Pots And Teaching

[bella27]

Hi there,

I was just wondering if anyone on this forum is a teacher? I'm in a grad program for special ed and my brain fog has been really bothering me lately. I have been having trouble following directions, and have been having trouble speaking when standing up. I figured special ed would be a safe career choice for me because I just figured I could sit on a stool and teach the class but am wondering how much my spaciness and my problems with attending to detail will hurt me? Also, I was wondering how much time most teachers spend standing up in front of the class each day?

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

R

[kayjay]

I have my M.ed in exceptional children. I almost never sat. You can sit more with older students then with the little guys. i made out ok when not in a flare. I used to chew nicotine gum when I was teaching to help with brain fog.... funny thing is it helepd and I never smoked. i only chewed it at school. i do not reccomend this ...but my point is some kind of meds may help you.

I loved teaching and hope to do it again someday but I can't imagine teaching from a chair. Best of luck too you. Maybe you will just be better when the time comes. I really did ok for a few years and I am thankful that I was able to show love and have a great inpact on some children with unique needs

[MightyMouse]

I'm a behavior analyst in sp. education for 23+ years. It's not easy.

[shadesofgrey49]

My gosh, I can't imagine being a teacher. I'm a journalist and it's so hard to do man-on-the-street interviews standing.

[jump]

I teach, but I teach adults, and I teach for two-hour blocks at a time. I find the standing VERY difficult - I am only able to continue teaching because, with adults, there are no discipline issues and very little classroom-management issues, which means I can teach by sitting or by scooting around in a chair with wheels. I don't think I could do this job if I had to teach children and needed to stand more. Also, I work at night - I taught in the mornings for a little while, but it was impossible because my POTS symptoms are so much worse in the morning.

Moving around helps - I can stand for longer if I'm walking around the classroom than if I'm just standing still. I make my students write on the board for me, but again, I'm not sure how well that would work if I was teaching children.

[ericajay]

i teach first grade, and used to teach kindergarten. i have to remind myself to sit, and have a rolling chair that really helps. I have the classroom set up so I can roll around to tables while the kids are working- it's been a lifesaver. otherwise, i have trouble breathing when i am standing and talking for too long, and I start to feel really crabby. The older the kids are the easier- with the young ones, it was impossible for me to get down to tie shoes and zip coats as many times as I needed to, and it seemed unfair to talk to them from standing position- I always want to be on their level. Now, the older kids understand that I can't get up and down, and will form a line for zipping so that I can do it all at once.

No matter what, though, I am always exhausted, and the brain fog comes and goes. Coffee is my best friend. I don't schedule meetings for the morning, because I'm not good in the morning. I take days off to rest and plan as I need to. It's definately not the ideal job for having POTS, but nothing is...

[mkoven]

I teach in a university and am often seated. No way I could do it otherwise. I warn students that I will squirm. But to echo others, there are relatively few discipline issues.

[Tammy]

I worked in special education for 12 years, not as a teacher, but had also done student teaching in college and I can say that you need to be up on your game with little kids. I student taught elementary aged kids and you always are moving around, bending down to their level or squating by their desk to talk to them when they raise their hands and have questions, etc. Also special education teachers usually have a few kids who have physical limitations themselves, so if they are in a wheelchair and need help getting in and out of their chair for bathroom breaks, etc, you will need to be able to lift them out and help them if an aide isn't available at the time to do so, even if you are just teaching them reading, writing, math, etc. Typically this is something the aide would be doing, however it is still a requirement to be able to do so. Also kids with behavior disorders can be physically challenging at times -- we had a special education teacher loose her eyesight when a third grader head-butted her in the face. Teaching is a very demanding job both mentally and physically. Hope this sheds some light as to what you will be up against in your career choice. If you decide to teach adults or secondary students most of these situations wouldn't apply.

[RIfainthearted]

My last job as a librarian was in an elementary school (pre-K through 6). I hadn't been diagnosed with POTS and was frequently dizzy from rising after being on the floor or crouching. In front of the class, I usually leaned against a desk or stool. I found that if I kept moving, things were better. What really did me in was the sheer exhaustion. After 6 years, I resigned because I didn't think it was fair to my sons, who were 12 and 14 at the time.

Don't forget to consider whether the work you bring home at night (class prep, grading papers, etc.) is going to prove to be too exhausting for you after a long day in the classroom.