This document provides information about becoming a teacher, including:
- New teachers say they love their career because it allows them to help students and contribute to society.
- It outlines what teachers do in their job, including instructing students, developing lesson plans, and working outside of school hours.
- It discusses teacher salaries, noting the average salary in 2006-2007 was $51,009 but it varies by location and experience level.
- It describes the process for becoming a certified teacher, which involves completing an accredited education program and passing a certification exam in one's state.
Occupational Outlook: High School TeachersHub.Careers
Considering a career as a high school teacher? These professionals educate adolescent students, teaching them the skills and knowledge they need for higher education or the job market. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.
Better hiring, better outcomes: How to improve operational efficiency to redu...Informed K12
In this E-Book by Informed K12, you'll learn best practices for improving hiring practices in order to overcome teacher shortages in your school or district. Topics covered include:
The effects of late teacher hiring on student outcomes
How to avoid late teacher hiring
Solutions for improving teacher hiring
Occupational Outlook: High School TeachersHub.Careers
Considering a career as a high school teacher? These professionals educate adolescent students, teaching them the skills and knowledge they need for higher education or the job market. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.
Better hiring, better outcomes: How to improve operational efficiency to redu...Informed K12
In this E-Book by Informed K12, you'll learn best practices for improving hiring practices in order to overcome teacher shortages in your school or district. Topics covered include:
The effects of late teacher hiring on student outcomes
How to avoid late teacher hiring
Solutions for improving teacher hiring
Occupational Outlook: Special Education TeachersHub.Careers
Considering a career as a special education teacher? These professionals educate special needs students who have various developmental, cognitive, emotional and physical disabilities. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.
Stand for Children Indiana and Teach Plus Indiana released a new report that assesses the state of the teaching profession in Indiana and puts forth a series of recommendations to combat teacher shortage and help retain teachers in the Hoosier state.
School Leaders Licensure Assessment Review: From This Book: SLLA Crash Course...Wafa Hozien
From: SLLA Crash Course (2017). With two complete Practice Tests.
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475827842/SLLA-Crash-Course-Approaches-for-Success
The School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) measures whether entry-level education leaders have the standards-relevant knowledge believed necessary for competent professional practice. This is a review session that I hold that documents what an education leader may encounter. Each of the questions in this powerpoint focus on a specific content area related to the standards addressed in ISLLC 2008. In answering the questions, candidates are required to analyze situations and data, propose appropriate courses of action and provide rationales for their proposals.
Occupational Outlook: Special Education TeachersHub.Careers
Considering a career as a special education teacher? These professionals educate special needs students who have various developmental, cognitive, emotional and physical disabilities. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.
Stand for Children Indiana and Teach Plus Indiana released a new report that assesses the state of the teaching profession in Indiana and puts forth a series of recommendations to combat teacher shortage and help retain teachers in the Hoosier state.
School Leaders Licensure Assessment Review: From This Book: SLLA Crash Course...Wafa Hozien
From: SLLA Crash Course (2017). With two complete Practice Tests.
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475827842/SLLA-Crash-Course-Approaches-for-Success
The School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) measures whether entry-level education leaders have the standards-relevant knowledge believed necessary for competent professional practice. This is a review session that I hold that documents what an education leader may encounter. Each of the questions in this powerpoint focus on a specific content area related to the standards addressed in ISLLC 2008. In answering the questions, candidates are required to analyze situations and data, propose appropriate courses of action and provide rationales for their proposals.
The craft distillery market is extremely competitive. We take a look at the state of the industry, where it's trending, and how that impacts your label and packaging decisions.
August 2005
Teacher Attrition: A Costly Loss to the Nation and to the States
Earlier this summer, bells rang in schools across the nation to mark the end of another academic
year. Students and teachers left to enjoy their summer vacations, but for too many teachers, fall
will not mark a return to the classrooms in which they taught last year. Every school day, nearly
a thousand teachers leave the field of teaching. Another thousand teachers change schools, many
in pursuit of better working conditions. And these figures do not include the teachers who retire.1
The exit of teachers from the profession and the movement of teachers to better schools are
costly phenomena, both for the students, who lose the value of being taught by an experienced
teacher, and to the schools and districts, which must recruit and train their replacements.
