Any Aspie Teachers out there?

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I was wondering where a person with Asperger's would fit in the teaching profession. I have been teaching for a while with some success and failures. I am at a crossroads as far as work goes.
I have been an electronics technician in the military and building automation specialist. I have worked many other different jobs. I enjoy and have been teaching history, social studies and tutoring in math. Most recently the class room environment in a high school has been overwhelming. There have been too many demands for my attention with little support.

AKS

I studied to be a teacher but never finished the degree.

I am 99.8% certain that one of my teachers (Mr. Evans) is an aspie. He is, unsurprisingly, a math teacher. Since the school that he teaches in (and I attend) is a science and math school, he also teaches lots of stuff using computers and electronics.

Mr. Evans is regarded as the students as a god of computers and technology. He can also be a perfectionist and a stickler for details.

Long story short, aspies can make good teachers, especially in fields of their interest.

Someone else thats in the military? Respect. hah Yeah I think auspies would actually do fine as a teacher... Compared to some NT teachers I have seen in the past. I think aspies would do a better job than most teachers out there. Being sober, reliable, and willing is 3/4 of the battle. IM sure the military teaches you the hard part. Besides the military forces 10 times the people skills upon you than a teaching job would anyday.

I am in my first year of teaching Elementary music grades K-6 and it has been going fine thus far. The challenges at least to me has been the classroom management, I get overwhelmed sometimes when a group of kids acts up simultaneously. I don't know if that's an aspie trait or if other teachers feel that way too. Sometimes management gets so bad that I don't know what problem to tackle first. But I do have lots of knowledge of music and the students admire me for it and are very motivated to do well.

I am a music teacher.

Thanks for the response! I had a reasonably good year the first year teaching high school World History and US History. They used a 4x4 schedule (four 90 minute classes a day with one for planing). The second full year has been a disaster. The high school uses seven 50 minute classes with one for planning. I had 120 students. The class management became overwhelming.

Yes! I was in the Navy from 1981 to 1987. I lived in Rota, Spain for 4 1/2 years. The military was very structured and I did well while I was in. I have noticed that the 'people skills' needed for class room instruction are extremely important.
I have had problems understanding the motives of the students (what they ask, say and express verbally and physically) and they have had trouble understanding mine (what I ask, say and express verbally and physically). I had been overwhelmed by all of the required tasks (lesson plans, grading, class management, meetings, parent requests etc).

Perhaps you could see if your district has non-classroom openings that could use your technical skills. I was a middle school teacher for 4 years and it all finally became too much. My last classroom had stark white walls, banks of flourescent lights, and a wall-to-wall blood red floor. There were also no windows and an entrance on two sides of the room as it was central in the hallway. In our district the principals are little gods and I was unable to do anything to make it more bearable. I waited too long before I got out of the classroom and it nearly drove me crazy. Are the bells, the schedule, and the interruptions getting to you? Well, I would say try to look for positions in the district that use your technical skills and are miles away from any classroom. I know it's painful. You can always go back to teaching if you decide you miss it. Good luck!

In my short, past experiences with teaching I found I was surprisingly good at it. Surprising because with people I'm often very shy. With family or on a subject I like I can be the type that talks too much or excessively and everyone’s rolling their eyes and telling me to stuff it (because its not about what most people are interested in). When your teaching your just a character. People like eccentric teachers! It’s true. More so than eccentric dentists!

As a teacher your talking to a larger group, so strangely the shyness is not there.
With teaching, there is a kind of social etiquette in place, there is order - its not unpredictable, social interactions are within time limits and about specific things you know about. Even if they're really rude, they're students and learning so you can't really take it personally - actually you shouldn't ever really in life, because everyone's just learning. You talk about what you are interested in as well, providing you find a subject matter that is suitable to you, and make it fun for them because its fun for you.

Just be forgiving. I saw a lot of teachers that seemed to want to take out all their aggression at being the misunderstood smart one in school, or the studious one, on all these random students by making them feel stupid for not understanding their particular chosen topic of mastery. Every kind of student has suffered in some way to be sure, so don't project whoever you didn't like in high school on them... I'm just saying this because I saw it in young TA's in university and it really bothered me.

I'm not very good in explaining things to others. It's worst when explaining anything I do understand and like. "Students" (more like friends willing to learn something) usually changes topic very quickly, which leaves me with almost irresistible urge to finish my explanation. Man, I hate that!

I'm not a teacher but I do a certain amount of training and have a real knack for it. However I wouldn't be able to dominate a class of children.

You don't dominate them. They dominate you. Just kidding - but not really. Its not a bad thing, just stop thinking in terms of who is in control, or having to be in control. Also, I've had my share of teachers that depend on their students for everything - i.e.: ok everyone, get in small groups and discuss this. Then Each group report to me on their findings... or you tell me about it.
Not my preference but I've had so many teachers who do only this, or rely on the students for the discussion etc... The hard part is if your a good teacher and are willing to really put the time and emotional investment into marking, thinking about what they have to say, offering constructive thoughtful feedback related to their indvidividual needs etc...

I trained as a nursery nurse (for the americans out there thats something like a nanny combined with a kindergarten teacher) and I did so because I love caring for babies and had done so from a young age.
I feel that I have a natural connection with babies and toddlers and others remark the same.
I went to college to do an NNEB diploma and was lucky enough to have a wise mature tutor who realised what she was looking at and went out of her way to help me. And believe me she helped! She paved the way for me by visiting schools and nurseries before I started training placements, and placing me in situations where she knew I would be understood and flourish.
It was hard at times as my condition is such that I find writing very hard when it involves recalling the material from the brain to express it on paper.
Anyway I absolutely loved working in the nursery and reception classes and was called back to work on a salary once I had qualified.
It's really funny as I had never imagined working in a school - in fact having been home educated I had no idea what life inside any kind of school involved!
I relate to the children well, and moved on to better jobs in other locations solely on the basis that I had been seen working and had personal recommendation.
I progressed this way for years and always got good jobs despite the fact that I cannot fill out an application that will sell my skills or express myself in an interview when it involves competing with others.
I stopped work in December 1999 to become a house husband, intending to be home for 18 months...
8 years later following personal upheavals and my son having a diagnosis of autism, I find that I am unable to return to work as I dont have the expressive edge that I need to get noticed. All my contacts have moved on and getting back into work is a struggle.
I still love taking classes and help out at my son's school occasionally, I am able to do the job but no employer today is interested in someone who cannot process rigorously the never ending paperwork that is heaped upon childcare professionals today. Even if the worker has wonderful qualities and can deal with the most badly behaved class of 4 year olds in a calm collective caring manner...

Well said nory. I think this perfectly sums up just how teaching would appeal to the sensibilities of many Aspies. It's one thing I realized about myself when I became a TA at my university, and has been the reasoning behind why I have given serious consideration to becoming a teacher myself.

Funny, I'm an aspie who can't comprehend maths - it just goes in one ear and out the other. I've thought about teaching (history) but I'm not a big fan of kids and the minor level of maths I'd have to achieve to do so is far beyond me. Army it is, then. Haha.

But! If you're already teaching, then keep doing it! (If you want to)