There's no doubt that teachership is a noble profession. And if you have a strong passion for teaching children and making a positive difference in their lives, you can always consider becoming an elementary school teacher. On the face of it, teaching may seem to be a simple profession. However, the occupation is quite challenging. If you want to become an elementary school teacher, you need to have a lot of patience, perseverance and nerves of steel. To prepare yourself for this teaching job position, you need to be familiar with the typical job responsibilities, education, training and employment prospects that await you in this occupation.

 

Given below are four essential steps that aspiring candidates need to follow to become an elementary school teacher.

 

Step #1. If you have decided to kick-start a career as an elementary school teacher, you should start the preparation as early as possible. You can find multiple opportunities of working with children. Volunteering at a local elementary school will provide you with good opportunities of working with children and understanding their individual requirements. School districts, parks and recreation departments are the other places where you can start working with young children.

 

Step #2. Obtaining formal education is key to becoming an elementary school teacher. At least a bachelor degree is required to step into the elementary school teaching career. Other than public schools in most states, you would not necessarily require a bachelor's degree in education. In many states, however, you would need to earn a specified number of education credits during your course of study. This is required if you want to teach in a public school. You can also look for colleges and universities that offer a major in elementary education.

 

Those who possess a bachelor's degree can also enroll in a professional development school. This option has become very popular nowadays. The one-year program allows candidates to experience teaching firsthand and prepares them to enter the workforce.

 

Step #3. Polish your skills by becoming a student-teacher. This is an internship program available to candidates before graduation. Under this internship program, university students can work in an elementary school, supervised by professional teachers. This is an excellent way to gain some valuable real world experience and fine-tune your elementary school teaching skills.

 

Step #4. Teaching certification is required if you want to take teaching position in public schools. Private school does not require candidates to fulfill licensing requirements. Licensing requirements will vary from one state to another. To obtain the licensure, offered by the State Board of Education, candidates need to clear an examination and fulfill other educational requirements. The eligibility criteria for obtaining this licensure include having a bachelor's degree, completing an accredited teacher training program and supervised teaching experience.

 

If you aspire to become an elementary school teacher in a private school, no licensure will be required. However, a bachelor's degree in childhood education will increase your chances of getting hired in private schools.

 

The job of an elementary school teacher is quite challenging. These teachers are responsible for molding students at a very young age. They are responsible for creating favorable environment in the class to enhance learning and personal growth. Through a variety of teaching methods and techniques, elementary school teachers try to build an effective rapport with students. Teachers need to be well versed with a range of subjects. Exciting careers await those elementary school teachers who are familiar about what to expect from the job and how to give it a great start. If you have adequate education, training, strong motivational skills, positive attitude and a strong passion to make a positive difference in children's lives, you are ready for a successful career in this occupation.

Do you have a passion for teaching children with special needs and help them improve their lives? If so, you can always consider becoming a special education teacher. These teachers work with children who suffer from a range of disabilities, from mild to moderate. Through modified general education curriculum, they teach social skills and basic literacy to children and youth. As a special education teacher, you may either work at preschool, elementary school or middle school. Or you can also instruct infant and toddlers with special needs. Read on to know more about this teaching occupation, job description, typical duties, educational qualification and training required and career prospects that await you in this field.

 

Job Description
The main job duty of special education teachers is to instruct and teach children with disabilities like speech impairment, language impairment, mental retardation, hearing impairment, visual impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury etc. They make necessary modifications in the general education curriculum to match the individual requirements of children with special needs. The teacher has to play a very crucial role in the early identification of the requirements of children with special needs. Early identification results in early intervention which is essential in educating these children.

 

The special needs of children vary from one child to another. Special education teachers are formally trained to use a variety of techniques to deal with children suffering from disabilities. Depending on a child's individual needs, the teacher may assign specific problem solving tasks, give specialized instruction or assign a small group work.

 

Special education teachers also assist in the development of Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student with special needs. The IEPs are developed in sets according to the special requirements of children receiving special education. These teachers work in close contact with school administrators, general education teachers and the student's parents. They keep the chid's parents well informed of the progress that their child is making and suggest other techniques that parents can use to improve the children's social and literacy skills outside school.

 

Work Environment
Though it is a highly rewarding career, The occupation of a special education teacher is quite challenging. At the same time, the teaching career also brings you a lot of job satisfaction as you help children with special needs learn social skills and literacy and improve their lives. Both physically and emotionally, the job is demanding. Teachers need to do a lot of paperwork and documentation to record the progress of children receiving special education.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
As compared to general education teachers, special education teachers undergo extended period of training. There are several colleges and universities across the United States offering special education training programs - undergraduate degree, master's degree and doctoral degree. Those who spire to become special education teachers also need to obtain licensure. Licensing is required in all the 50 states and the District of Columbia. To be able to become licensed, candidates need to possess at least a bachelor's degree and complete an approved training program in special education.

