any high school teachers on the forum?

[Matthew]

I'm wondering what it takes to become a high school teacher. Do you need a degree in the class you'll be teaching? Is a masters deg. required or is that just for postsecondary schools?

Including teachers college, how many years of schooling should you have under your belt?


I'm still trying to figure out what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life. One option I'm looking at is to teach high school psychology. I've always liked to read psych books, I find the material really interesting. I thought I could teach that, and work with the sports teams when I'm not in class.
And if I compete in PL/SM, I'll be a triple threat.

Anyway, I'd love to have anyone's thoughts on the subject. Thanks.

[FishrCutB8]

Not sure how it works in Canada. In Pennsylvania, USA you needed a teaching degree specific to the discipline you were teaching. I went to school for a year and a half, after getting by BA in psych to get a special education teaching degree, but you can go to a 4-year college and knock it all out at once.

[canuckguy]

Matthew:

I live about 1.5 hrs north of you, on Southern Georgian Bay. I'm not a teacher, but my wife teaches high-school math. She took the B. Math co-op program at the University of Waterloo plus one year of teacher's college (way back in the mid-70's - before you were born :p ).

You don't need a masters degree, just a bachelor's, plus teachers college. Count on 5 years beginning to end.

I believe that in Ontario you have to have a second "teachable" subject other than your major to teach high school. That means a certain number of university credits in that subject area.

Look into both co-op and concurrent ed programs. The concurrent ed integrates a lot of the teachers college component into the primary curriculum, so that you get it all at once. But it is a five year program. A couple of my son's friends went that route this year.

The alternative is trying to get into teacher's college after you've finished your undergrad degree. I know a lot of people who have had to go to Buffalo to get their teachers cert. because they couldn't get into teacher's college in Ontario.

You're closer to high school than I am, and probably in a bigger school too. I'm not aware of any schools in this area that offer psych at the high school level - still suffering from Harris's cutbacks . It's pretty much a core curriculum up here - languages, sciences, math, history, geography, technical trades, limited music and art. Even the list of teaching subjects at the Ontario College of Teachers website
http://www.oct.ca/become_a_teacher/t...spx?lang=en-CA
doesn't have psychology. However, there are "Individual and Society", and "Religious Studies".

If you're still attending high school, make an appointment iwth your guidance counsellor. If you've already graduated, see if you can get back in to see him/her anyhow.

If you have any other questions, I'll try to answer them, or get my wife's input on them.

Here's a link to the Ontario College of Teachers - not a Teacher's College, but their Professional Association:

http://www.oct.ca/home.aspx?lang=en-CA

Here's what they have to say about the requirements to become a teacher:

Become a Teacher

To teach in Ontario's publicly funded schools, a teacher must be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers. Certified teachers are members of the College and pay an annual membership fee to maintain their membership and certification.

For certification teachers must:

• have completed a minimum three-year postsecondary degree from an acceptable postsecondary institution
• have successfully completed a one-year acceptable teacher education program
• apply to the College for certification and pay the annual membership and registration fees. Application process includes providing proof of identity and a Canadian Criminal Record Check Report.

Teachers of Technological Studies do not require a postsecondary degree for certification. They must, however, provide the following in addition to the rest of the items listed above:

• a secondary school diploma
• evidence of five years of wage-earning experience
• proof of competence in their field of specialization (for example, a trade certificate).

And here is their brochure "Think About Becoming A Teacher"

http://www.oct.ca/publications/pdf/becoming_e.pdf

Good luck with your future.

[Matthew]

Fish, you have a psych degree? You shouldn't have told me that. Prepare for a barrage of questions.

How did you like the program? What classes did you enjoy/dislike? Why? Do you do any kind of continuing education for this, or are you pretty much satisfied with what you learned in uni? If you do cont. ed., how do you go about it? What was your focus in uni?
I thought you were in advertising?


canuckguy, I'm going to take a look through those links you posted and I'll get back to you a little later. Thanks for taking the time to go through that with me, you're a big help. Thank you.

[Alcoholiday]

you can substitute teach here with only a few years of college

[Chiron]

Here you need a Bachelor's Degree and a Multi-Subject teaching credential (K-6th grade) or a Single Subject teaching credential (7-12th grade). To be credentialed to teach a subject you must have a degree in that subject, "I think" 30 units in the subject, or pass a test in the subject (which is really hard to do unless you have somehow accumulated the knowledge that would come with those 30+ units). You can get all of this done in 5 years (4 bachelor/1 credential) but it usually takes about 6 years.

