Future Career Plans

I feel that I will be best suited to staying in the P-12 school setting once I have graduated. I truly want to remain at the elementary level, but I would be ok with working with the higher grade levels if that is where the jobs are! I really feel that I could do the most good working in a school with teachers and students. I think that many elementary school teachers are so open to trying new things, and I hope that I could "convert" some of those teachers who might not believe in the power of well-planned instruction using new and interesting media. I previously thought I wanted OUT of the classroom, but after deciding to take this year off, I have to say that I really miss being a teacher. I am not sure that I could be stuck in an office with no chance to work with students. I am hopeful that there will be a great need for Instructional Technologists in school settings in a few years. However, I do think that even as a classroom teacher, my new knowledge gained from this program will so valuable!

I think my biggest question is....will I be able to get a job in an elementary setting? When we did the job search early in this course, I did not see many positions that were located in schools, and those that were seemed to be the high school level. I think that is one of my biggest concerns. I also don't want to be taken advantage of....I see it very often when a teacher is really good at something. They are often given extra duties without receiving any extra compensation. I wonder if that would be a problem if I remained in the classroom, but word got out that I have a degree in Instructional Technology? I mean, I do not mind providing my colleagues with information and assistance or even serving on a technology committee or something as a regular classroom teacher, but I do worry that I might be expected to provide "free" IT services, and that scares me.