There’s a LOT of pathways toward becoming a teacher. Honestly, I found most resources online to be pretty useless. I quickly learned there were dozens of acronyms I wasn’t familiar with, and everyone else seemed to understand what all of these phrases like LEA, DPI, and EPP meant. I’m creating a series of blog posts aimed at helping others figure out how to become a teacher. This is step one, figuring out which subject (or grade level!) you want to teach.
Consider Substitute Teaching
You know how we have a nationwide teacher shortage? We also have a nationwide substitute teacher shortage! Awesome, right? When I first got back to the US, I was pretty sure I wanted to go into teaching, but I still wasn’t quite sure which subject or grade level I wanted to teach. I was pretty sure as a mom of 2 elementary-aged kids that I did NOT want to teach elementary school, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to teach middle school or high school. The solution? Try both!
I contacted my local school district and quickly found information on becoming a substitute through their website. I applied, completed the required training, and before I knew it, I was able to teach my first class. Just a note, many school districts are increasingly outsourcing their substitute teacher hiring. My district now uses ESS to hire its substitutes. You can check your zip code on their websites to see if any school districts near you use them as well.
Think About What Matters to You
Like a lot of would-be teachers, one of the practical reasons I liked the job was the work-life balance. I knew I’d prefer to work in the same district my kids were going to, as that would mean I could live close to family, have a short commute, and my kids would have the same schedule as me. This of course meant I was a bit limited on which schools I could apply to, but I still made sure to teach at a few before I realized middle school was my ‘calling’.
I knew that I wanted to feel like I was making a difference, and I loved the energy that middle schoolers bring, they are absolutely insane in some ways. At the same time however, you can see how those kids crave some positive reinforcement and attention. It’s just a weird age with a unique set of challenges and rewards. I knew this is what I wanted after trying out a few middle schools and high schools within about an hour of my house.
What You Love vs. What You Have Credits In
When I was figuring out how to become a teacher, I wanted nothing more than to become a history teacher. Then I learned it’s actually social studies in middle school. Then I learned that’s not a tested subject and usually it’s not considered high-needs when you can barely hold on to your licensed staff as is. While I love history and still hope to teach it at some point, I quickly realized I’d double my options if I looked at other subjects as well.
So I took the Praxis for ELA Middle School and was hired as an English teacher quite literally the day after I got my passing scores. I had just enough credits, plus with the test as proof, they knew I could handle the subject material. While English might not be my first love, I do enjoy writing and I’ve had a blast trying to get my 6th graders up to a 4th grade reading level at least over the school year. Plus, I get to have a huge classroom library and share all kinds of books with the kids. Some of them still like reading, I swear!
Think About Non-Negotiables
Once you’ve narrowed down your subjects and grade levels, think about any non-negotiables you have in teaching. One of the few things I refuse to do is get my bus license. This is honestly for everyone’s safety, I can’t imagine I’d be a good driver with a bunch of teenagers throwing things or causing a scene. So every year, they ask me if I’ll get my bus license, and every year I nicely say I’ll think about it, and promptly forget about it.
I do plenty for my school. I help out on multiple teams, contribute to PLCs, and coach, but they don’t need me crashing a bus into the Chick-Fil-A. They JUST got that place rebuilt.
What to Do Once You’ve Decided What to Teach
After you’ve figured out what age range and subject it is you want to teach, now it’s time to get serious about applying for jobs. Depending on your background, this might mean taking a Praxis test or two, or freshening up your resume. Don’t forget, you’ll probably switch grades, subjects, and schools several times over your career, so it’s not like you’re stuck teaching Spanish forever if you don’t like it!