In response to an article titled: How Can You Become a Teacher?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/66172/how_can_you_become_a_teacher.html
In the state of North Carolina, the process of becoming a certified teacher is fairly simple.
A person can enroll in a teacher education program at any university, such as I did at UNC-Wilmington. The coursework includes everything from proper lesson planning, making a future teachers aware of NC Standards, preparing you to look and act professional, as well as give you tips on classroom management and meeting goals of students with special needs. You are required to visit local schools and observe as well as interact with the students throughout the teacher education program. At UNCW, I had to visit K-5 classrooms, a special needs classroom, a remedial reading class, and several ESL and Spanish classes. Keep in mind that you will observe many more classes pertaining to your area of specialization, whether it be high school Math, elementary PE, etc. Sometimes the professor would hand out DVD recordings of classrooms for us to do observations from the comforts of our living rooms.
Another part of the coursework is to devote a few hours to teaching the classes you are observing. For example, one day I would observe the Spanish class, then the next day, the Spanish teacher would teach for 30 minutes, then I’d teach for the remaining 20 minutes. This also gets students used to seeing your face before you take over the following semester in your student teaching internship.
Now, the student teaching internship will take up your entire life almost! You will basically become a teacher AND still be a student taking classes at the university. And, heaven forbid your advisor places you at a school an hour or further away! From 7:30am to 3:15pm everyday I was teaching Spanish to K-5 students at a local elementary school. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I had to immediately leave school and drive back to UNCW for more classes, an hour Foreign Language Teacher Seminar and an hour and a half Classroom Management class. I’d get home those days around 6:30pm. I was exhausted during the entire student teaching semester! At least I was an elementary Spanish teacher and didn’t have any tests, homework, and other papers to grade. Also, I didn’t have to keep up or key in any sort of grades. I, for one, had it easy. All I had to do was type up my lesson plans and teach. I don’t know how the others did it all! It is definitely hard work balancing your internship with college courses along with trying to have a “life”, but it teaches and prepares you for what to expect being a professional!
Another option in becoming a North Carolina teacher is to obtain a degree, in any field, then apply for teaching jobs related to your field of expertise. This is called lateral entry. While you are teaching, you will be required to take college classes leading to certification. You are given a reasonable amount of time to complete the courses, so don’t be worried about not having enough time in your schedule. Many teachers in this lateral entry program take no more than 2 classes per semester. They are not required to make field observation trips, but do observe other teachers in their own school.
I, like writer Annmarie, think it’s a great idea to search out part-time teaching jobs, or full-time teaching positions during the summer. Babysitting is another idea. Volunteer at the YMCA, summer camps, or something similar. You’ll gain experience and knowledge as a leader, caregiver, and teacher.
Being a teacher takes a lot of patience and understanding. You will be faced with difficult situations and decisions many times, so always be prepared and use common sense. Some students are going to drive you up the wall and make you want to quit. Don’t give up! Others will be the sweetest, smartest kids you will hate to see leave your class at the end of the year.
Use online resources and join some teaching forums. There, you can meet up with other teachers to share ideas, lesson plans, and advice with. Sometimes, they will be the lifeline you need to stay sane.
Teacher salaries in North Carolina are not as high as many other states. A beginning teacher makes roughly $28,000 while a 30-year teacher will be making near $50,000. Students are scoring above southeastern and nation averages on reading and math testing. Also, the numbers of students going on to college and furthering their education is increasing. Schools in NC are racially equal and proportionate, and has a mix of students from all socio-economic classes.
Being a teacher in NC has been a great experience for me. I love each day going into a classroom and teaching young students something new. I like to think that years in the future, one or two will fall in love with Spanish and perhaps become Spanish teachers themselves. I’d certainly feel like I contributed something special to their lives. That’s what it’s all about.
Visit teach4nc.org for more details in becoming a teacher in North Carolina.
