Elementary teacher?

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For a long time my dream is to become an elementary school teacher. Even though I have autism a lot of the younger kids enjoy saying hi to me and I am ALWAYS nice with kids younger than me (10th grade).
I wonder if adults with high functioning autism can still become teachers? I already have a pretty narrow list of grades for me - 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade or library/technology. Preschool, Pre-K, K and 1st are off the list. These kids still act like babies! They also do disgusting things in public, like pick their nose and eat their boogers! Wouldn't it be embarrassing for me to give a lecture to 5 year olds on the first day about why you shouldn't pick your boogers? I also wouldn't want to teach 5th and above (middle/high school). Not only would I have to deal with rowdy teenagers but I would also have to grade 160-180 kids' assignments. No thanks. Next year I plan on taking Child Psychology/Development in HS to get some experience. We will get to go to some elementary schools and help with mentor teachers and their kids. I am also VERY good with technology and teaching a ton of kids how to work the computers would be very cool.
So again, I was wondering if autistic/asperger's people would be fit for a teacher job, or would it be a little bit too much. I am trying the best I can to attempt it after college!

Give it a try. I will say that getting and maintaining a teaching position can be difficult on the spectrum. I was denied a student teacher position even though I had taken the study courses and test and had good reviews on working well with the students it was judged that I was too independent and would not work well with the administration and with a highly dictated curriculum.
Personally I struggled with classroom management in less structured ages such as elementary school. High school was easier for me as the schedule was easier for me to maintain with my executive function problems.

I do say go for your dream. Just because I and others on the spectrum have struggled in this area does not mean you will not succeed. Try it. Get into a teaching program and all that.

Here's the problem with MS/HS. I would have (if I was a regular subject teacher, like English or Social Studies) probably over 150 kids in a day. And the grading - don't get me started. 160 kids' essays on who knows what would take up my entire weekend and then some - grading right down to the bone and making sure they wrote really well on the topic I chose. In elementary school I would only grade 20-30 kids' HW. Big difference! And, since I would have 25 kids all year I think I could build student-to-teacher relationships way better than with 150 rowdy middle school kids who frankly, most of them probably wouldn't care about saying "hi!" to me.

I think if I could get my chance, it would have to be elementary only, but I could probably be a library or computer lab/technology teacher as well. I think having loads of kids ready to learn about computers would be VERY fun for me! Thank goodness most computer labs have headphones attached to each computer station or I would have a MAJOR headache with 30 computers running annoying game audio at the same time! But since I am really good with technology I think I could have a great school year curriculum for a technology class.

I have a teaching credential and probably have Asperger's. While I'm not currently teaching, I did student teaching in grades 1-3 and taught pre-K. I'm a little serious by elementary teacher standards, but other than that I've done okay. I would probably be much better at it now that I have children of my own, one of which is autistic. Prior to my son I didn't really understand the "problem" kids.

For me interviewing is hard. I'm not very good at selling myself. I graduated in 2008 when they were laying off teachers so I was unable to secure work. In hindsight I should have gotten my credential to teach science in high school, as it's far more marketable than elementary. Preschool jobs are easier to find but they pay practically nothing and the hours are part time. Subbing is not something I'm comfortable with (I don't want to go into an established, unfamiliar classroom with kids and rules I don't know).

I am a retired schoolteacher (and PDD-NOS) and I think the best way to find out if this is the career for you is to go volunteer at your local school. Do various jobs like working at the Front Office, helping with lunchtime, volunteering for field trips and sitting quietly in a teacher's classroom to observe and take notes on the lesson. I loved teaching. My speciality were the at-risk, behavior or special needs children. The children were delightful and easy to communicate with. Adults? I still cannot figure them out.

After some time, you will discover this is the career for you or not. Many groups like Volunteers of America hire and pay you a stipend to help with small group lessons like phonics or reading. Some schools hire p/t workers at your age to assist the teacher in ESL or Special Ed classrooms. Give it a try. Your best bet is to inquire and fill out an online (volunteer) application. Once you clear the background check, the school will ask for your help.

