I'm currently majoring in History and want to teach it at the high school level. Advice from a teacher would be great.
2006-12-31 19:48:23 · 3 answers · asked by James H 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Okay - here we go....
A lot....no, EVERYTHING depends on the state where you want to teach. The requirements vary from state-to-state. If you want to teach, you really want to contact your state's department of education, and find the requirements.
As far as I know, all states require you to be CERTIFIED to teach in that state. You need to find out what the certification requirements are.
Some states require that you MAJOR in Education - for example, a degree in Social Studies Education (not History). If that's the case, you could always double-major -- get 2 degrees at once. When you major in education, you get "how to teach" classes, as well as content-area classes (in your case, history.)
In other states, you can earn a degree in your content (history), and take a few more "college of education" classes to learn how to teach.
Some states require a junior-year and/or a senior year internship -- you will be teaching daily under the direction of an established classroom teacher. Although your STATE might not require an internship, the College of Education will. Also: the likely first question from any principal interviewing a first-year teacher will be "Tell me about your internship experience."
Other states require a bachelors degree in the content, plus passing their state certification test. That's it! These are the states that have a real teacher shortage, and they need to get teachers in the classroom. Of course, without those "how to teach" classes, these "test-only" teachers typically flounder the first few years, and often quit.
My advice: SERIOUSLY consider college of education (how-to-teach) classes, as well as an internship. Discover the requirements for certification in your state.
Hope that helps.
2007-01-01 00:58:55 · answer #1 · answered by Hope this helps 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Psychology
2006-12-31 19:57:02 · answer #2 · answered by George G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A master's degree wouldn't hurt, especially if you eventually want to teach at a college or university.
2006-12-31 19:50:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