A conservative national estimate of the cost of replacing public school teachers who have
dropped out of the profession is $2.2 billion a year.2 If the cost of replacing public school
teachers who transfer schools is added, the total reaches $4.9 billion every year. For individual
states, cost estimates range from $8.5 million in North Dakota to a whopping half a billion
dollars for a large state like Texas.
Many analysts believe that the price tag is even higher; hiring costs vary by district and
sometimes include signing bonuses, subject matter stipends, and other recruiting costs specific to
hard-to-staff schools. Others believe that the cost of the loss in teacher quality and student
achievement should also be added to the bill.3
There is a growing consensus among researchers and educators that the single most important
factor in determining student performance is the quality of his or her teachers. Therefore, if the
national goal of providing an equitable education to children across the nation is to be met, it is
critical that efforts be concentrated on developing and retaining high-quality teachers in every
community and at every grade level.
Why is teacher turnover so high? Many assume that retirement is the primary reason for teacher
attrition, but when the facts are examined closely, it becomes clear that the number of teachers
retiring from the profession is not a leading cause.4 In an analysis of teacher turnover, teachers
reported retirement as a reason for leaving less often than because of job dissatisfaction or to
pursue another job.5
Among teachers who transferred schools, lack of planning time (65 percent), too heavy a
workload (60 percent), problematic student behavior (53 percent), and a lack of influence over
school policy (52 percent) were cited as common sources of dissatisfaction.6
Many teachers who see no hope for change leave the profession altogether. While it is true that
teachers of all ages and in all kinds of schools leave the profession each year, it is also true that
Secondary School Students
Need Highly Qualified Te ...
Why Finding and Keeping Quality Teachers Matters So Muchnoblex1
This issue is timely for two reasons. First of all, the specter of impending teacher shortages, particularly in the areas of mathematics, science, foreign language, English as a Second Language (ESOL), and special education, means that schools will need to work harder to find and hire teachers in these areas, and will have to pay more attention to keeping the teachers they have. Secondly, the evidence that points to a direct connection between quality teachers and high student achievement is so compelling that schools should be putting more and more effort into making sure they find and keep the highest quality teachers.
The Process
The process of maintaining a quality staff has three distinct parts, and different strategies are necessary for each. The first part of the process is finding and hiring new high-quality teachers, the second part is keeping those new teachers, and the third part is keeping high-quality veteran teachers.
Finding New Teachers
Part of the recruitment process requires laying the appropriate foundation. Each school district should have a system that works toward making teacher selection efficient and reliable. This system should:
- identify the attitudes, behaviors, and skills that characterize the kind of teachers the district wants in the classroom;
- screen for those characteristics at every stage of recruitment;
- ensure that the hiring process complies with federal, state, and local laws;
- eliminate unproductive paperwork so that the best candidates have faith in the competence of the system recruiting them;
- reserve labor-intensive personal evaluation for only the most promising candidates; and
- validate the selection process to ensure that it predicts excellence in classroom and professional performance.
In addition to traditional recruiting at local job fairs, administrators should take full advantage of other recruitment tools, including collaborating with careers centers and schools or departments of teacher education at local universities, travelling to job fairs in other districts, and recruiting teachers from other states and countries.
Another, more long-term, solution is to recruit internally by encouraging substitute teachers and paraprofessionals to complete the training necessary to be a certified teacher. For some, this may mean attending a local community college, then completing the program at a college or university. Tuition funding, even if only partial, may enable some school staff members to become certified teachers.
Keeping New Teachers
It's hard to overestimate the importance of support for new teachers. Although the first few years may always be the hardest, school leaders can put in place programs to help new teachers feel less stress and alienation.
These programs include the following:
- Providing early and effective back-to-school orientation.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/why-finding-and-keeping-quality-teachers-matters-so-much/
Many states and school districts are scrambling to find teachers. Growing student enrollments, a shrinking supply of individuals choosing to teach, escalating teacher retirements, and high turnover of new teachers have brought the teacher recruitment challenge to a point of impending crisis. Gone are the days of the college fair magically bringing new teachers to fill classrooms. The school recruiter today pulls out of a hat assorted incentives and tactics to lure candidates: signing bonuses, mortgage reductions, on-site childcare, restaurant discounts, high tech outreach efforts, and overseas recruiting. In addition, programs to lure retirees, mid-career changers, substitutes, and military veterans are now on the palette of possible strategies for finding teachers.
