Any advice on what I should be focusing on when reaching my goals of becoming an elementary teacher?
I would strong suggest that you include a minor that will make you more marketable-- become a literacy specialist or a math specialist, or minor in ESL or something.
In most places the job market for elementary teachers is incredibly competitive; you’ll want to set yourself apart from the pack.
Elementary ed teachers don’t get paid particularly well (i.e., they are municipal employees paid via taxes, and folks don’t like to have to pay taxes), so it is better to go to a lower cost school and graduate with little or no debt. School rankings and prestige matter little in getting your first elementary school teaching job. Location matters more, as different states have different certification requirements. So it is beneficial to attend a school in the state where you think you might want to start teaching.
As @bjkmom suggests, getting a specialty certification, such as literacy or ESL, will help differentiate you from the crowd and help you get your foot in the door at some school district.
Lastly, pick a school that will get you some classroom experience early (i.e., as a teaching aide by the sophomore year) and have a back up plan if/when you discover teaching isn’t like you thought it would be. Many people change their majors once they get a taste of what their future might hold. The earlier you find your true calling the better off you (and your students) will be.
Find the best teacher’s college in your state that allows you to student teach in a nearby elementary school, as part of your four year curriculum. If you are suited to it, Its a rewarding career, and you will make enough money and even have time to pick up a summer job, so it will be a great and flexible career.
Learning to speak Spanish can be helpful to some teachers in some states, like Colorado. California offers bilingual schools in Chinese and English now, but usually native speakers are teaching Chinese on the west coast.
Psychology can be helpful for elementary school teachers.
Pay for teachers varies state by state. New York and Massachusetts pay very well, and have seniority pay built into the pay curves, so the longer you are a teacher in those states, the more salary you will make. MA and NY State pay teachers almost as much as low end engineers make in smaller states like Kansas and Colorado in fact , and remember teachers really do get a lot of time off in most states. The number of student contact days is hovering around 171 days a year in Colorado. While teachers do prepare outside the classroom, and that can be a lot of work for the first five years or so, until you learn how to teach, some teachers in Colorado can and do get second summer jobs and make plenty of money here in Colorado. For instance, some teachers we know work for student travel agencies and are payed to travel and help plan appropriate student trips to Central America, etc. Teachers also can use substitute teachers in most states so they do not
have the demands on attendance that other careers have, where sick days have now been eliminated for
most other careers available in the USA, (medicine, law, engineering, manufacturing, all are very demanding and do not allow any sick days anymore )
While some states like Arizona do pay teachers on the lower end, remember that the cost of living is way less in Arizona too.
You should try to get your education in the state you intend to teach in or you need to make sure that your school has the accreditation that will allow you to get licensed in other states where you might be interested in teaching.
Keep in mind that in many states (like NY) you may need to get a masters at some point in order to keep teaching.
My D got her masters’ in special ed. My friend’s D did as well but then got a second masters in library science and is now a school librarian. You should consider getting your masters in something that will make you stand out - sped, ESL or TESOL, literacy, etc.
There are different types of programs. My D did a 5 year combined bachelors-masters program which was direct entry. Others get a 4 year degree in either education or a subject (math, history, a science or a FL) and then get a masters in education.
I do agree with choosing a program that gets you into classrooms asap. My D’s program did, but she still left teaching after one year. She taught in NYC and her first year salary (4 years ago) was $51K, with full medical, dental, vision and pension and retirement.
@Coloradomama - I am not certain what you mean about the sick days. I work in law, for an insurance company. Time off has evolved from sick and vacation days and having to account for each to time off for whatever you want. I still get the number of days but I can use them for whatever I want without having to specify. The only thing is if I am out for 3 days sick, unexpectedly, I have to bring in a medical note. Quite frankly, if I am sick enough to miss three days from work, I am going to the doctor so it’s not an issue. Schools discourage teachers from taking time off during the year for routine things. My D was told that she could schedule her yearly vacations and physicals, etc. for the summer.
My daughter did not get her degree in the state where she is teaching. It wasn’t that big of a deal. She had to take a couple of standardized tests and take a First Aid class. She was more annoyed that the time she had taken to complete and pass her EdTPA was sort of wasted since it isn’t required in her current state.