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How to Become a Certified Teacher |
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Written by tommy
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The most difficult step in becoming a teacher, is getting certified. It's pretty easy to wake up one day and say, "I'm going to be a teacher." It's not even that hard to enroll in a university or community college and begin taking classes. However, that's all meaningless if you're not thinking about the long term goal, which is becoming certified to teach.
Contact Your State Board of Education: The requirements for becoming a certified teacher vary from one state to another. You'll need to speak to your State Board of Education and ask them what the specific requirements are to become certified in your state.
Get a Bachelor's Degree: Just because you graduated from high school doesn't mean you're ready to teach it. No matter what grade level you want to teach at you're going to need at least a bachelors degree. If you plan on teaching at a college level, you're going to need a master's degree, but that's another article in itself.
Enroll in an Education Program: Most universities have an education program. While you're working on that bachelor's degree, it would be a good idea to sign up for your school's education program. This is probably the most important step in getting certified. A good education program will prepare you for everything you need to know about becoming a teacher, as well as help you find an internship. A lot of education programs will even get you certified.
Get some Experience: It's always a good idea to get as much experience as possible in any line of work that you're considering. Teaching is a completive profession in a lot of states. Having a good resume will help you stand out above the competition when you're trying to find a job. There are many things you can do before you're certified to help build up your credentials. You can substitute teach, become a private tutor, work as a camp counselor, or work in school administrations. Any type of work that is related to education or involved with children will improve your resume and make you sparkle and shine when you're ready to be certified.
As I said before, certification requirements vary depending on the state that you live in, but all of the steps mentioned above are pretty common no matter what state you live in. The most important thing is understanding what you need to do to fulfill your state's requirements and get an early start on it. Although it is not uncommon for a lot of people to decide they want to teach after there first two years of college, if you start working towards your certification fresh out of high school, it will make the process go much more quickly and smoothly.
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