I guess this isn’t actually high school life but I’m a high schooler who is, if I recall correctly, living a life.
I did try to do my own research but I got sort of overwhelmed and confused with different names and programs and criteria and I was hoping somebody who’s more familiar could clarify things for me and simplify it.
I think I might want to be a high school math teacher, and I was confused about what one has to do to accomplish this. Could I potentially get a math-related degree and concurrently complete teacher certification training so I could graduate able to go to get a job with the math-related degree or work as a teacher?
Mainly, I’m confused about what type of education is required. Education major? Minor? Separate course? Through a college, or not necessarily? Ideally (and hypothetically), I’d like to have the option to work as a teacher but still be qualified for other jobs if I can’t find a teaching job.
In what state do you want to teach? I live in Ohio, and I’ve sometimes thought about becoming a math teacher. As a math major, my options seem to include the following:
Take a look at schools that offer Math Education. Each may phrase the degree slightly differently. (I have an AS in math, and a BA in Secondary Math Education, followed by a MS in Secondary Math Education… I have no idea why the degree changes from “arts” to “sciences” from Bachelors to Masters in the same university.)
Some things you’ll want to look for:
If you’re going to eventually teach in CA, try to find a school there. Certification is a bit easier in state.
You want LOTS of field experience, and you want it early. Look at the typical courseload at the schools you're considering, and see how early and how often, they have you doing observations.
Check the CA State Board of Education website to see how your certification will read. Mine in Math 7-12, so I could teach middle school if I chose.
Many states (including NY, not sure of CA) require that you eventually get your Master's degree. My strong advice is NOT to get it until you've begun to teach... none of those 5 year programs. Teachers get paid on a scale, with pay increases for experience and/or grad credits in increments of 10 or 15. But you and I both know that the real measure of how good a teacher is is how well they teach. The only thing that can verify that is experience. So some districts are hesitant to pay for a more expensive rookie with no real classroom experience.
As far as certification goes: @halcyonheather was correct that in some (many?? all??) states, private school teachers aren't required to have certification. But the reality is that right now there are lots and lots and lots of teachers looking for jobs. Most are certified. So it would probably be fairly unusual to hire an uncertified teacher when there are teachers with certification applying for the same job. Translation: get the certification. But the good news is that, in most places, the best job market for teachers is for Chem, Physics, and secondary math. So the odds are fairly good that you'll be able to find a job.
A fairly misconception is that you'll enter the workforce and decide what grade you want to teach. But the reality is that when a teacher leaves a school, it opens up a particular slot. So, for example, in my school the American History Honors teacher just retired. Whoever they hired will either teach those classes, or the classes of whoever requested those classes. You get hired to teach a particular slate of classes.
Agree to start with schools in state where you might teach. At our state U my D was math major. Listed as a possible track in math department is math education. Then you minor in education and that gives you secondary certification in 4 years. There is also 5th year masters which is common here but that seems to vary from state to state as to whether that’s advised.
Thank you so much for all the information! I really appreciate it.
I do have a few more questions, though:
Is the masters degree necessarily in education or could it also be in the field one wants to teach?
College majors. I used the SuperMatch college search with two criteria: a bachelor's degree in Mathematics Teacher Education and located in California. This gave me 17 results, which I pinned and then added "no religious affiliation" because that's fairly important to me, and that left only 7 results. One of those is a really expensive private school and another I've toured because it's nearby and I don't think I could tolerate the campus. Which leaves only five.
So, I was wondering how these alternatives compare:
-Major in Secondary Teacher Education instead (as opposed to Mathematics Teacher Education)
-Minor in secondary and/or math teacher education
I'm really afraid of not being able to get/keep a job, so would a double major possibly offer more security? So I'm not boxed into one career and unable to find a job in it.
This information is really helpful, I’ll check out the things you suggested, @bjkmom . Thank you!
They’re probably all interchangeable. There should be far, far more than 17 schools in all of CA-- I could probably list that number within an hour’s drive of my Long Island home.
Honestly, there’s no reason to think you wouldn’t be able to keep a job. (But if you did somehow lose it, there ARE jobs in math education.) As a PS, though, I’ve done LOTS of tutoring–in fact, I’m tutoring later this afternoon. And I’ve done LOTS of freelance math/education writing-- for textbook companies, for websites, for magazines.