[diamondpete]

I think that canuckguy has pretty much covered it. Unless it has changed recently, a masters degree is acceptable in lieu of teachers college in your primary teaching area.

There may be some limitations on that. But ask any high school teacher and check out canuck's guys links and you will have all the info yo need.

[Phaedrus49er]

Man, I should go teach in Canada then. Master's degree can stand in for a teaching license? Where do I sign?







Just kidding, I like having riding weather year-round

[canuckguy]

I don't think a masters will stand in for a teaching certificate in Ontario. The College of Teachers, as quoted above, says that you must:

"have successfully completed a one-year acceptable teacher education program"

And I wish I had riding weather year round. Although it I just got back to the office after a mid-afternoon ride. A balmy 30C / 86F out there today.

[Frank.S]

One thing I will add,

Go into teaching only if it what you love to do. The money stinks and parts of it can be very hard on you (dealing with students). I come from a family of mostly teachers and 2 of them have been in institutions and forced into retirement.. It can be very stressful and people dont realize this. That being said, some people are made to be teachers and love it.

I know I dont work as hard as most teachers, and right now I get paid pretty similar.. I dont even have a degree (yet). If you love it, its a great choice, but for many I just have to question it.

[JoshDunn]

Over here its a four year undergrad degree to study education or once you have an undergrad degree in something then you can tack on a one year diploma of education and teach what your undergrad degree is in.

However, once you actually get a job you pretty much can ask to teach anything and if you can show you have some competitence in that subject then you can teach it.

Most of the high school teachers I know are primary school trained.

Thats just how we roll.

[gosfgiants]

You should be more worried about how you will like being a teacher. The education is a breeze unless you want to be a math or science teacher.

[kingkop182]

I've also been thinking about teaching recently, just need to do a one year course to top up the masters I hold, others do a 4 year teaching degree. Over here they prefer you to be able to teach your major area (business for me) and a secondary one (maybe geography). I've been told that if I get into it, after about 5 years there would be potential to teach 1st year undergrad classes which pays significantly more and allows you to continue your study/research also.

[RobLL]

Originally Posted by kingkop182

I've also been thinking about teaching recently, just need to do a one year course to top up the masters I hold, others do a 4 year teaching degree. Over here they prefer you to be able to teach your major area (business for me) and a secondary one (maybe geography). I've been told that if I get into it, after about 5 years there would be potential to teach 1st year undergrad classes which pays significantly more and allows you to continue your study/research also.

And there is nothing wrong about teaching, and discovering that its not your thing. And you have the summer to look for something better Wife just retired after 25 years of teaching (she kept stopping to join me in the Navy and/or to have kids). All in all it was a deeply satisfying career. There were a few bad years, but lots of great ones. Me? At the Middle or Highschool lever I'd probably walk out after classes one day about the second month and never come back.

[kingkop182]

Originally Posted by RobLL

All in all it was a deeply satisfying career. There were a few bad years, but lots of great ones.

Indeed.

I think I relish the opportunity to mold and shape my students, encourage and hopefully inspire them. There will always be the kids who will never want to learn but for the most part I think i could find ways to get 99% of the kids 'onside'.

I've heard the first few years are gruelling, in terms of developing class plans etc, but after that it's a very rewarding career

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by kingkop182

I've heard the first few years are gruelling, in terms of developing class plans etc, but after that it's a very rewarding career

True, though a lot depends on your support network. Your fellow teachers should be ready with syllabi in-hand, giving you more than you know what to do with. Your administrators should be guiding lights and accepting of a few rookie mistakes, meaning they're either not far removed from teaching themselves or they make a point to be a presence in the classrooms rather than staying in the office on their thrones.

I had the fortune of having the former, the misfortune of lacking the latter. Regardless, I love(d) all my students, even the gang members and wannabes and what not, and I still keep in touch with a few of them despite having taught only one year. Love the work, know it's going to be rough the first year or three, love the work, make sure your discipline plan is simple and straightforward before all else, love the work, don't teach any meaningful content for at least the first week until you've drilled procedures and expectations and backed up your discipline plan with action, and above all, love the work.