Is teaching high school too bogged down with administration?

[PhotonSSBM]

I want to teach physics and reach out to motivated students with research opportunities in my classes as a career. It seems like every time I tell someone this they comment on how broken the public school system is and that I'd be subject to the parents' whining and whims. They also say the administration aspects of having 30-40 students would be too much for me ("They" being people who know me personally). Also there are stories told to me all the time about teachers who get flat out told what and how to teach in their classroom by administrative bodies.

I'm not as on the fence about it as them, I've been tutoring at the level of AP Physics 1/2/C for a while now and I know the material doesn't bore me, and the pleasure I feel by being damn good at teaching makes me happy. My advisor suggests that I get a Masters or PhD in Physics and teach at a private high school where class sizes will be small and the kids will be more motivated. Plus he always points out that most of the people who tell me these things aren't teachers, and I should have better luck as a physics teacher than someone who teaches English for instance.

So how about it? Have any of you heard that teaching physics in high school is too much of a chore due to school administrations, parents, class sizes, etc, or have you heard or experienced that it's entirely worth it and if I already like teaching I'd be crazy not to try it out after I'm done with grad school? Thanks for any input.

 

[Dale]

Any professional career will have a lot of administrational duties. If you want to avoid administrational tasks then you should be looking into trades or unskilled labor, and even then you would need to avoid management or entrepreneurial opportunities.

 

[PhotonSSBM]

Any professional career will have a lot of administrational duties. If you want to avoid administrational tasks then you should be looking into trades or unskilled labor, and even then you would need to avoid management or entrepreneurial opportunities.

I'm talking about beurocracy being annoying in public school systems when I say administration, not the act of being in charge itself. I chose my words poorly.

 

[Bystander]

when I say administration, not the act of being in charge itself

That's fully understood. "Teaching" involves your performance of all the administrative duties you currently anticipate being handled by administrators (dealing with parents, classroom funding, other "support" functions) plus four to five classes a day with students who may be taking STEM courses as "electives," but who really do not want to be there.

 

[PhotonSSBM]

That's fully understood. "Teaching" involves your performance of all the administrative duties you currently anticipate being handled by administrators (dealing with parents, classroom funding, other "support" functions) plus four to five classes a day with students who may be taking STEM courses as "electives," but who really do not want to be there.

My question wasn't: do these things exist? My question was: is it worth it to you or someone you know, and why?
Edit: grammar

 

[Bystander]

worth it to you or someone you know, and why?

Yes --- the "Ah-hah moments." Such events are few and far between --- and, (opinion, personal impression) becoming less frequent. Is that worth it to you?

 

[Dale]

I'm talking about beurocracy being annoying in public school systems when I say administration, not the act of being in charge itself. I chose my words poorly.

Your word choice was fine, that is exactly what I understood you to mean and precisely how I responded. Bureaucracy is annoying in every profession. That is what I pointed out above.

 

[PhotonSSBM]

Yes --- the "Ah-hah moments." Such events are few and far between --- and, (opinion, personal impression) becoming less frequent. Is that worth it to you?

Couldn't tell you yet. I'm just collecting anecdotes from here and elsewhere for now. It's not like I'm making a decision this month. But thanks, it's always good to hear a yes on this. The ah-ha is what got me into tutoring after all.

Your word choice was fine, that is exactly what I understood you to mean and precisely how I responded. Bureaucracy is annoying in every profession. That is what I pointed out above.

That's fair. Seems I was the one that misunderstood you. And yeah I would never contest that. It's just the way its been portrayed to me is that public school bureaucracy is a particularly annoying breed. I used to work in a hospital as an RN and did fine with that whole mess, but for some reason when I mention high schools to people they treat it like the ninth level of hell.