I am a high school teacher and this will be my 27th year of teaching. Honestly, how and why would parents ever know you have bipolar disorder unless your symptoms are not under control or YOU tell them? Even in the event that you have to take a week to go inpatient (which I have done), the only people who have a need to know what is happening are your principal and perhaps a close teacher friend or two who can help the sub while you are away. I've had no problems whatsoever with principals or teachers who are aware of what is going on being anything but helpful and supportive. That doesn't mean you might not run into an idiot out there, so you do have to be careful and selective about who you discuss your condition with. That's just being smart.

I take my meds. I go to therapy. I stay well-behaved and don't take out my moods on my students in any way, shape, or form. I am completely professional at my job, so there really has been absolutely no reason for my bipolar illness to be known to my students or their parents. On the occasions I have taken a week for a hospitalization (has only happened 3 times in 27 years), we simply say I had a family emergency and leave it at that. No one has ever nosed around about it.

IF you are not taking care of your bipolar symptoms, are very unstable and have a tendency to be sporadic in your behaviors which might be an issue IN the classroom, I honestly would encourage you to consider a different profession. That will seem harsh to some, but my students are my priority and they deserve a stable, consistent, and professional teacher. I've been very fortunate that my bipolar illness has not found its way into my classroom; I've made very sure of that. If I was not able to perform in my job because of my illness, I am QUITE sure that my administrators would NOT be tolerant of that. Our students are our priority and good administrators are generally quite quick to nip potential teacher issues in the bud.

Will you be able to manage your bipolar symptoms consistently so that they do not in any way affect your effectiveness in the classroom or in any way detract from the learning and stable environment that your students deserve? If you can answer "yes" to that question, then you will be fine. If not, I STRONGLY urge you to get your bipolar illness under control before you step foot into the classroom. Will you do what it takes to maintain your mental health, including consistently following the instructions from your doctors and therapists? You can't play loose and impulsive with your meds and treatment if you are going to be responsible to all those little bodies in your classroom.

In this profession, the well-being of our students ALWAYS comes first. We have be able to function despite everything going on in our personal life. An inability to do that will be what causes problems with parents, students, and administrators. I've been able to manage my illness well so that it has not caused problems for me professionally, and I've known others to do the same. However, I've seen a few over the years who lost their contracts because of frequent absenteeism, inconsistent performance in the classroom, and behavioral/personality issues that caused problems with students, parents, and fellow employees. It can go either way and only you know your condition well enough to have a feel for how it will go for you.