Although teacher shortages affect schools and districts across the country to varying degrees, urban districts are facing unique challenges, owing to rapidly growing student enrollments, accelerating rates of teacher retirement, class size reduction initiatives, and demanding working conditions. Urban schools nationwide educate between 39% and 50% of the students who are not proficient in English, about 52% of minority students, and 43% of the country's low-income students.
Teacher quality is emerging as one of the foremost concerns of school and university educators, parents, professional organizations, foundations, state education officials, business leaders, and legislators across the country. Roughly nine out of ten Americans believe that the best way to raise student achievement is to provide a qualified teacher for every classroom.
Developing Pathways into Teaching
An increasing number of districts are trying to address teacher shortages by "expanding the pipeline," i.e., offering nontraditional routes into the profession to individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields. A new survey asked districts whether and how they encourage individuals interested in teaching to enter the profession through alternative means.
Attracting a Broader Pool of Students
A fair number of colleges offer programs specifically for working adults seeking to become classroom teachers. Slightly less than half offer alternative licensure programs, while a smaller number offer apprenticeship/internship programs. About the same percentage sponsor paraeducator to teacher programs. In recognition of the many "out of class" demands that students entering teacher preparation programs now have, many schools, colleges, and departments of education offer flexible course scheduling. The survey asked respondents what percentage of teacher preparation program requirements can be completed via part-time, evening, weekend, summer, off-campus, and/or telecommunications classes.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/possible-strategies-for-finding-teachers/
How To Get Started Improving Your Efforts To Support And Assess Novice Teachersnoblex1
Many professions offer orientation and support experiences for professionals starting out in a field. Medical residents and law associates—even rookie baseball players—receive extended training, development, and mentoring (working alongside a seasoned expert) before taking on the responsibilities of a full professional. In contrast, novice teachers often are left to fend for themselves, with little or inadequate initiation into the profession.
However, an increasing number of school districts offer teacher induction programs to orient, support, assist, train, and assess teachers within their first three years of employment in public schools. Teacher induction is the process of socialization to the teaching profession, adjustment to the procedures and mores of a school site and school system, and development of effective instructional and classroom management skills. Participants in these programs are called inductees, a term which refers simultaneously to teachers who are new to the profession, and teachers with experience who are new to a district, grade level, or certification area.
Teacher induction programming can (and does) take many forms. Induction activities can range from a short orientation session, to mentoring programs, to staff development courses and workshops, to multiyear programs that continue to meet the changing needs of teachers as they develop. Many districts combine several activities to support new teachers.
Why are induction programs needed?
Influx of new hires
Due to escalating teacher retirements and rising student enrollments, the nation currently faces a shortage of qualified teachers. America will need to hire some two million K-12 teachers over the next decade. Although high-wealth suburban districts will always have a glut of applicants, low-wealth urban districts face a hiring demand of 900,000 teachers or more over the next decade.
High attrition rates
Just this year, America's urban school districts will need new teachers to fill some of the nation's most challenging classroom assignments. All too many of these new recruits face battlefield odds as to whether they will still be teaching five years from now. No matter how well they did in college, teacher preparation, or another career, teachers can be overwhelmed by their first years in the classroom. It has been estimated that 30% to 50% of beginning teachers leave in the first five years of teaching.
Reality shock
Central-city public schools are more likely to fill positions with “less than qualified” new teachers than are large or small towns. Even experienced teachers embarking on assignments in new cities or academic disciplines can be sorely tested, especially if they are unfamiliar with the urban environment.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/how-to-get-started-improving-your-efforts-to-support-and-assess-novice-teachers/
Occupational Outlook: Post Secondary TeachersHub.Careers
Considering a career as a post secondary teacher? These professionals teach various academic, career and technical subjects beyond the high school level, as well as conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.
