You have the ability to shape another person’s life by teaching and instructing them how to make a difference in their own life and in the world. It is your chance to have an impact on society and an impact on students. Certainly there can be no more lofty goal than that.

From a more practical standpoint there are several other reasons to consider the teaching profession. There is a growing shortage of teachers, and especially a need for exemplary teachers. There are personal perks involved in teaching, like the vacations and the summers off, to explore other personal paths. You might be the kind of person who has an intellectual fascination with a certain discipline, like English literature or one of the sciences. Teaching is your chance to really hone in on that interest and give it everything you have.

It is a demanding profession because you must motivate hundreds of students every day, with little prep time. You must maintain order and promote a structured learning environment, while keeping up to date with a multitude of administrative tasks. Your weekends are spent grading papers and planning lessons. The reward for all this effort is watching a class in a spirited discussion or complimenting a student who has worked very hard to achieve his or her success.

Some of the questions you might ask yourself if you are considering whether teaching is right for you are: Do you enjoy learning? Do you find joy in helping others to learn? Can you communicate ideas? Do you believe that teachers can make a difference in the lives of others? Do you enjoy solving problems? Are you a curious and giving person? And lastly, are you flexible, enthusiastic and imaginative?

One of the statistics that is interesting with regard to teaching is from the State of Texas. Texas will need more than 82,000 new teachers by the year 2008, especially in the math area. According to the Texas Workforce Commission survey, the median 2002 salary for educators was $28,383. By contrast, the median 2002 salary for all occupations in the same region was $19,998.

Selecting a career is never easy. You might try talking to several teachers to find out how they feel about the challenges and rewards in the teaching profession. You need to find out what is involved, education-wise, to get your teaching credential. But when all is said and done, if you choose teaching and make a difference in the life of just one child, it will have been the right decision. Then you’ll know that teaching was the right professional for you.

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First off, before any teacher credentialing begins, the candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. After that, it’s all about research. Individuals pursuing an elementary education degree online should conduct research into the area and subjects they wish to teach. Topping the list of items to research are the certification requirements in obtaining a teaching credential. As certification requirements vary by state, individuals should research the requirements for the state in which they wish to work. The reputation of a school also goes a long way in determining the quality of teaching positions a graduate will likely receive.

The resources a university will invest in teacher education programs and the content of the education curriculum are also important determinants in choosing the right program. Does the program stress the foundations of teaching? Does the curriculum provide classroom management skills, an overview of teaching methods as applied to elementary school children, and basic coursework in child psychology? A curriculum that fails to teach the foundation and necessary skills within an elementary school environment will doom the teacher to failure before teaching actually begins.

Most importantly, a good program will provide students with plenty of supervised classroom experience. The more practice a potential teacher receives in the classroom, the better the ability to handle students while on their own.

Decided on a locale to teach? The final step is to determine whether the program successfully prepares teachers to pass the state credentialing exams. Some schools gear their programs towards passing the state exams, while others have low pass rates. Look for schools with good passing rates (over 80%).

Teacher credentialing programs that rank favorably with the US News and World Report ranking of colleges are provided below.

University of Phoenix The University of Phoenix offers both a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts Degree in Elementary Education online. The program is designed around the specific state’s certification requirements.

Do the research and make the right choices when deciding the teaching locale. Individuals will feel better knowing that they’ve selected a program that matches their anticipated teaching goals.

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Since there is a teacher shortage across the country, a many states have created alternative requirements for individuals who would like to become teachers. Typically, this allows individuals with a bachelor’s degree in something other than education to take courses for the teaching credential. These individuals would not need to start at the beginning of the program in order to become a teacher.

Even though there is an alternate option, a bachelor’s degree in education will provide a solid underpinning that prepares students for the classroom. Bachelor’s degree programs that are designed to lead to certification may focus on early childhood education, elementary education, or special-education. There are minimal credential requirements associated with such programs that students must meet in order to become teachers.

There is a slightly different course of study for those who wish to teach on the secondary, high school, level. The area of focus would not be “secondary education” but simply the subject matter that they desire to teach. The area of focus might be English education, mathematics, science, or social science. Some of these programs are not geared for complete teacher certification, and other credentials are required post-graduation. Depending on the state, a master’s degree may be required to teach at the high school level.

Usually in states where a master’s degree is required for teaching on the secondary level, a bachelor’s degree is needed for teaching on the elementary level. This is why many teachers continue to pursue further education. These individuals start where they can, and attend school while working to move up to the teaching level that they want to be at. Sometimes they will take non-classroom roles like counseling.

A bachelor’s degree in education may include the following classes: introduction to teaching, teaching reading, teaching social studies, teaching science; teaching mathematics, and methods of foreign language instruction. It is more likely now that before that teachers will encounter bilingual and multicultural education.

If you desire to learn how to teach, get a bachelor’s degree in education. You will learn the art of imparting knowledge, not just providing knowledge.

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A majority of colleges offer undergraduate majors, tailored for earning a teaching credential, that take four to five years to complete. Bachelor’s degrees in education focus almost solely on teaching. In such a curriculum, you will encounter subjects like child development, classroom management, teaching fundamentals, and similar topics. Major requirements may include multiple subjects such as social studies, math, reading, and all of the main subjects regularly taught in grades K-6.

Bachelor’s degrees in education are available at certain online educational institutions. Many times these degree programs can be completed within two or three years. Often, college credits that were obtained prior to online enrollment are transferable. In most cases, it seems, online schools tend to offer more master’s programs than bachelor’s degrees in education. A number of master’s programs in education are geared towards people looking to work on the business side of education, or for teachers interesting in moving to an administrative position.

The University of Phoenix Online provides a master’s degree in education with concentrations in elementary education, early childhood education, secondary education, and special education. This university’s programs are fashioned to prepare students for those different teaching environments.

For secondary level teachers, the master’s degree programs focus on individual major subjects like English and language arts, social science and history, science, math, and others. Creating a productive learning environment and adolescent development will also be included in such a degree program. The programs at the University of Phoenix target secondary teaching opportunities.

Jones International University offers a master’s in adult education and administration as well as a higher education leadership and administration degree. These opportunities are for those who want to progress in educational hierarchy.

State teaching certification requirements are transforming, which is creating a change in the focus of teaching degrees. It no longer has to take five years as an undergraduate to achieve the educational goal. Investigate the requirements in the school district that you are interested in teaching in to make sure your educational efforts will move your towards your goal.

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The field of special education is also offered through many distance learning programs. There are many specialization options in special education today and most of them can be pursued by taking education courses online. You can obtain a masters degree in special education with specialization in gifted and talented students. There are degrees in education with specialization in students with special needs. Some of these online programs were made with the purpose of providing the training that is needed for special education certification: the online schools that do so generally have campuses in the states where they provide certification training.

Through distance learning you can begin a career in education or teaching through many different paths. As with all online programs, you can do it at your own pace. And online schools are usually willing to work with you in order to earn the certification requirements needed.

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