They say that teaching is a calling. However, teachers devote their lives to education for reasons that are individually based. These reasons are personal, and therefore they give desires to teachers to make impacts on the lives of other people. I chose to become a teacher to make my contribution to the lives of people. The decision to become a teacher was made way back when I was still young and knew very little about teaching apart from the fact that teachers impact knowledge. I developed interest in the profession after I visited a family friend who was a teacher. I realised that he was very happy with his job and that he always looked forward to meeting and teaching his students. According to my uncle, as a teacher, I felt like his contribution to the American society was direct and that it was tangible. Therefore, I became convinced that teaching is the only way that I will be able to impact the lives of many people and therefore improve the future of the world. Therefore, the decision is a lifetime decision and I hope that I will never regret about it.
Things to do as a teacher
As a teacher, I will assume different roles for me to lead the school and the learner to succeed. I am supposed to be a resource provider. Being a resource provider entails giving instructional materials to learners and colleague teachers. Specifically, they include websites, readings or any other instructional resources that a learner can use. Through this, it means that I should be an instructional specialist (Wang, 2015). I will help colleagues to put in place teaching strategies that are effective. The strategies range from differentiating instruction to the planning of lessons as I partner with other teachers. Through this, I will have helped in the general development of the school level of learning.
Additionally, I will be a curriculum specialist. Understanding how different components of the curriculum connect with each other is important. I will use the curriculum to plan instruction and assessment to ensure consistent implementation of the curriculum in the school environment. Therefore, I should look at the classroom and find ways to help teachers come up with new ideas as well as implementing them (Darling-Hammond, 2016). Use of different models in teaching is important as it will assist me in identifying the learning needs of the student and therefore meet my objectives as a teacher.
Teacher environment
There are different aspects to look at the teacher environment, and it starts with the class and its size. Mostly, I will deal with my class and find ways in which to make the best out of it. There are different challenges in the classroom, and it is my role to find a solution for them to achieve success. Sometimes, size of the classroom poses a problem since research shows that the larger the class, the lower the performance (Darling-Hammond, 2016). This is because the personal contact between the teacher and the learner needs is minimal. Ensuring that I attend to the needs of the students individually is important.
Secondly, the other aspect of my environment will be the parent and school support. In the school, the administration has the responsibility to provide nurturing to me and the learner, and this influences the commitment of the teacher. The school supports the teacher by providing learning materials, financial support and also ideas that are important in teaching. The parent, on the other hand, will act as a link between home and the school. According to Darling-Hammond, parents will give support by providing necessary information about the background of the learner (2016). Some of this information might explain the learner’s conditions and therefore enable the teacher to understand the weaknesses and the strengths of the learner.
Current job vacancy
Some people may have a problem with starting their career as teachers. Advertisements are given that teachers are needed, but it depends on the kind of the teacher or what field the teacher has majored in. Science teachers, mathematics or even Spanish teachers are in high demand in America and all over the country; a teacher can get employment without difficulty. Some places like Hawaii, and many rural areas, the local governments offer additional perks to teachers in high demand subjects (Brown & Stevick, 2014). However, some subjects like history do not have a high market. Accordingly, this leads to teachers being frustrated as they jump from place to place to find employment.
Currently, in Florida, it will be the best time to look for a job. Previously, the location has been having notoriously high sizes of classes. Currently, the new legislation in place requires that schools should decrease the sizes of classes all over the state. They have a strong economy, and their population is growing (Kauchak & Eggen, 2016). Florida has a high rate of paying for teachers and therefore means that this would be the best place to find a job since the place has a few challenges.
For someone to teach here, he must have a bachelor’s degree. The minimum education is the undergraduate degree that a K-12 teacher should possess. However, it varies from different states depending on the standards in place. Every teacher should be licensed after finishing education and passing examinations. Some teachers who want to major in special education are required to get a master’s degree after attaining licensure (Gilbert, 2018). The teacher is also required to have effective discipline skills hence promote positive behavior in the working environment. Secondly, a teacher should have the same skills to manage the classroom well thus ensuring the learner shows the best discipline too (Younger, 2018). Finally, the knowledge of the subject matter is important as the teacher is expected to answer questions and keep the class interesting. Possessing the skills, it will mean that the individual has qualified to teach in a school.
Salaries and benefits
For an average teacher, the starting salary is $44,872. The figure varies from one state to another depending on the qualifications. A teacher who is newly hired in Hawaii receives a slightly lower payment as the salary is averaging at $43,157. There are various additional benefits that a teacher can get. Teachers working in urban areas tend to get high salaries since the cost of living is higher compared to those working in rural areas. Teachers get health benefits as they get better medical and drug coverage (Dee & Wyckoff, 2015). Also, there is life/ accident insurance as a benefit where teachers are offered a given basic insurance at no charge.
It is better to work for an institution than for me to start my own practice. There are a lot of benefits that I will get for working in an already established institution. I will get the support from the school administration in terms of finance as well as teaching aids. As a teacher, I will get more experience since I will be working with other colleagues in my subject who will act as my mentor. Secondly, it will be hard to start my practice since a lot of capital is required (Darling-Hammond, 2016). Therefore, it is better for me to work in an institution which will help me reach better standards as a teacher. This will enable me to cover the additional differences that include insurance covers for the family and retirement covers.
