How to become aTeacher

This article provides in-depth information into What is a Teacher? What Teachers do? Degrees for Teachers, Steps to become Teacher and much more.

A teacher is someone who makes an impact on the students not only in academics but also to improve their behavior, is socially responsible, and contribute towards society, and make a positive difference. The profession of a teacher is challenging as well as satisfying. 

Here are the steps to become a teacher:

  • Earn a Bachelor's degree
  • Get trainer in teaching
  • Gain certification or license
  • Land on a teacher's job
  • Advance career through higher education

The career overview is tabulated as follows,

Career Title

Teacher

Degree Requirements

Bachelor’s degree

Job Growth (2018- 2028)

4%

Experience required

1 year

Salary (2020)

$47,000

How long to become a Teacher

4-5 years

Required Skills

Attention to Detail, Communication, Active listening, Constant Learning, Creativity

What does a Teacher do ?

They guide their students constantly to acquire knowledge and learn the subject, conduct exams and lead them toward academic success. The common teaching levels are elementary, middle school, high school, early education, post-secondary education, and online coaching. A good teacher can change society by teaching good skills and greatly influence the youth. Hence this article elaborates on the necessary details to become a teacher. 


Steps for becoming a Teacher

1

Get A Teaching Degree

A bachelor's degree is the minimum degree required for teachers to work as an elementary or kindergarten education. However, you could begin working at a preschool with an associate’s degree but you are required to earn a bachelor's degree later.

For a high school level teacher, you are required to specialize and be a major in that subject you want to teach.

Step 1 Get a teaching degree

2

Gain Teaching Experience

As soon as you get the degree in teaching required, you can start off early as an elementary or a preschool teacher. Gaining experience in teaching gives you an idea about the other level of teaching and gives you an advancement towards professional growth. To get a license to teach, you are required to gain sufficient experience and this varies depending on states. A graduate student could also choose to work as a teaching intern which could give you an opportunity to get full employment.

Step 2 Gain Teaching experience

3

Earn Teaching Certification Or License  

If you are planning to work as a secret at a public school, you are required to be certified by the state. The state regulations vary from state to state and you must research the rules of that specific state. To obtain a license you must get a teaching degree, complete a state-approved teacher preparation program, pass a relevant exam, and submit your application to get licensed. This also requires you to have some teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced teacher. 

Private school teachers do not need this certification but however we recommend you to get a state license to expand the job opportunities.

Step 3 Earn teaching certification or license  

4

Land On A Teacher's Job

After getting certified, you start searching for your dream job. You must then decide on the schools to work with according to your degree and teaching level experience. Prepare for the job and ace the interview. You could also opt for a full time or part-time employment. After getting the job, you must be committed to work and engage the class well. Build good teacher-student relationships and guide students through their academic progress.

Step 4 Land on a teacher's job

5

Continue Your Higher Education

If you have completed a basic minimum education to work as a teacher, i.e: you may have earned a bachelor’s degree and started working, you could still explore your career opportunities and continue your education and socialize at the subjects of your interest to teach a higher level of classes. This can fetch you a higher salary and also increase your potential for the job.

To stand out in this profession, you could get a certification from the National Board Certification where this could increase your credentials beyond a state license.   

Step 5 Continue your higher education


Teacher Salaries

Teacher

Teacher Degree Levels

Associate

An associate's degree is a two-year program that gives you some basic knowledge to start working as a teacher at elementary school or a preschool. This degree can also be a stepping stone to your bachelor's degree to accelerate your bachelor's program by building and transferring the educational credits. It gives you a variety of educational courses that lay a strong foundation for your career end.

Principles and practices of teaching
  • Provides an authentic diagram of teaching.

  •  Includes viable teaching procedures.

  • The formative issue in the educational module.

Objectives
  • Provides Effective teaching strategies and Practices versus philosophy in teaching

  • Identify and respond to the needs of all adolescent learners

  • Develop effective assessment instruments

Introduction to Curriculum Development
  • Introduces curricula for students.

  • Aim to build up their educational credits.

  • Introduces general education courses.

