How to Become a Teacher
Teaching is a vocation dedicated to educating young minds and leading them to paths of becoming responsible and decent members of society. A teacher must then be someone who has a real passion for teaching as well as technical skills and knowledge that are needed to educate others.
Building Blocks
Teaching entails building a rapport between teacher and students. Start early by volunteering to tutor your classmates in subjects you’re good at. You can also try different arenas such as sports, music and art. Coach a sports team, teach ballet or host art classes. Try to keep your areas of expertise varied.
Formal Education
Keep in mind that each state has different requirements for teachers. Some states allow high school graduates to teach full-time in schools, while others only require a certain number of units on mandatory subjects to become a teacher. Look up your state’s requirements for teachers.
If your state requires a college degree, check out teacher credential programs in the college or university that you plan to go to. Decide whether you want to become an educator on the elementary level or on a secondary level. Choose the major that you intend to be your subject of expertise.
Should you wish to become a pre-school teacher, your training and education will include child developmental studies, early childhood education, and child psychology, in addition to introductory courses of math, science and the like.
You can already start formal teaching as a teacher’s assistant or as a substitute teacher if you have partly completed your degree. Expect a teaching training program to add a fifth year to your college education.
Work with your college’s career center to ensure you job openings in school districts after you have obtained your credential. It’s also a good idea to seek job counseling while you are still in school.
Gaining Teacher Credentials
When you have completed your degree, you’re eligible to obtain your credential while teaching full-time. The credential requirements often include standardized tests and obligatory practical teaching experience in addition to your degree in college and major teaching subject.
Join a Teaching Association
Join a professional teaching association in your specialty. For example, there is the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for English teachers and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for Science teachers. Joining teaching associations will keep you updated on the latest developments in your field, and may even provide you better job opportunities in the future.