mayer
Occupation: First-grade teacher
Employer: Guilford County Schools (Alamance Elementary School)
Years in field: 14 years
Salary range: 34,730 to over 70,000, depending on degree attained.
Source: Guilford County Schools
What does your job entail?It would be easier to say what it does not entail. Elementary teachers act as dentists (a lot of children at this age lose their baby teeth), secretaries and parents to the children in our classroom. Our main goal is to help students learn and achieve at the highest level possible in all areas of their lives, both socially and academically, using the North Carolina Standard Course of Study — and using a lot of love and patience.
How did you become involved in this line of work?I believe some people are born to be teachers and some are not. My grandparents, father, sister and brothers are all teachers. When I went to college they discouraged me from becoming a teacher because at that time teaching jobs were hard to find and because of all the headaches involved in teaching. When I attended college, I got a degree in criminal justice and worked with young offenders for seven years. Then, after having my first child, I decided that I really wanted to teach, so I went back to school to get my teaching degree. I love being a teacher!
What training or education is required?You need to have a degree in education or in a related area that will qualify or licensure you as a teacher by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
What does it take to do your job successfully?To be a good teacher you must love children and have good administrators and co-workers. It is necessary that you be able to handle the unexpected on a daily basis. It is important that you realize that each student is someone’s pride and joy. In today’s age of video games, a good teacher needs to be able to grasp children’s attention and get them interested in learning. A successful teacher needs to be able to love all children.
What’s most challenging about your job?The hardest part of my job is to motivate an unmotivated child. To find what it is that will make that child interested in learning and doing his or her best. It is always hard to tell parents that their child is performing below grade level. All teachers want their students to succeed.
What is most rewarding?It is always a great feeling when students come back to you and tells you how much you meant to them. It is a great feeling knowing you made a difference in someone’s life. I also love seeing students who finally understand a difficult concept. Teachers call it the “Aha!” moments.
Any advice for someone interested?You need to really be willing to make teaching your life. I get to school around 7 a.m. and stay until after 4 p.m. I often take work home with me and come in on the weekends to file and update paperwork. If you are sick you must find someone to replace you or come on in to school. On snow days you are required to come in to school or put in a leave request. But teaching is the greatest profession ever. I get over 20 students who love me unconditionally every year. I even get my summers off (without pay). Teaching is not a just a job, it is a passion, so before you go into teaching, volunteer at your local school and make sure you really want to teach. It could be the best thing you ever get the opportunity to do.
Every two weeks, Job Talk highlights a different job in the Triad area with input from those who actually do them. Interested in participating or have a suggestion for a job you’d like us to feature? Contact Patrick Collins at 412-5934 or patrick.collins@news-record.com.
JOB Talk: Becky Mayer 031509
Becky Mayer, a first grade teacher with Guilford County Schools, with her students at Alamance Elementary School in Greensboro.
Nancy Sidelinger Special Sections Photographer
