Having Difficulty with the Text Tool

Hi, I apologize if this is a very easy problem, but I'm having issues with the text tool.

It seems that every time I make a text layer, I get the black selection cursor with four arrows (move?) and I don't have red guide lines around the text block. The cursor doesn't change over the entire composition.

Also, I have to select a different tool then pick the text tool again to make a new layer.

The reason this is frustrating is because I want to make multiple text layers quickly.

Am I missing a hotkey or are my settings screwy?

Thank you.