Preparing to Become a Teacher

I have been an English teacher for four years, and I really enjoyed the last two years. Mainly because I had developed the confidence necessary to be a competent teacher and I learned how to manage a classroom, which is very important to success as a teacher. I kind of stumbled into teaching, because I didn't exactly plan on becoming one while I was in college. I took the necessary tests after college and passed, and thus began my journey into teaching. Here are some tips for those who are interested in a teaching career.

Get as much education as you can

I majored in English in college, but I wish that I had completed a program where I would have graduated in five years with a B.A. in English, and an M.A. in English Education. But, I didn't know I would seriously enter the teaching profession, so I didn't go that route. If I had, I would have earned more money, because I had a master's degree, plus a better understanding of my profession.

Education does not just have to be on a college campus. Some of the most valuable experiences were sitting in on the classes of experienced teachers who I admired. I learned from watching them, and picked their brains about how they conducted their classes, their classroom management techniques, and so forth. A first year teacher that I knew was an excellent teacher who seemed like she had been in the classroom for years. She said that she always knew she would be a teacher, and since high school, she had worked in various classrooms as a teacher's aide and assistant, learning as much as she could about what made a successful teacher.

I also recommend the book, The First Days of School by Harry Wong. This is an excellent book for new teachers, because it outlines how to efficiently run a successful classroom. I learned so much from this book, and implemented numerous ideas from his book in my classroom, and was met with great success.

Teach or tutor students

While in college I tutored elementary students in reading for an hour three times a week, all throughout college. I loved my job, and I received great experience in helping students learn by trying out various ways to reach struggling readers. I also volunteered with a teen mentoring program at a local high school. There, I worked with high school students teaching life skills, like how to say no to drugs and premarital sex, preparing for college, developing good study habits, learning to resolve conflict positively, dealing with peer pressure, and so forth. I loved volunteering with this program, and my experience with it really made me consider giving teaching a try after college. Both experiences helped me to understand the youth and how to relate to them and teach them.

Becoming a teacher is a very worthy and fulfilling career. I would encourage anyone who has a love for the youth, and enjoys teaching to give it a try. It can be quite frustrating, but once you gain confidence in yourself as an educator and begin to see results from your efforts, you will realize a sense of purpose that makes going to work every day enjoyable.