 

Job Skills
Besides possessing the required special education degree and be licensed, teachers also need to possess some essential job skills to perform their job duties efficiently. Some of the most essential skills include organizational skills, motivational skills, patience, excellent communication, creativity etc. Teachers must have the capability to identify children's special needs.

 

Job Outlook
According to the US Labor Statistics Bureau, special education teachers occupied around 473,000 jobs in the year 2008 in the United States. Most of these professionals worked in private and public educational institutions. The employment growth rate for these teaching jobs is expected to grow faster than the average of all other occupations. Special education teaching jobs will grow at the rate of 17 percent from 2008 through to 2018.

 

Annual Salary
Salaries of teachers will vary depending on whether they work in preschool, elementary school, middle school or in secondary school. Those who are employed in elementary schools earn a median annual salary of around $50,020. Special education teachers working in secondary schools earned an annual salary ranging between $41,810 and $65,680. Depending on their educational qualification, experience and skill sets, the annual salary of these teachers can go up to $82,000.

There is a growing demand for teacher assistant in the field of education and teaching. Teacher assistants or aides are called upon to ease the work pressure on certified teachers and assist them complete a variety of secretarial and instructional duties. This further allows teachers to spend more time on planning out the lessons and teaching. Teacher aides are responsible for handling the children one on one and assist them how to use the material effectively. They keep a close watch on children, both inside and outside the classroom. To become successful as a teacher assistant or teacher aide, you need to start on this career path in the right way, get adequate education and training, know the job description, employment opportunities and the salary offered in this occupation. Read on to have all the details.

 

Job Description
As the job duties of certified teachers continue to be more complex, the requirement for more and more teacher assistants or teaching aides grows. Inside the classroom, these professionals are responsible for assisting students learn the material, setting up the required equipment and recording grades. However, their job duties do not end inside of the classroom. They are responsible for looking after the children even outside the classroom. Whether it is fields, the cafeteria or during boarding buses, teaching assistants hold the responsibility of supervising children while they are outside the classroom.

 

Teaching assistants are also sometimes referred to as instructional aides, paraeducators and paraprofessionals. Though most of the teacher aides perform both clerical and instructional job duties, there are others who may carry out either clerical or instructional duties. These professionals work under the supervision of certified teachers, as the former guide them to perform multiple academic tasks. Teacher assistants may work with either a small group of children or handle them individually. They figure out the individual problems of students and then guide them to complete the tasks efficiently.

 

In terms of providing academic support to students, assistants help students by doing tasks like explaining the class notes, listen to them while they read and assist them in locating the right information. At the secondary school level, teacher assistants may choose to specialize in a particular subject. Depending on the subject area they specialize in, they may prepare projects and presentations like science demonstration. Computer laboratories in schools often require a good number of teacher aides or assistants to instruct students in the use of computers.

 

Besides supervising students and providing them academic support, assistants also perform multiple clerical tasks including typing, filing of documents, maintaining stock supplies, keeping students attendance records, duplicate materials etc. Teaching assistants may also handle the job responsibility of working with special education students.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
Candidates who aspire to become a teacher assistant should at least possess a high school diploma. Though the educational requirement for these jobs may vary from one state to another, employers prefer hiring candidates who have completed some training. There are several community colleges that offer associate degree training programs for students aspiring to make a career in this occupation. Employers also prefer on-the-job training to newly hired candidates.

 

Job Skills
Teaching assistants should be adequately trained to perform duties like keeping records, controlling stock supplies, operating audio-visual equipment, well versed with classroom materials, teaching techniques etc. Teaching aides also need to possess good communication skills, both verbal and written. They should have the capability of working with children from a variety of backgrounds. Computer proficiency is also required to become successful as a teacher assistant.

 

Working Conditions
The occupation offers both full time and part time opportunities to jobseekers. Many teaching assistants acquire part time jobs. Those who take up full time jobs work for the standard 40 hours a week. Some of these professionals also take up summer jobs. However, they also find and occupy other jobs. Assistants work closely with school administrators, supervising teachers and parents among others.

 

Employment Outlook
Job prospects will be best for candidates who have completed at least 2 years of formal education. Job opportunities will also be created as more after-school and summer programs are created. Bilingual teaching aides will also be in great demand to teach in locations where the students' families do not speak English. The employment growth for these jobs is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupations.

 

Annual Salary
Salaries will vary depending on the geographic location, educational qualification and experience. In the year 2004, teacher assistants in the United States earned a median annual salary of around $19,410. Those who have adequate education and extensive work experience earn around $29,220 annually.