This article was retrieved from the ERIC database in the CEC L.docxchristalgrieg
This article was retrieved from the ERIC database in the CEC Library on 1/7/2016.
Frank, S., Baroody, K., & Gordon, J. (2013). First steps: What school systems can do right
now to improve teacher compensation and career path. Education Resource
Strategies.
1
JULY 2013
TRANSFORMING TEACHING
The Moment
Across the country, school districts are struggling to improve student performance on flat or declining
budgets. While school improvement methods are as varied as the towns and cities where they take
place, district leaders increasingly agree that the road to improved student outcomes must pass
through improved instruction. With many states implementing new teacher evaluation systems, and
the impending arrival of Common Core standards that will put pressure on an already stressed teaching
force, districts are trying to adapt their human capital strategies to develop and retain teachers for the
21st century. One of the most potentially catalytic elements of any human capital strategy is teacher
compensation and career path.
Many districts are understandably cautious about implementing large changes, such as redesigning the
step-and-lane system that has existed for decades. New evaluation systems must be implemented and
vetted before they are linked to compensation, and it is challenging to find common ground among
administration, teachers, and unions on the best approach. But most districts face critical student
performance challenges and budgetary constraints now—and need to improve in the short term even
as they lay the foundations for broader change in the future.
First Steps
In this paper, we outline a series of actions that districts can take to start moving toward a future vision
of the teaching job. These First Steps shouldn’t replace the larger work of overhauling the system, but
they allow districts to have short-term impact while advancing toward the ultimate goal. We define
First Steps as actions which:
• Have a positive impact on student outcomes
• Can be implemented within a year
• Can be implemented within existing collective bargaining agreements or are likely to have broad support
TEACHER COMPENSATION & CAREER PATH
First Steps:
What School Systems Can Do Right Now to
Improve Teacher Compensation and Career Path
Part of a series of ERS publications on teacher compensation, this paper explores the steps districts
can take now for sustained impact on teacher effectiveness.
By Stephen Frank, Karen Baroody, and Jeff Gordon
2
• Require little or no new investment, or are budget neutral when implemented in combination
• Build toward a new vision of a teacher compensation and career path system that can attract, retain,
and leverage the skills of a highly effective teaching force
Though these First Steps described below are numbered, they do not need to be taken in order. In
addition to describing each strategy, we estimate how much each action might cost to implement (or
save if imp ...
Establishing Trust Between School Teachers and University Facultynoblex1
The professional development school initiatives show the greatest promise in school reform due to collaborative efforts in teacher preparation. Educators in both public schools and in universities must work together in the preparation of teachers who are culturally, socially and instructionally responsive to student diversity. This lofty preparation aim begins with selecting the most promising teacher candidates for admittance into the program. The author describes an admissions procedure that has proven to be not only efficient and effective, but reflects the collaborative values of the program.
For over a decade, advocates of educational reform have supported professional development schools (PDSs) as a way for school and university partners to promote simultaneous renewal of both institutions. PDS aims are now commonplace: (a) provide exemplary education for preservice teachers, (b) support continuing professional development of experienced teachers, (c) engage in the renewal of curriculum and instruction, and (d) involve schools and universities in collaborative research.
Essential to these aims is the collaborative process. Establishing trust, recognizing cultural differences, and breaking perceived roles between school teachers and university faculty are key if partnerships are to be anything more than traditional in nature. University instructors, including teacher educators, are entering into cooperative working ventures with more frequency than ever before. Critical to the successful attainment of any partnership project are the people involved and the common commitment to program quality and coherence. In the ongoing process of developing, nurturing, and maintaining partnerships, one can expect to confront both predictable and unforeseen obstacles. Sharing information on program structures and systems will help advance the development of university and K-12 partnerships. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to describe, and (b) to analyze an admissions procedure, which reflects the values of the program and efficiently and effectively promotes the involvement of K-12 personnel in what is traditionally a university decision. To this end, we briefly discuss the history of this partnership and the key values that drive our work. Next, we elaborate on the admissions process and how it reflects those values in linking the university and schools. In taking stock of where we have made progress and where we have not, we examine the perceptions of major stakeholders in this process. We conclude with a discussion of recommendations to others considering similar efforts.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/establishing-trust-between-school-teachers-and-university-faculty/
Excellent Teachers For High-performance Schoolsnoblex1
Teacher quality has been one of the most hotly debated education policy issues over the past ten years. Central to the discussions are strategies to align teacher education and professional development programs at colleges and universities with the reform of K-12 education.