Degree and certification
Degree
The minimum education is the undergraduate degree that I require to work in a school. The number of the credit hours varies depending on the school’s requirement, but usually, the schools require 120 hours a term. Mostly, the distributions of credit hours between the various categories differ depending on the institution. The teacher’s programs of residency typically can be an alternative way of teaching for educators who have attained a bachelor’s degree (Choi, 2017). The programs of residency for teachers typically have similar characteristics which include attracting smart individuals who are capable and have content knowledge.
I am planning to graduate from Stamford University School of Education since it has a high reputation in America. It is known to be the best education school. Therefore, I believe I will get better opportunities in the future after graduating from the school. There are some reasons as to why I will graduate from the university. First, the school provides some programs for masters and 21 doctoral programs including three other joint programs. Secondly, there are other programs for the undergraduate students who wish to pursue a minor in education or taking of the honors program (Brookfield, 2017). Therefore, it will be the best university to make me the best-qualified teacher.
Certification
All the prospective teachers need to undergo certification to get licensing. Therefore, this will enable me to start teaching within a given area once I have completed the required coursework, gotten the degree, and all other criteria that are specified. For me to be certified, I need to pass the Praxis exam. There are different types of Praxis exams. The type of a teacher I will be will determine which praxis exam I will need to pass for me to start my career. Since it is a national exam, there is a different exam that tests the academic skill for one to be in various elementary schools as a teacher (Williams & Mennuti, 2016). The cost of the Praxis elementary education in several subjects is $60 per individual test and $170 if I take a combined test.
Projected market
According to research, the data provided shows that the world experiences an increased rate of education. There will be an increase in the number of people getting degrees, and therefore it suggests that the number of teachers required will also be increasing. To meet the new regulations that schools should reduce the number of students per class, it means that there will be more teachers required (Sawchuk, 2015). Majorly, this will be to meet the classes’ demands hence in the next ten to fifteen years. Therefore, a teacher will be having a market for employment. Texas happens to have a high demand for teachers and therefore planning to hire an average of 420 teachers a year (Brown & Stevick, 2014). Consequently, there is still a demand for teachers in the coming years.
Teaching has several pros and to start with, one will always enjoy the love of learning. There is constant learning since there are different websites where teachers are ready to share their teaching experience. Secondly, knowing that you are the person that learners depend on gives you strength and inspires you. Hence, you will want to ensure that you make them successful and therefore feel satisfied with fulfilling your dreams (Wang, 2017). On the other hand, lack of support from the administration and the parent can be disadvantaging. For me to overcome it, I need to advise the two parties on the importance of working together for achievement.
Discovery
In my research, I have found that without the support of the parents and the school administration, the achievement may not be realized. The parents are there to shape the discipline of the child at home as well as providing necessary information to help teachers while in school. Without their support, the learning process will not be fully achieved since not everything is taught in school (Darling-Hammond, 2016). Additionally, the school administration should also give the necessary support regarding teaching material and techniques as well as help the parent in shaping the discipline of the learner.
Conclusion
After this research, I still plan to pursue my career. Majorly, I have discovered that teachers are still in high demand even in the coming years. It, therefore, gives assurance of employment since states like Texas still hire a high number of teachers on average per year. Teaching also provides a platform where I keep on learning as I help in shaping other people’s lives. I found the research to be beneficial as it has helped me discover the best university that offers the best programs for teaching qualifications. I have discovered the best places to work as I make the best out of my education.
References
Wang, R. J. (2017). The Pros and Cons of International Examples for Standard-based Teacher Education. Jiaoyu Yanjiu Yuekan= Journal of Education Research, (273), 8.
Brown, K. D., " Stevick, D. (2014). The globalizing labor market in education: Teachers as cultural ambassadors or agents of institutional isomorphism?. Peabody Journal of Education, 89(1), 4-16.
Williams, B. B., " Mennuti, R. B. (2016). PASS: Prepare, Assist, Survive, and Succeed: A Guide to PASSing the Praxis Exam in School Psychology. Routledge.
Younger, M. (2018). Spatial Skills Activities in the Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Toolkit: The Impact of Spatial Skill Activities on Mathematical Thinking
(Doctoral dissertation).
Kauchak, D., " Eggen, P. (2016). Introduction to teaching: Becoming a professional. Pearson.
Gilbert, S. L. (2018). Why Did You Choose to Become a Teacher?. In Cases on Global Competencies for Educational Diplomacy in International Settings (pp. 21-36). IGI Global.
Dee, T. S., " Wyckoff, J. (2015). Incentives, selection, and teacher performance: Evidence from IMPACT. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 34(2), 267-297.
Sawchuk, S. (2015). Steep drops seen in teacher-prep enrollment numbers. The Education Digest, 80(7), 9.
Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. John Wiley " Sons.
Wang, A. (2015). Facilitating participation: Teacher roles in a multiuser virtual learning environment.
Choi, T. H. (2017). Teacher change from a short-term certification programme and its comparison with that of a comparable long-term programme: Cases from South Korea and the USA. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 19(4), 207-218.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Research on teaching and teacher education and its influences on policy and practice. Educational Researcher, 45(2), 83-91.