Objectives
  • Delivery of lessons to children of all ages, curriculum development and provides a strong foundation.

  • Describe approaches to curriculum development and design

  • Plan a course or session using an outcome-based approach

Teaching diversity
  • Overview of culture, belief, challenges.

  • Cover how to deal with different belief.

  •  Role in important development stage.

Objectives
  • A more profound comprehension of social, racial, etymological, and ethnic assorted variety

  • Demonstrate an understanding of relationships between diversity, inequality, and social, economic, and political power

  • Function as members of society and as professionals

Health, Safety, and Nutrition for students
  • Course to explore the safety and healthy environment to students and how the teacher analyzes the nutrition and development of children in the development stage.

Objectives
  • Educate children about the right  nutrition for their age

  • Understand the importance of health wellness and safety of children 

  • Guide parents about the health of their children

Bachelors

In most educational institutions, a teacher is required to have a bachelor’s degree as the minimum requirement. This four-year degree program gives you opportunities not only for formal education but also to get experience in internships, teachers' preparation programs, and hands-on training which is required to earn the state certification. 

With this degree, you can start off from kindergarten to high school and let you explore other career options as you work.

 

Various instructions
  • Focuses important area to teach.

  • Including math, English, and sciences.

  •  What students should gain from subjects.

Objectives
  • Skills development for teachers and students through regular curriculum

  • Facilitate overall course development

  • Inform students of the standards and expectations of the course

Education technologies
  • Includes practical studies.

  • Study of the use of electronic devices.

  • Technology which changes classrooms.

Objectives
  • Technology ideas and down to earth utilization of different frameworks and programming in the classroom

  • Demonstrate an understanding of emerging classroom technologies

  • Demonstrate knowledge, attitudes, and skills of digital age work and learning

Methods of Teaching
  • Focusing on grade level for teaching.

  • Includes Teaching procedures /materials.

  • Includes curriculum adjustment.

Objectives
  • Approaches to increase instructional access and work with guardians to devise educational modules

  • Implement teaching and presentation skills into a classroom setting

  • Identify and implement a variety of teaching methods

Education of children with special learning needs
  • Course to make you understand the importance of extracurricular activities and to cope up with students who need a little push towards their learning and extra help in the classroom. 

Objectives
  • Providing students with materials to ease their learning

  • Working with parents to access the assessment of students with an appropriate curriculum plan

Masters

This two-year degree program is designed for you after graduating with a bachelor's degree and wants to be a major is a specific subject of teaching. For you to work with a high school or middle school level of teaching, you are required to have a master's degree in that subject. A master's degree can also give you opportunities to be a principal or assistant principal at that school.

Legal and ethical issues
  • Shows the lawful training framework.

  • Discussions on variety legal of topics.

  • Following the law and guidelines.

Objectives
  • Legal issue and how the proper way to handle them and how to address the ethical concern.

  • Provide a broad overview and addresses the legal and ethical issues

  • Understand practical problems faced by school administrators

School and community partnership
  • Spotlights on the connection of schools.

  • Looks at information and resources.

  • Instructions to approach guardians.

Objectives
  • Method of collecting information, and how to communicate with vast gatherings of individuals

  • Function in a collaborative manner in the larger community

  • Develop a framework and design a process for collaboration at the school

School finance
  • Fundamental focus on school accounts.

  • Examines potential assets for subsidizing.

  • Assets that encourage education.

Objectives
  • School funds on a national, state, and local level, and helps in to access proper funding and grants

  • Differentiate between needs and wants

  • Distinguish the value of benefits as it relates to income

Curriculum development
  • Development of a curriculum with proper research on various factors such as student data, accountability, student assessment and social factors. 

Objectives
  • Understand the student data regarding the assessment of curriculum

  • Designing an effective curriculum plan

  • Researching and conducting a survey for curriculum 

Doctorate

A doctoral degree is regularly the objective of students who need to enter the most noteworthy organization levels of instruction, including the administrator. They may likewise pick this degree keeping in mind the end goal to educate at the postsecondary level, where they can train undergrads in their particular specialized topic. The doctoral degree could likewise function admirably for people who need to go into investigating, educational modules improvement, or abnormal state legislative positions. The doctoral degree can take quite a long while past the graduate degree. The opportunity to fulfillment regularly relies on to what extent the understudy takes to finish his or her examination task or exposition, which he or she should likewise shield before a board.

