It’s often said that teaching is a vocation. Few would dispute that to become a good teacher you will need to have a ‘calling’ and be able to deliver upon that.
Why Do You Want To Become A Teacher?
The average TV or movie portrayal of a teacher tends to come into one of two stereotypical formats:
Ø The person heroically struggling in a deprived inner-city school where the classes appear to be comprised largely of hooligans and delinquents. They invariably convert the kids to better ways by being phenomenally tough or deviously clever. It usually ends with the teacher marching off into the sunset with a job well done.
Ø The person teaching an amazingly well behaved class of younger children in some rural or small-town idyll unchanged in culture terms since the 1950s. Once again, though perhaps with less justification than the case above, the end result is invariably positive with broad grins all around for another job ‘well done’.
Although both extremes are found, the reality in fact may be rather different. Few classes may be entirely all good or all bad and ‘difficult’ schools can be found anywhere.
What is true is that teaching can be highly stressful. Like it or not, the days when a teacher was seen as a pillar of the community and a figure of unquestioned authority, are now gone. As a teacher you’ll have to earn and retain the respect of students, colleagues and parents alike. This takes talent, training, exceptionally hard work (which may not always be obviously appreciated) and a vocational calling.
Teaching can be incredibly rewarding when the result is children progressing through life rather better equipped than they were before your help – but easy it isn’t!
What Are The Basic Requirements For Teacher Certification?
These vary considerably from State to State and you will need to consult your local State government for accurate details about what applies in your particular case.
As general rule, teachers who teach in a public school must be certified and approved by the State education board, which will issue a license. This is not always a legal requirement for teachers in private or vocational schools – see below.
Assuming that public schooling is your chosen direction, you will need to show a good record of higher education. Virtually all States will expect to see:
Ø A bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university.
Ø A minimum number of ‘teaching credits’ or a recognized teaching degree.
Ø A good GPA from your studies.
You may also need to pass background and security checks to show that you are a suitable person to work with children.
What Else May Be Required?
The requirements here vary yet between States but you may find that to secure your position and progress in your chosen career further steps are necessary.
Ø You may be required to take a Master’s degree within a specified number of years.
Ø You may be required to teach under close supervision for a period of time.
Ø You may be expected to pass examinations and assessment boards to prove your competence both in teaching and in the specialist subject you teach.
Are These Academic Qualifications Always Required?
In general the answer to this question is ‘yes’ but there are some special exceptions.
In some vocational establishments some professionals with extensive industry or specialist experience MAY, in some cases, be issued with a special license to teach if their skills are in short supply. They may though have to show that they have passed some components of formal teaching training before this is issued.
A similar system MAY exist in some private educational establishments where the governing board could have considerable scope to use their discretion on a case-by-case basis.
Who Can I Teach?
Your license will usually confirm that you are able to teach children of certain ages/grades such as elementary education. The certifications and specific requirements here can only be confirmed by looking at the details available through your State government.
Teaching Skills Shortages
Across the USA there are periodic and repeating shortages of teachers in certain disciplines often including Math, IT and the hard sciences.
If you have exceptional skills in these subjects and a very clear track record, in some cases the State education board may issue you with a special license to teach (usually under supervision) without having the pre-requisite normal qualifications.
Such cases are relatively unusual and should not be seen as a way of bypassing the established qualification and certification routes.
How Do I Get Started?
The first step is to look at the specific rules for your State. Don’t get too excited and start looking up things such as teacher job openings. You may need to set your mind for a long haul and a lot of hard work – particularly in building up your formal academic qualifications if you’re light in those areas.
Good luck!
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