Teaching Colleges
If you wish to become state certified as a teacher—a rigid requirement for most public school systems in the U.S.—then you will have to complete a series of teaching courses that lead to the certification. Most aspiring teachers enroll in an education program at a liberal arts school or a teaching college, where the curriculum is specifically designed to lead up to teacher certification. Many teaching students double major in education and another subject, such as math or English, so that they can teach those subjects at the middle or secondary school levels. For the education program curriculum, students can expect to take many psychology courses, which involve the study of children and adolescents, as well as education classes that prepare them for teaching and evaluating students. Programs also might offer additional support for students in preparation for taking the teaching exams needed to achieve certification.
Though teaching programs vary from school to school, most culminate in a semester-long student teaching practicum. This practicum, which usually takes place during the last semester before graduation, enables the education major to work with a classroom teacher, observing and, at times, teaching lessons. Many teachers credit their student teaching as an excellent experience that prepares them well to lead their own classrooms.
The Teacher Becomes the Student
After earning the undergraduate degree, many students choose to go directly on to graduate work, as a Master’s degree is a requirement for professional licensure in many states. Some students study part-time during the evenings and summers while they teach full-time, while others delay a classroom career in favor of full-time study. Many choose to earn a graduate degree in elementary or secondary education, with some opting for special education, which prepares them for work with students with special needs in and out of the classroom. Still others choose to major in a specific subject area, like history or art, that will enable them to pursue their own interests while increasing their knowledge base for the classroom.
It is also possible to become a teacher even if one does not have an undergraduate degree in education. The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree allows people of various careers and backgrounds to become certified educators, usually within a year when enrolled full time. The curriculum is usually a combination of psychology and education, along with subject-area classes, like English or math. There are also a number of teaching colleges that offer certification outside of a degree program, in which a student must complete a set program of courses that lead up to certification in a particular subject area.
A teacher’s salary increases according to the number of years one has taught, as well as the level of education one has achieved. Public schools, which receive tax dollars, are generally known to pay teachers more than those who teach at private school or Catholic school, but it does depend on the individual school. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for teachers ranged from $43,000 to $48,000, depending on the level taught.
While the teaching profession is not known for its monetary rewards, people find it to be rewarding in other ways—and not just because they will get summers off. (In fact, many teachers use the vacation months to teach summer school for extra money or to go back to school themselves.) Many teachers cite the “aha” moment—the point where the students understand what it is they are trying to teach them—as one of the best perks of their career.
Regardless of the subject one teaches, an educator must, above all, love working with children and adolescents in the classroom. Together, they will work to create an environment that is conducive to learning and growing.
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