>>>>I am seriously thinking of migrating to teaching. It doesn't pay that well but it's timeless and you actually get to make a difference.
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>>As in school teaching or IT professional teaching/training? I ask because we've been told here more than once that some IT trainers earn 6-figures, which isn't exactly a pittance. ;-)
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>School teaching. Maybe English, maybe math. I have been feeling a profound lack of purpose (classic mid-life crisis probably) and that would certainly be a purpose. At least in the city of Chicago there is such a shortage of teachers they will mainstream faculty in short order without going through the normal degree and certification requirements. The mom of one of Allie's friends was a bank officer and did that when she got completely bored with banking. (This was several years before the crash). She got a job teaching on da South Side. And quit within a year, but that's another story.
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>Where I live there are a tremendous number of Hispanic students. Most of them speak English all right. When I was more involved in youth soccer it was not unusual to see young kids translating for their parents at registration. But they are still at an academic disadvantage with kids who were born here and speak English as a first language.
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>I know I'm like a broken record on this subject, so those who are tired of it can stop reading now. It's the kids. For those who don't spend time around foreign born kids, immigration must be an abstract issue. Keep em out, lock em up, secure the borders, build walls. If you spend any time around the kids you quickly realize they are the same the world over. They laugh, they get their feelings hurt, they learn, they are trying to make their way in this world. One of my favorite players when I was coaching was a Bosnian kid named Jovan, aged 8 at the time. His family was FOB (fresh off the boat) and he understood very little English at the time. Sometimes I suspected the only word he knew was "Yes." "Jovan, do you know what I mean?" "Yes." He was a talented player. One of my very best memories of soccer was Jovan knocking one in from the 18, a beautiful shot. He immediately looked over at his father on the sideline, who may have had one less word of English than Jovan did. They smiled in mutual exuberance. That's universal.


As a liberal, the NEA will welcome you with open arms. Good Luck....