Strategic planning
  • Change the plans to meet necessities.

  • Plans for classroom activities or lessons.

  • Explain concepts that student understand.

Objectives
  • Organized and have excellent attention to details and Students will get the knowledge necessary to make goals for the school system

  • Explain current schooling condition

  • Set short-term and long-term goals

Quality control
  • Students able to analyze various research.

  • Education in the form of data sheets.

  •  How to meet accountability standards.

Objectives
  • Students will pick up involvement and information about guaranteeing the quality and exactness of educational program

  • Explain the different meanings of the quality concept and its influence

  • Describe, distinguish and use the several techniques and quality management tools

Advanced assessment techniques and data management
  • Ensure compliance with accountability.

  • Will be prepared to assess the curriculum.

  • Will teach how to use the data.

Objectives
  • Students will learn how to manage the enormous amounts of data that are collected on a regular basis

  • Understand concepts of database design

  • Identify the trade-offs of alternative solutions to a particular problem


Online Teaching degrees

This degree program gives the opportunity to students to learn online and virtually work to get experience at a school. This benefits the student greatly and accelerates the course completion and obtaining the state certification sooner. It could take about two to three years to complete the program.

Job concentrations

Pursuing your career as a teacher may not be the only option, the certification you earned could give you other job opportunities such as,

Childcare worker

A childcare worker looks after the children, prepares food, and takes basic care of children such as dressing, feeding and playing. They help young children learn and prepare them for kindergarten and older ones to school.

This job requires you to have a basic high school diploma and this job gets you $21,000  annually.

Instructional coordinator

An instructional coordinator works at an elementary and secondary school to provide support services. He oversees the school curriculum and teaching standard and develops the instructions, material, and implements it. This job requires a Master’s degree and some experience and fetches a salary of about $64,000 per year.

Librarian

A librarian at school organizes and manages the book and lends books, magazines, journals, newspapers and other data sources to students. They also guide students to increase their interest in reading books. You'll require a master’s degree for this job and some experience while you could earn $58,000 per year.

School counselor

A school counselor works at a primary or secondary school to help students with their academic, career and social-emotional competencies. They interact with students and understand students and help them to progress at school. This job is required to have a Master’s degree. You could earn up to $56,000 per year with this job.

Preschool director

This job requires the minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree to educate children of age ranging from 2-4 years. This gives very basic education to children till the continued span of age 8. The salary ranges to about $52,000 per year.

Stand out skill for a teacher

Every profession emerges from the skills taught by the teacher, the teacher must also possess some skills to ace their career, they are,

Patience: A teacher should be patient enough with his students. Nowadays, kids are stubborn and throw tantrums during class hours, hence the teacher must handle it without losing his temper, he could also gain respect with this. This is also one of the most important qualities of a good teacher. 

Adaptability: A class consists of diverse students and their learning pace also varies, hence the teacher must be efficient and sensitive towards those students and teach lessons in unique methods. It always does not according to what the teacher plans to teach, hence adaptability is important to keep the class engaged in different situations.

Creativity: A teacher must be creative and discover new methods to engage the class. A good teacher not only focuses on academics but also on the overall development of the child. Using his imagination, he could educate his students by making them play games, projects, fun assignments.

Constant learning: You should know that gaining too much knowledge is also not much. A teacher must always explore different methods to teach his students and constantly expand their course knowledge and bringing updated with the latest technologies is important. This helps them solve the questions asked by the students in a better way.

Effective communication: Communication is a key for a teacher, his primary job is only to communicate and interact with the students to pass on his knowledge. Hence, when you communicate clearly using simple language, students understand the subject better.

Leadership: This is another most important skill required for a teacher to have next to patience, every student needs a person to guide them through their career and the teacher acts as a leader to lead his students. Being a leader is not easy and a teacher must always work on improving his skills to stand out and earn respect from his students.