I have decided to become an middle or highschool teacher can a fellow teacher give me some information please

Question

I recently have decided to change my major after 18 months of learning commerical airconditioning...Ive realized that its not for me ..I have completed the program and im ready to hold of that career and learn what i love ...I want to become a middle or highschool teacher very badly .. I am a history buff, I daydream about american history and european history.. and i am going to pursue it.. the only thing that scares me is that i have heard that the process has become much harder and the certifications that you need have only become more vast...should i be intimidated by this or is it all a bunch of bullshit from uncle sam..I hear becoming a history teacher has become les likely and the field has been cut down dramaticly ...is that true or is it only fabricated... I believe that this negetivity is only fabricated by those who recieve a bachleors in a differant major but then decide to become teahcer because there to lazy to get there master... so they decide to become a teacher instead.....But this is what i want and i would like to no if my chances of teaching history or if teahcing anysubjet has become less likely... i would gladly minor in english if i had too. i would love to teache english also.. but i would prefer history...so if you are a teacher or a student what can you tell me... also honestly will i need a bachleors or a masters to teach middle or highschool... thanks homies give me some info

Answer 1

I have been a English/History teacher in the state of Texas for 28 years and I am now retired , but I think I can answer most of your questions as far as Texas is concerned .

All you need to teach is a Bachelor's degree from college and a teaching certificate which you can attain in college . You can major in two or more subjects .

I majored in Education with a certification in English / History and I chose secondary Education which is the area you seem to have settled on .

It is hard to get a job in Texas in the History fields because most of them are reserved for the football coachs , the Good Lord knows we have to establish priorities somewhere . ( Ha Ha ) However , if you are very serious about a history job , then get your certification in Composite History , meaning you can teach any kind of history and your chances of a job in Texas almost quadtruples .

You should not be intimidated by anything as Texas school are about 400,000 or more short of certified teachers and are filling the needs with many kinds of people , non certified , alternative certification , and many other programs will allow you to become a teacher pretty quickly and easily .

Every state in the great nation is short of teachers , so if you want to become one , you can . Just pick your subject and the area you want to live in and dive in  

Answer 2

check out edjoin.org to see how many jobs are available.

i have taught high school and middle school and see there are always at least 3 social studies/history teachers on a campus. you may be asked to teach one elective outside of your major (something you have great interest and expertise in).

the political c**p is just that c**p! there have always been, will always be some silly hoop to jump through that may or may not be relevant to the reality of teaching.

Answer 3

u should   teach at a middle school becus kids in middle school are safer and listen easier and get scared by any punishment

and if your gonna go teach at a highschool plz liten to me or  u will not want ...ok so first off  if the student says im nto doing it (homework) just say ok its your grade...second dont think your better then your students because your an adult becuase students will notice you think your better and torment you...thirdly dont be too strict like no talking at all  and never  touch a student or like  be to mean becuase ive seen a teacher get poped right in da face for being mean  

Answer 4

i've heard history teachers are a dime a dozen too, english as well. The only job for history majors is teach so the numbers aren't great. Math and science are the high demand fields, languages are rarer, With the degrees though, you can get a job as a history teacher, it may be harder but... If you got a science degree then you could just make more money in industry. teach for the love or whatever.

If you can't avoid history then go ahead, they always need teachers, boomers are retiring, and inner city schools need teachers. The requirements aren't bad besides the 4 years of school and two more on top of that. The state proficiency tests and certification isn't much work compared to 6 years of school. You may be able to begin work after 4 years and get the masters at night while teaching.  

Answer 5

Good idea, get the necessary credentials and take off!

Answer 6

If this is what you want to do transfer to a University.  In CA the Junior colleges have guaranteed acceptance to a JC.  AC repair is a decent field that requires real work. you could learn autocad and electrical theory (not easy tasks) and draft AC circuits for 20-30 hr., there are alot of job postings for this type of work.

Hard truths:

In CA you need the following:

B.A. degree

Pass a credential/masters in education program.

60 college credits are needed to be a subsitute teacher.

Pass the CBEST (substitute teacher test) and CSET (multi subject test).

Pay 60 bucks for a substitute teacher cert.  60 bucks for a background check or more for different school districts.

Thats what you need:

Now its time for the hard truths:

You wont be teaching history at a High School, junior high, elementary.  You will be teaching whatever open positions that are open.  They may be history (but there are lots of histry majors) or the may be math or science.  Math and science are in high demand.  Don't let this stop you.  I am a major history buff.  But I am being honest with you.  You need to go where the jobs are in this economy.  When you at a University major in history and a science related degree.  take all your basic chem, bio, calc and physics and get a 3.5 gpa and letters of rec. Then decide if you want to continue with teaching.

Also teaching history at a Junior or Univ. is hard because there are so many people competing.  Be prepared to get a masters in history if you want to teach it at a higher level, work at 5 or more Junior colleges, universities teaching history classes for several years and hope you get a full time job somewhere as a histroy teachers.  

Answer 7

You do need a bachelors to be a teacher, but don't have to have a masters.  You need a bachelors because you need to take a combination of education courses and content (history) courses.  To know exactly what a program looks like, you should contact the college/university you want to attend.  After you've completed your program (including student teaching).  You'll need to take tests to obtain your teaching license.  What you'll need to take depends on the state you'll be teaching in.  

History is one of the areas that has less need, but it's not impossible to find a job.  You also may have to consider moving to another state with a higher need for teachers.  For example, I know Ohio and Michigan have so many teachers already, that it's hard to find a job in those states.  However, Texas and New Mexico are always looking for teachers.  

If it's your dream, then you should go for it.  Just remember that you may have to move to find a job.  

Answer 8

You'll need a Bachelor's and a teaching credential.  

The reason why it is hard to find history teaching jobs is because, unlike math and science, there's not much out there beyond the school gates that you can do with knowledge of history.  Math and science positions have far higher turnover rates as teachers go for higher paying jobs using their skills for private companies.  

However, you might get a degree in Social Science rather than history.  That way if you want to teach you can also teach government and economics.  That will open up a few more doors for you.  It will also allow you to teach history.  

Middle schoolers will be more receptive in the class to doing what you want them to do and some may participate more.  However, they will be more rambunctious, are more likely to get out of their seat without permission, etc.  High schoolers won't do what you want, but (at least for many juniors and seniors), they will be more passive than middle schoolers, won't so often get out of their seats, etc.  Both choices have their ups and downs.  

One of your most critical decisions will be to choose what district and school you work in.  Don't just choose the first that comes along, especially if it is in a poor, crime-ridden area.  The problems of the community will spill over into the classroom.  

Finally, for discipline management in the classroom go to http://www.fredjones.com.  Do NOT forget this, even years from now when you complete your education and training!

Answer 9

i've been part of my school hiring team and compared to other subject to be really honest there are a ton of history applicants- but don't let u put u off ifu are passionate about yr subject and more importantly can bring it to life usign essential questions that the kids can relate to.

u need toknow yr subject - ifu want to get in quick deal with a charter school.

u need to have a certain amount of credits in yr subject