In many states, public officials have joined K-12 and postsecondary education leaders to restructure teacher preparation and professional development programs under the auspices of statewide K-16 initiatives. And yet, according to a national commission on teaching, America is still a very long way from realizing that future.
Colleges and universities often have been criticized for contributing to the deficiencies of K-12 schools. Year in and year out, schools of education produce graduates who staff the great majority of our nation's classrooms, with usually significant prowess. At the same time, schools of education are assigned much of the blame for all that is imperfect or lacking in K-12. Common sense suggests that there is plenty of blame to go around and that schools of education can only do what their profession and their universities permit them to do. That said, much stands in the way of their becoming what they must be to produce uniformly excellent teachers for reformed high-performance schools.
It is disappointing that higher education in general has had so little involvement in the contemporary school reform initiatives, thus, begging the question of the relationship of higher education to the K-12 enterprise and the consequences thereof for teacher education.
Work in the states is being supported by a number of national initiatives aimed at reforming the teaching profession, from recruitment to initial preparation, to the transition of the beginning years of teaching, and throughout continuing professional development. These national blueprints for achieving quality in teacher education serve to involve interested states as partners in the design and implementation of effective strategies and programs.
This policy brief will examine state-level strategies aimed at incorporating quality teacher education and professional development programs as part of new state K-16 or P-16 systems. It includes analyses of critical components that contribute to the success of the initiatives. The brief concludes with suggestions of what more could be done to strengthen the preparation and development of quality teachers within states' P-16 paradigms.
The new initiative has identified five goals:
1. To improve student achievement from preschool through postsecondary educa-tion;
2. To help students move smoothly from one education system to another;
3. To ensure that all students who enter postsecondary education are prepared to succeed;
4. To increase access and success of all students in postsecondary education, especially from minority and low income groups;
Source: https://ebookscheaper.com/2022/05/25/excellent-teachers-for-high-performance-schools/
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
BÀI TẬP BỔ TRỢ TIẾNG ANH GLOBAL SUCCESS LỚP 3 - CẢ NĂM (CÓ FILE NGHE VÀ ĐÁP Á...
American Federation of Teachers Requirements for Teaching Certification
1. Becoming a Teacher | I
Becoming a
Teacher
49310_p01_16.indd CI49310_p01_16.indd CI 6/19/08 4:27:34 AM6/19/08 4:27:34 AM
2. New teachers overwhelmingly say they love what they do. They say it
allows them to contribute to society and help others. And they would
choose teaching again as a career, if they had the choice. If you have a
genuine interest in helping children realize their dreams, and want to
play a part in improving our society, then read on to find out how to
become a teacher!
Becoming a Teacher
49310_p01_16.indd 149310_p01_16.indd 1 6/19/08 4:27:35 AM6/19/08 4:27:35 AM
4. Why teach? PAGE 4
What do teachers do? PAGE 5
How much do teachers earn? PAGE 6
How do I become a teacher? PAGE 7
What can I do now to prepare for a teaching career? PAGE 8
Where can I find teacher education programs? PAGE 10
Is there financial aid available to help me become a teacher? PAGE 12
Table of Contents
49310_p01_16.indd 349310_p01_16.indd 3 6/19/08 4:27:35 AM6/19/08 4:27:35 AM
5. 4 | AFT Teachers
Why teach?
Most teachers will tell you that teaching has many rewards.
For starters, teachers directly affect the lives of the students they
teach. Think about how much time students spend in school;
most of that time is spent with a teacher. For some, teachers are
among the most memorable people in their lives. Likewise, some
students make a big impression on their teachers; it is gratifying
for a teacher to watch a student develop and achieve academi-
cally, socially and—eventually—professionally. You may hear this
often, but it’s true: Teachers are directly responsible for educating
future generations.