P.S. IMO, middle school is pretty nice compared to Elementary grades. The lower grades take a LOT of energy and you plan for the entire day. Middle School you plan for 1-2 classes that are 3/4 of your day with a 50 minute session. You have more freedom in the upper grades. K-5 will trap you in the room all day long. Grading nowadays is easier with Google Docs in the upper grades and Turnitin. Elementary still bogs you down with worksheets and stuff. Most of the K-5 teachers I worked with are now happy teaching middle school.

I at least remember a teacher on the autistic spectrum but he teaches teenagers. He was extremely intelligent. He gave English, but is also fluent at Middle English, which I find really interesting. That is really awesome: fluent at a previous state of English, spoken between 1066 and 1500.

He was awesome, but unfortunately he died several years ago, because of an accident.

Things you might consider

Summer school first
Para Educator
High School teacher
Private Tutor

None of the above

Are parents in your area very demanding about how teachers treat their kids? I used to teach elementary school kids (up to 12, though if any of my kids had wanted me as their tutor into secondary school I would be OK). But I decided not to do front-line teaching any more because some parents would be unhappy about me using fun methods to teach their kids or trying to discipline them so I could actually teach. And the kids who knew their parents were OK with things I wasn't OK with them doing can be difficult to handle.

If this is not really an issue for you, good luck. I did have some good times teaching too.

If you like kids and can relate to them, you could be a fine teacher, indeed.

If you have the right combination of empathy for them, and the desire to assist them in achieving high goals, then being a teacher is right up your alley.

The reason why I suck as a teacher is because I have trouble relating to kids, despite the fact that I like them.

One of my high school teachers was outstanding, yet nobody seemed to like him. He even got jumped and beaten up badly at a sporting event once in the washroom. I never understood why nobody liked him: he was quiet, intelligent and soft spoken and truly cared about his students. Looking back, he was almost certainly an Aspie. The other math in that school teacher was a sarcastic, abusive di$#head that everybody seemed to like. He once told his students how little he cared if they all failed and that it doesn't affect his pay but I digress.

I know a large number of aspie-like teachers. No wonder until the bullying started I was seen as a teacher's pet!!

Depending on the teacher, students may be easier to relate and connect with than administrators.

I also recommend volunteering in an elementary classroom before deciding to go into this field. I graduated (and did quite well) with my undergrad degree in elementary education. However, I really disliked student teaching. It wasn't the teaching and it wasn't the kids...it was the parent interactions and the politics with the other teachers and the administration. As a student teacher, I was not directly involved in that, but just observing it turned me off completely to ever teaching in a regular school. I can't deal with that stuff.

I also found student teaching completely exhausting. It is hard work and teachers do not get much pay considering all the effort they put in outside the classroom, not including non-teaching duties. Elementary teachers also often put a tremendous amount of their own money into their classrooms. My mother in law and sister were both elementary school teachers, so I know.

I have often considered going back to school for my master's in education because I really do like the TEACHING aspect of it, and I am also very interested in curriculum development. My education background has helped me tremendously in dealing with my own autistic tendencies and executive functioning difficulties. If I went back, though, I would want to focus in a specialty like becoming a reading teacher or, even better, a math specialist (but I have never heard of one of these.) Another alternative could be specializing in working with autistic kids.

Specialists usually work with individual students or small groups. That is much more attuned to who I am. I learned during student teaching that I really don't have what it takes to be a regular classroom teacher EVERY DAY ALL DAY. As much as I love the kids and the actual teaching, I can't do it.

How good are your EF skills. I struggle greatly with organization, so keeping track of all those assignments for 20 kids would be very difficult for me. I'd be a royal mess.

I'd do well with tutoring.

You might find
A. Great support for new teachers
B. Great administrators in your building
C. Great district leaders in student services
D. Great mental health / school connections
E. Another career where you can use your skills outside the class room