High School
Follow your guidance counselor's college preparatory program and take advanced classes in such subjects as English, history, science, math, and government. You should also explore an extracurricular activity, such as theater, sports, and debate, so that you can offer these additional skills to future employers. If you already know which subject you'd like to teach, take all available courses in that area. Also be sure to take speech and composition courses to develop your communication skills.
Postsecondary Training
All 50 states and the District of Columbia require teachers to have a bachelor's degree and to have completed an accredited teacher-training program, which includes many hours of supervised teaching. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. offer accredited teacher education programs, most of which are designed to meet the certification requirements for the state in which they are located. Some states may require you to pass a test before being admitted to an education program. You may choose to major in your subject area while taking required education courses, or you may major in secondary education with a concentration in your subject area. Advisers (both in education and in your chosen specialty) will help you select courses.
In addition to a degree, a training period of student teaching in an actual classroom environment is required. Students are placed in schools to work with full-time teachers. During this period, undergraduate students observe the ways in which lessons are presented and the classroom is managed, learn how to keep records of such details as attendance and grades, and get actual experience in handling the class, both under supervision and alone.
Besides licensure and courses in education, prospective high school teachers usually need 24 to 36 hours of college work in the subject they wish to teach. Some states require a master's degree; teachers with master's degrees can earn higher salaries. Private schools generally do not require an education degree.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Anthropologists
- Archaeologists
- Art Teachers
- Athletic Directors
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Cooking Instructors
- Cultural Advisers
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Ethnoscientists
- Flight Instructors
- Foreign Service Officers
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Interpreters
- Journalism Teachers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Linguists
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Physical Education Teachers
- Preschool Teachers
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Teacher Aides
- Translators
- Tutors and Trainers