Beyond the satisfaction of preparing students for successful
lives, teachers have a stimulating job that requires making
quick decisions, dealing with interesting people from a variety
of backgrounds and experiences, mastering and conveying
essential and often complex subject matter, and advocating
both for children and for quality education.
49310_p01_16.indd 449310_p01_16.indd 4 6/19/08 4:27:35 AM6/19/08 4:27:35 AM
6. Becoming a Teacher | 5
What do teachers do?
Just because you’ve been taught by many teachers doesn’t mean
you know what it takes to be a teacher. Teachers are responsible
for many things that happen inside and outside a classroom.
Their primary job is to instruct students and facilitate learning,
which is hard work. It requires engaging with students in spe-
cific subject areas using a variety of teaching techniques, main-
taining a safe and orderly classroom, developing lesson plans,
assessing student progress, and interacting with parents and
other members of the community. And that’s just the beginning!
The school day and beyond: Generally, teachers arrive at
school before students do, to prepare for the day’s lessons.
During regular school hours, teachers facilitate learning,
instruct and supervise students. When students leave at the
end of the school day, teachers keep working. They plan for the
next day. They meet with parents, principals and other teachers.
They evaluate student work—homework, tests, projects and
papers. Many are also involved in other school-based activities,
such as coaching a sports team, supervising a club or leading
the school band.
Most students are on
summer break from mid-
June until late August.
Although teachers aren’t
teaching every day during
this time, many still work—
teaching summer school or
participating in professional
development conferences,
trainings, or fellowships in
order to increase their skills
and knowledge.
49310_p01_16.indd 549310_p01_16.indd 5 6/19/08 4:27:36 AM6/19/08 4:27:36 AM
7. 6 | AFT Teachers
How much do teachers earn?
Districts pay most public school teachers based on their level of
teaching experience. Many receive additional pay based on the
amount of education they have beyond a bachelor’s degree. In
many districts, those with master’s degrees make about twice
as much as those with bachelor’s degrees. Average salaries are
always changing, but the average teacher salary in the 2006-07
school year was $51,009. It takes teachers about 14 years to
reach the average salary level.
Of course, salaries can vary a lot depending on where you teach;
some places cost more to live than others.
Among state averages in 2006-07, the highest average teacher■
salary was $63,640, while the lowest was $34,039.
The average beginning teacher salary in 2006-07 was $34,229.■
A few teachers—in some of the highest paying districts in■
states like California, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania;
49310_p01_16.indd 649310_p01_16.indd 6 6/19/08 4:27:36 AM6/19/08 4:27:36 AM
8. Becoming a Teacher | 7
and with more than 25 years of experience,
advanced degrees and additional school
responsibilities—make over $100,000.
For more information on teachers’ salaries,
benefits and other trends, visit www.aft.org/
salary.
How do I become a teacher?
Teacher education programs: Each state sets
its own requirements for becoming a teacher.
The process for meeting these requirements
is called “licensure” or “certification.” College
or university teacher education programs
prepare teacher candidates to meet the state’s
requirements. In general, all teacher education
programs include three components: required
course work for the subject and grade level you
want to teach; courses on how to teach (called “pedagogy”); and
clinical experience, which is many times referred to as “student
teaching.”
Certification: Once you successfully complete your teacher
education program, you still will need to become certified or
licensed in the state in which you want to teach. Nearly all
public schools and some private schools require teachers to
be certified. Every state certifies its own teachers, so the require-
ments vary from state to state. Generally, however, you must
complete an accredited education program, with a major in
the subject area you plan to teach, and you must pass a state
test such as the widely used PRAXIS exam or a basic-skills test.
Once you are certified, you are initially qualified to teach in that
state’s public schools. Most licenses and certificates are granted
on a “provisional” basis, which means they are valid for a
certain amount of time—most of them between three and five
years. In order to qualify for a “permanent” certificate or license,
each state has additional requirements, such as obtaining a
49310_p01_16.indd 749310_p01_16.indd 7 6/19/08 4:27:36 AM6/19/08 4:27:36 AM
9. 8 | AFT Teachers
higher degree, completing additional course work or taking
another test. For certification information in your state, visit
www.aft.org/tools4teachers/becoming.htm#licensure.
