Entry Level Job Profile — Teacher, K-12

Compensation — Varies widely from state to state depending upon demand, local funding, etc. Per the National Education Association (NEA) web site (www.nea.org/publiced/edstats/00rankings/c-11.html), average salaries for public school teachers in 1999-2000 ranged from a high of $52,174 in New Jersey to a low of $29,072 in South Dakota.

Education — A four-year college degree is required. Usually this degree should be in education with IT courses taken as electives. In addition to the degree, most states have a standard certification exam that must be passed. Different state exams have different requirements to qualify for sitting for the exam. Certifications may not have reciprocity in other states, even neighboring states. Therefore, check with your state department of education or the department of education at the college you will be attending for details.

Responsibilities — General tasks are as follows:

• Planning lessons, researching and developing educational materials for classroom instruction



• Live instruction in the classroom
  
  
• Assessment of student learning through questioning, testing, research papers and special projects



• Participation in curriculum development and the textbook selection process
  
  
• Organization and participation in student extracurricular activities such as sport, clubs and student government

Skills — What makes an effective K-12 teacher? Look for these traits:

• Genuine Fondness for Children — If you are going to be surrounded by children all day, you should enjoy working with them.
  
  
• Unbiased and Fair — You should not show hostility or favoritism towards specific individuals, racial and ethnic groups or particular types of behavior. Children are sensitive and can detect adults’ attitudes even when unspoken.^x
  
  
• Reflective Nature — Good teachers are constantly assessing their teaching skills and asking themselves:
  
  
1. Why are they doing certain activities?
   
   
2. How can they better meet the needs of their students
   
   
3. What other activities can they try to meet the goals and objectives of their course?
   
   
4. Was their last lesson effective? If not, how could it be improved?

• Empathy — Must be able to put yourself in the students’ shoes.
  
  
• Sense of Humor — Since teaching is a stressful situation, for both the teacher and students, being able to relieve the tension with appropriate humor is essential. When I receive bad evaluations on instructors, I often see "humorless" as a comment.
  
  
• Enthusiasm — Presenting material in an enthusiastic fashion is more likely to retain student attention and interest.
  
  
• Ability to Explain Concepts Clearly — This should be self evident, but I’ve worked with a number of instructors who did not possess this skill.

Experimenting With This Profession — Many schools today employ a variety of paid and unpaid employees to assist teachers in the classroom. Check with your local school district about the possibility of assisting and get some on the job training. Immersing yourself in a real classroom experience should give you the best indication of whether you would like to do this on a permanent basis.