And it probably doesn’t matter what the Master’s is in, though you may want to check the CA website to be sure.
Yeah, the number seemed very oddly low to me, maybe it’s just the wording of the search criteria. I’ll mess with it and see what else I can find.
Thanks, that’s very reassuring to hear.
I’ve tutored a bit and I like it, I’m hoping to tutor again next year and find some sort of program to go through. Last year my math teacher recommended me for tutoring and I ended up tutoring somebody and, later, their sibling, which was a good experience for me and I think they were happy with my tutoring (as far as I know, anyway). I didn’t think about the freelance writing, I’ll have to keep that in mind. And I would guess that summer math programs are another potential way of earning income when school’s out, right? Instructing summer math classes/camps?
Sure. I teach an SAT prep class most summers though I’ve taken this summer off.
And keep in mind: in some/many schools, your salary is paid all year. You sign a contract for a yearly salary, but it’s broken into either 24 or 26 paychecks.
My husband and I both get paid all summer for the classes we taught last year.
Yeah, I remember a family friend who’s an elementary school teacher mentioning that she had the option to have her salary split into paychecks based on the school year or a full 12-month year.
I’m looking at credential requirements and this is what I’ve found:
“Secondary (Single Subject) Teaching Credentials authorize the holder to teach the specific subject(s) named on the credential in departmentalized classes such as those in most middle schools and high schools. However, a teacher authorized for single subject instruction may also be assigned to teach any subject in his or her authorized field at any grade level-- preschool, grades K-12, or in classes organized primarily for adults.” So, if I’m interpreting this correctly, this allows one to teach their field to anybody, but it’s aimed at the middle/high school level.
I’m reading through a document on credential requirements right now but it might take awhile to digest since I need to keep looking up the various programs that are being mentioned.
Right. So even though I’m certified in math 7-12, I could teach 6th grade, or 4th.
I did some freelance work on a 4th grade math text book one year.
Here’s what I suggest: find some schools that offer Secondary Math education, or something similar. Visit them-- ask about the field work, ask about the placement office. Oh, and ask about prep for the certification exam(s); http://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/
They should all offer variations on the same thing.
The state education department in the state where you might teach is your friend. Especially since you have to satisfy their requirements to teach no matter where you go to school. Now if you attend a school in that state, the education department/college at the school you attend should guide you through all this. Look at this link for California dept of education:
Click on link for approved programs to see all the schools that offer subject area degrees and see if that helps. Most state schools offer education certification. Go visit the nearest college with education department/college (even if not where you want to go) and discuss options for teaching math. Chances are a lot of what you hear will apply to most state supported schools in your state.
Thanks, I actually have a college tour (just sort of a preliminary tour, my parents wanted me to go and it’s local) coming up and that school does have a secondary math teacher program. I just need to bring the subject up with my parents now, I haven’t mentioned it to them yet…
I have a basic list of seven colleges that offer secondary math teacher credential programs and meet all my most important (quantifiable/objective) criteria.
I’m particularly interested in this one UCI program: “The following academic units offer undergraduates an option to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics or a science discipline while concurrently satisfying requirements for a Single Subject Teaching Credential: Departments of Chemistry, Earth System Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, and the Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences. […] With careful, early planning, it is possible for students to complete their bachelor’s degree and teacher certification in four years.”
A few schools on my list are surprisingly close to me, which makes visits/getting info easier. Maybe even too close, haha.
What my daughter did was major in Mathematics. That way she has many options if she finds teaching is not for her.
she will then have options. Then she got a Masters in Secondary Math Education in the state where she wants to teavh.
Thanks, @bopper, I’m not really sure I want to have to wait until getting a Masters, though.
I was looking at the major “Mathematics-Secondary Education” for UCSD, which I just toured, but I didn’t get a chance to ask about it at the tour. I’ll double check to confirm before ruling it out or anything, but it seems like their program is designed to feed into a Masters that leads to certification and doesn’t set you up to get a credential after four years.
I only see two classes relating to teaching, one of which is not mandatory. I’m going to see if they have a program like the one I want elsewhere, though, maybe in the education section. I loved the campus. Hopefully they do have a program I want (or, I should say, a program I want when I’m choosing colleges).
Update: I now see that it’s not only one course, it’s a course sequence containing three courses. I’m still not sure when you can get a preliminary credential through their program, though