Reciprocity: Teachers certified at an accredited college or
university in one state may be allowed to transfer their teaching
certificate to another state. This is known as “reciprocity.” Usually,
a state will require teachers who were licensed elsewhere to meet
any local requirements for certification within a specified period
of time. For information about reciprocity, visit www.ncate.org/
public/reciprocityGraduates.asp?ch=154.
What can I do now to prepare
for a teaching career?
If you want to learn more about the teaching profession, start
by asking a teacher you know and admire about how he or
she became a teacher and why. In addition,
many teacher education programs require appli-
cants to have a high grade point average, to have
taken classes in the liberal arts, and to submit an
application.
While you are in middle or high school, there are
ways you can prepare for a college-level teacher
education program, including:
Take challenging courses to be ready for■
college-level work and study;
Take either the SAT or ACT college entrance■
exams;
Consider where you will attend college; and■
Think about what you would like to teach.■
Choosing what to teach, or what field to teach
in, is probably the most important decision to
make once you decide to become a teacher.
49310_p01_16.indd 849310_p01_16.indd 8 6/19/08 4:27:37 AM6/19/08 4:27:37 AM
10. Becoming a Teacher | 9
Think about what age students you would enjoy teaching. Also
consider the type of content or subjects you want to teach. If
you think you would like to teach a variety of subjects, you
might enjoy teaching elementary-age students. If you would
prefer to specialize in a subject like physics, psychology or
Spanish, you might enjoy teaching middle school or high
school students.
Supply and demand: Also consider the relative demand for
teachers in a particular subject. Some subjects have significant
shortages of teachers, but a few subjects actually have an over-
supply of teachers. Nationally, subjects such as mathematics,
bilingual education, chemistry and special education need
more certified teachers. Elementary education, French language
and English language arts, for example, have a balanced supply
of teachers—there aren’t too many and there aren’t too few.
A few subjects have too many teachers, including health educa-
tion, physical education, dance education and social studies.
49310_p01_16.indd 949310_p01_16.indd 9 6/19/08 4:27:37 AM6/19/08 4:27:37 AM
11. 10 | AFT Teachers
Keep in mind that these categories are based on national
averages. The local and regional supply of teachers for certain
subjects can vary significantly. For detailed information about
teacher supply and demand, by field and region, see the most
recent Job Search Handbook for Educators, published by the
American Association for Employment in Education, or visit
www.aaee.org to order a copy.
Where can I find
teacher education programs?
College and universities: To be a teacher, you will need a
college degree. Typically, larger colleges and universities will
offer four- or five-year programs that lead to certification in
fields like elementary education, secondary education, spe-
cial education or English language learners. These programs
provide the most direct and comprehensive path to a teaching
career. Some people attend a two-year college, then transfer
into a teacher education program at a four-year college; how-
ever, not every two-year college meets the requirements of a
four-year college.
Online: Also, some colleges and universities offer online cours-
es that prepare teacher candidates. Due to fast growth of online
courses, you should carefully research any online program to
verify its quality before you decide to enroll.
Alternative certification programs: Depending on location
and need, other options may be available for you to become
a teacher. Alternative certification programs like Teach for
America, and various local teacher fellowships or teacher
corps programs, prepare people to be teachers, but vary in
terms of quality. The best alternative teacher preparation pro-
grams provide potential teachers with the basic subject-matter
content and rudimentary instructional delivery skills they
need. However, these programs also condense years of prepa-
ration into a short time period and may not work for every-
body. Most alternative certification programs require at least a
49310_p01_16.indd 1049310_p01_16.indd 10 6/19/08 4:27:37 AM6/19/08 4:27:37 AM
12. Becoming a Teacher | 11
bachelor’s degree. For a list of high-quality alternative teacher
preparation options, visit www.ncate.org/public/Alternate
RouteList.asp?ch=2.
Picking a program: Regardless of the path you choose to be-
come a teacher, keep the following in mind when researching
teacher education programs:
Accreditation:1. The program should be accredited by one of
the major accrediting institutions in the United States. Most
state licensing offices will not recognize your degree or training
unless it was completed at an accredited institution.
