Question about choosing what type of teacher to be...

Question

I'm 25 and in the US Navy. The Navy is going to pay my way through college,and I have decided that I want to go to school for teaching high school. I'm just not sure what I want to teach. I was thinking of being a gym teacher because I love sports and fitness,but I'm not sure what the requirements are, and and if they pay less than other teachers. I also thought of teaching history or maybe writing. I just can't figure out what subject to teach!! Any advice on how to decide and what I need to take in college? Thank you for your time

Answer 1

Well, I'm thinking if you were meant to teach, you wouldn't be having this problem.  You should be passionate about a subject to teach it.  All teachers make the same pay.  The difference in pay depends on years experience and degrees, not subject.  It's very difficult to get a PE job as they are rather "cushy" (not to offend anyone) and people don't leave them.  In addition, you generally have to coach at the high school level if you teach PE.  {I have a bachelor's in PE but never used it.}  If you don't have a college degree now but are getting ready to do that, during your first two years, when you're taking the variety of courses required for a degree, take as many different subjects as you can so that you will hopefully find what interests you.  To teach writing, you would have to major in English and teach all aspects of English, with writing being one small part. {My husband was an English teacher for 37 years.} My best advice would be to tell you that you should check out the "critical shortage areas" in the city you're interested in and hope that one of them is interesting to you.  Certain subjects such as Math, Science, and Special Ed. will ALWAYS have openings.  Other subjects generally have plenty of teachers vying for the same spot.  If you majored in Special Ed. for example, and taught, say, high school LD students (that's what I did for 31 years), then you would be guaranteed a job pretty much wherever you wanted to live, AND you could teach a variety of subjects instead of just one all the time.  It's not easy, and there's a mass of paperwork, but it is rewarding.  Good luck!

Answer 2

First things first, you don't get a degree in "PE."  You get a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology (study of the body in motion).

Depending on the state where you complete your education, you may or may not have to complete a Teacher Preparation Program (basically another 32 or so units) in addition to your Bachelor's.  Most states vary on this.  In California, I took four years to get my Bachelor's in Kinesiology and then the extra year and a half to finish the Teacher Prep and get my Credential.  Check the Department of Education website for your state and you'll find requirements there.

The person who answered your question is correct, most Physical Educators don't leave their jobs because they are pretty cushy at most schools.  These are the schools that you DO NOT want to teach Physical Education at because they let their teachers "roll the basket of balls" out and there is usually little to no learning occuring.  If you are serious about teaching Physical Education, you will catch a ton of flack from other teachers that teach the core subjects because everybody thinks there's nothing to learn in "PE."  That is plain wrong, because any good teacher goes out of their way to ensure their students learn life-long lessons in their classes.  Check your state's Physical Education Standards to see what students should be learning.  It is a LOT different than what students are currently learning!

As you can tell, I'm passionate about what I do and I think every teacher should be.  It's your biggest weapon - passionate teachers make passionate learners.  Teaching Physical Education (I mean the actual content like the f**t Principle, Cardiovascular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Flexibility, Speed/Accuracy Tradeoff, etc.) is like teaching any other content area - there IS content!  This makes Physical Education a rewarding experience as it's not ALL about just moving anymore.

To answer your question though, you need to figure out which subject you want to teach.  Otherwise, your degree won't help you in high school.  Most states allow you to teach younger students with a general license meaning you can have a degree in any subject as long as you have a multiple subject license.  In high school, it's focused on your area of expertise.  Good luck, it's a journey that you'll look back on and never forget!