Future Opportunities:  Building Your Teaching Career

Teachers, who doesn’t know what they do?  We remember them, loved them, hated them in some points of our lives.  Do you think you have the guts to be one?  Teaching may not be among the most dangerous jobs in the world, but it can be demanding, challenging as well as rewarding. 

According to surveys done in 2002, there are about 3.3 million teachers in the United States.  There are different kinds of teachers, they work in different kinds of schools.  There are public or government subsidized schools, parochial or religious schools, private schools and charter or specialized public schools.  

If you are interested on becoming a teacher, here are some fields that you may be interested in: 

• Preschool and kindergarten- teachers would work with young children usually in ages 3 or 4.  Those who would like to teach this age group should be able to work with children with different knowledge and social skills.  

• Elementary school- teachers who are teaching this would handle a class for the whole school year.  They should be able to teach different subjects.  There are elementary teachers that could specialize in a particular field or subject like art or music.

• Secondary school- teachers on this level would be comprised of middle and high school teachers.  They normally should be specialized in one or two subjects.  They would teach their subjects to different classes in each day.  There are teachers who find teaching this age group very challenging since students would be undergoing their adolescent stage.

• Special education- there are students that have special needs and there are teachers who are educated and trained to handle these students.  Special education teachers can help those who have physical, emotional or cognitive difficulties and disabilities. 

Some experts and  teachers say that in order to become one of the good teachers that influence their student’s lives, you are not just an educator and coach, you become psychologists, mind readers and even drill sergeants.  Dedication, of course, is important.  You would only get to be effective and talented teacher if you really love the profession that you have chosen. 

If you think that you have what it takes to be a teacher, then you can start learning how to be one.  you can get your bachelor’s degree in college, there are specializations that you could choose from.  If you planning to teach elementary then you would have learn or take  different courses that would prepare you to teach different subjects. 
After graduating from college, some teachers would take continuing education.  It could be mandated by state law or could be done on their own will.  Aside from continuing education, there are also certification and licensure processes that new teachers should take so that they would be able to work. 

Not only do you have to be academically prepared, you should also be emotionally prepared.  As a teacher, academic teaching is not the only that you do.  They would come to your for advice and guidance, and you should be prepared to help them in different matters. 

Teachers are not only educators,  they do not just teach academic subjects and get done with it.  Teachers are coaches, they motivate and inspire students to strive better and achieve their goals.  Aside from teaching them to learn as much as they can inside the classroom, teachers should also encourage students to explore extracurricular activities.  Not everything can be though inside the four corners of the room.  