Fit:2. The program should provide you with course work in
areas you might want to teach—i.e., find a school that has the
same focus as you do. For example, some schools may have a
better reputation in secondary education than in elementary;
it is important to choose a program that fits you and your
teaching aspirations.
Clinical program:3. The program should provide a strong clini-
cal experience (often called “student teaching” or “mentored
teaching”). It is vital for you to practice your skills and knowl-
edge in a real classroom setting with real students. A good
clinical experience is not just one with a long timeframe; it
also must include professors and courses that help you build
and reflect on your experience in the classroom.
Certification data:4. Find out how graduates of the program
do on state-administered certification tests and what percent-
age of graduates receive certification overall. This information
indicates how well the program will prepare you to pass any
state’s certification or licensing standards.
Reciprocity:5. Finally, check into reciprocity agreements your
certifying state has with other states. For example, getting
certified in New York means you have reciprocity with over
30 other states. Some states have reciprocity with more states,
and others with fewer states. This is an important consider-
ation if you are not sure where you will be settling.
49310_p01_16.indd 1149310_p01_16.indd 11 6/19/08 4:27:37 AM6/19/08 4:27:37 AM
13. 12 | AFT Teachers
For help deciding where to attend college, and for more infor-
mation about different types of teacher education programs,
visit www.aft.org/tools4teachers/directory.htm.
Is there financial aid available
to help me become a teacher?
Becoming a teacher takes years of college and lots of hard work.
The financial costs can be high. The good news is that there are
more opportunities than ever for teachers-in-training and new
teachers to reduce their financial burden.
Loan forgiveness: Many college students take on debt in the
form of loans. Some financial relief, called “loan forgiveness,”
is available if you plan to teach in certain subjects or in schools
designated as low-income. Under the Federal Teacher Loan
Forgiveness Program, teachers may be eligible for forgiveness
of up to $5,000 if they teach for five years in low-income schools
and meet other requirements, and up to $17,500 if they teach in
certain specialty areas such as math, science and special educa-
tion. You can learn more about these programs at www.aft.org/
tools4teachers/federal-programs.htm.
Other incentives: Many states offer their own financial incen-
tives to attract talented people to teaching. These come in the
form of grants, loan forgiveness and other financial incentives
for committing to teach, often in high-needs areas. For a com-
plete list of programs, state by state, visit www.aft.org/tool-
s4teachers/loan-forgiveness.htm.
This pamphlet touches on the basics of what you should
know about becoming a teacher. To learn more, ask a teach-
er and visit www.aft.org/tools4teachers/becoming.htm.
12 | AFT Teachers
For help deciding where to attend college, and for more infor-
mation about different types of teacher education programs,
visit www.aft.org/tools4teachers/directory.htm.
Is there financial aid available
to help me become a teacher?
Becoming a teacher takes years of college and lots of hard work.
The financial costs can be high. The good news is that there are
more opportunities than ever for teachers-in-training and new
teachers to reduce their financial burden.
Loan forgiveness: Many college students take on debt in the
form of loans. Some financial relief, called “loan forgiveness,”
is available if you plan to teach in certain subjects or in schools
designated as low-income. Under the Federal Teacher Loan
Forgiveness Program, teachers may be eligible for forgiveness
of up to $5,000 if they teach for five years in low-income schools
and meet other requirements, and up to $17,500 if they teach in
certain specialty areas such as math, science and special educa-
tion. You can learn more about these programs at www.aft.org/
tools4teachers/federal-programs.htm.
Other incentives: Many states offer their own financial incen-
tives to attract talented people to teaching. These come in the
form of grants, loan forgiveness and other financial incentives
for committing to teach, often in high-needs areas. For a com-
plete list of programs, state by state, visit www.aft.org/tools4
teachers/loan-forgiveness.htm.
This pamphlet touches on the basics of what you should
know about becoming a teacher. To learn more, ask a teach-
er and visit www.aft.org/tools4teachers/becoming.htm.
49310_p01_16X.indd 1249310_p01_16X.indd 12 6/20/08 4:36:18 PM6/20/08 4:36:18 PM