xaos said:
i have a masters in mathematics and I've been mulling over the idea of teaching for a few years now, the idea never seems to have faded. but I'm often discouraged by my fears and anxieties of being in the eye of public scrutiny. how does one go about finding out if teaching can be done? my parents have suggested a group called "toast masters" which focuses on public speaking skills (and critical listening) and is financially the cheapest (only an initiation fee). i could also return to junior college and take (or retake) a speech or drama class for about $400 dollars to test myself there. or i can go back to university, this looks it to be about $1000, and see what i can find meant specifically for educator coursework, but these are usually qualified with "secondary education" and its my thought that this is for high school teaching, not junior college (which is where i can go with just a masters). or does the junior college which potentially hires you provide support training for teaching (which presumably includes anxiety counseling)?
In the US, to teach at the high school level (IN THE PUBLIC SYSTEM) you typically need the following:
- Praxis testing (basics, general teaching knowledge, and subject) -- these are standardized tests administered by the Educational Testing Service... who also does such things as the AP tests, the GRE tests, and the SAT. Testing requirements can vary by state.
- Completion of an approved teacher education program through a university (either at the bachelor's level or the master's level). This includes coursework and obervations / student teaching.
- Completion of paperwork for the state that documents the above (and also has background checks/fingerprinting covered).
While some states allow for emergency certification, school districts will typically favor someone with certification in the hiring process (even if they might have less content knowledge). It's sometimes possible to get a job if you are currently seeking certification through a program (and have substitute licensure).
Note that while this is the system for public school teaching... often private schools also favor someone with teaching certification/licensure, and often schools that accept some public funds (like charter schools) must have a certain percentage of teachers that are certified (depending on the district/state laws).
Note: with a bachelor's degree, you do probably qualify for substitute licensure (again you complete paperwork from the state for this, mostly consisting of background checks and fingerprinting)... which would qualify you to substitute teach. while it isn't the optimum environment to learn if you're suited to public education, it also isn't necessarily bad. If you're lucky, you might get called in for a long term substitute position (say for someone's sick leave or maternity leave). I know of two individuals who were (one for the whole teaching load of a teacher... another just for two physics classes, while others covered other courses).
If you're teaching at the junior college / community college level or at any university, licensure / certification is not required. Most universities I know do offer different forms of teaching support, typically in workshops organized through instructional technology centers, library services, etc. These usually, however, take the form of SPECIFIC support -- such as courses in the use of personal response systems such as "i-clicker" or the use of web-based instruction including such things as "Blackboard" if the university subscribes to the service. I've been to a few workshops that cover things like "Teaching generation Y"... which includes how to engage and motivate students... but I don't think I've ever known of any university that offers "anxiety counseling" for teaching. It's generally assumed that if you're interviewed and hired to do the job, you can handle the classroom (large or small).
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