Teaching, An Honored Profession

Teaching is a dignified profession, as teachers play a crucial role for the development of students into responsible human being. Aptly termed as nation builders, a career in teaching brings a lot of job satisfaction to candidates. The profession offers a host of career possibilities for candidates. Aspiring candidates can choose to work as elementary school teachers, high school teachers, public school teachers etc. To make a successful career in teaching, you need to equip yourself with all the essential career information including job description, nature of work, working environment, educational qualification and training required to become a teacher.

 

Job Description
Whether it is the intellectual or the social development of students, the job of a teacher is undoubtedly quite a challenging one. It is through the education provided to students that ensures they become responsible adults for a bright future. Teachers use a variety of tools, techniques and methods for the development of children. Kindergarten, elementary, high school and public school teachers are responsible for coaching, instructing and applying a variety of concepts to teach students subjects including science, social studies, mathematics, art, music, languages etc. Teachers work either in private or public schools. Some of these professionals provide special education.

 

Whether it is about coaching students or using classroom presentations, teachers have the responsibility to prepare the lesson plan, assign lesions and check the progress of students. They determine the performance and potential of students and use multiple tools and concepts to guide them towards becoming responsible adults. As the need for new assessment methods increases, the demand for trained teachers also increases continuously.

 

Teachers employed in kindergarten and elementary schools are responsible for the development of students in their early years. It is through the formative years' education that children learn to shape their views which further determines their success in future. These professionals are responsible for introducing children to subjects like mathematics, social studies, languages etc. They use computer games, books, films and artwork to develop children, intellectually and socially.

 

Middle school and secondary school teachers provide a deeper knowledge of subjects taught in elementary school during the children's formative years. They delve deeper into these subjects and make children aware of more information about the world. Depending on their individual interests, these teachers specialize in teaching specific subjects like mathematics, biology, history etc.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
Candidates who aspire to become a public school teacher should at least possess a bachelor's degree from a teacher education program. In addition to completing an approved teacher training program, candidates also need to need to fulfill some licensure requirements which may vary from one state to another. Educational qualification to become a pre school teacher may vary from one state to another. Some teaching jobs require students to possess a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Associate's degrees in teaching, for kick-starting a career in this occupation, are also offered by several institutions.

 

Private schools usually do not require candidates to fulfill licensing requirements. Those who want to become a secondary school teacher would need a bachelor's degree in specialized subjects like history, mathematics, English, biology etc. A bachelor degree in childhood education is required if you intend to occupy jobs in elementary schools.

 

Job Skills
Those who want to make a successful career in teaching should also possess some essential job skills, aside from educational qualification. Teachers should possess strong motivational skills, inspirational skills, excellent communication and the capability to comprehend the emotional and educational requirements of students. At the same time, they need to be innovative and respond to cultural differences, as students may belong to different backgrounds.

 

Employment Facts
Teachers who worked in kindergarten schools, elementary schools and secondary schools occupied a total of 3.5 million jobs in the United States in the year 2008. Elementary school teachers held around 1.5 million jobs. Majority of these teachers were employed in public schools.

 

Job Outlook
Job prospects are strong for teachers specializing in subjects like mathematics, science and bilingual education. The projected employment growth in this occupation is as fast as the average of all other professions. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in this field will grow at a rate of 13 per cent from 2008 through to the year 2018.

 

Annual Salary
The median annual salary of teachers employed in kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary schools ranges between $47,100 and $51,180. As per the American Federation of Teachers, the starting annual salary of these teachers was around $33,227 in 2005-2006. Depending on the educational qualification and experience, the annual salary for these teaching jobs can go up to $80,970.