There are many different types of occupations in the STEM field. One broad job is becoming a STEM related teacher. Depending on your state or country, the degree you need to become a teacher can vary. For example, in California you must obtain a Bachelor’s degree in the subject you want to teach. Having a Bachelor’s degree is the main requirement of places. However, it is likely that those with a master’s degree will earn a higher salary than people with a Bachelor’s. In addition to this, you must get relevant certification and complete a teacher education program. Teacher education programs offer different things, some can be certificates only while others offer a master’s degree. If one is interested in joining a teacher program before graduation some schools accept undergraduate status members. To become a teacher it is student teaching experience is required, this can come in forms of internships or becoming a TA. After the program and experience is complete one must pass licensing tests. However, the majority of schools require teachers to partake in continuing education and renewal of their teaching license every five years.
Another crucial thing to consider before becoming a teacher is what subject you are hoping to teach. To assist in choosing what STEM class would be joining science, computer, or engineering summer camps or contests. You could also visit science fairs to find out what interests you. In addition, spending time volunteering with kids or teens where you teach them lessons provides important, and helpful hands-on experience. These activities can allow one to spark passion or better understanding on what it takes to become a teacher.
Continuous education (CE) for teachers can come in forms of workshops, development courses, and graduate credit. In addition, there are many different kinds of challenges that come with being a teacher depending on the age group one is teaching. Most four-year college professor’s require a professional doctorate in the subject one plans to teach, while some other colleges only require a bachelor’s degree. To gain a better understanding of what it takes to become and be a STEM teacher, read the interview below.
Interview
Q: What is your full name and how long have you been working as a STEM teacher.
A: My name is Beth Peterson and I have been teaching high school for 16 years. I teach Biology and AP Environmental Science.
Q: What were some challenges you went through when trying to become a teacher?
A: I think that the one thing that was difficult for me was I started teaching elementary school first and then had to move up to high school and I realized high school was different. The change in age groups took a while to adapt to, since there is a maturity level gap between those two groups. But when I got there I really enjoyed it, age group depends on you as a person and who you are most comfortable teaching with.
Q: How did you become a teacher?
A: So to become a teacher I did a lot of work prior to getting into education because I already knew I wanted to work with kids. So I had already done a lot of coaching and a lot of science camps, that's what I did in college that was my job. So, I did that first and then when I did my teaching credential I did all the coursework that needed to be taken and then eventually did my student teaching. But prior to that I was already working part time in an elementary classroom, which allowed me to have experience that I could apply to when teaching full time.
Q: What is the teaching work environment like?
A: The environment in the classroom is great, the job overall is really challenging in my opinion because there is a lot to it. There is a lot of grading and planning, and on top of that there is various kinds of support that I try to give my students who need it in addition to academics. While some kids definitely don’t need them because they are doing greatest on their own, there a number of kids who require that additional support. So, sometimes it is hard in that way because there is a lot of different aspects to it beyond what people think of. For example, sitting in the classroom and actually teaching versus all the things that happen outside of the regular hours. So it can be all-consuming at times where school is really all I do, even when I go home, I am still thinking about school. That’s definitely an aspect that is important to know I think.
Q: What are some challenges that science teachers have to face in comparison to other subjects?
A: Science is definitely its own kind of teaching, because I know that other teachers have a lot of grading and planning like we do. But especially for chemistry teachers, they are really setting up labs. Even with me in biology, in doing microscopes, it has a lot more materials. There are many physical actual things that have to be assembled and so I think that also logistically is hard and making sure that the kids are treating the materials well. For example, ninth graders are new to microscopes, so it is important to make sure they aren’t damaging them. In addition, in anatomy classes it is crucial that the scalpels and things like that should be taken care of.
Q: What is the most exciting thing about being a STEM teacher?
A: I just enjoy when people enjoy learning. I especially feel like I am lucky that in the Environmental Science class, a lot of kids tend to enjoy that class and the content that we cover. So, I feel fortunate that this is the subject matter I am teaching because I feel that science is very relevant. A lot of other classes I have taken in my past I feel like I didn’t necessarily ever need to apply them. I feel like the courses I teach are more applicable in the real world compared to other classes.
Q: What are some things you have learned throughout your career in teaching?
A: It was a lot more involved then I ever thought it would be, it is more time consuming. I love having my summers off but I do work a lot during the school year. I am thankful that my kids were students at the same school district as I was, so I always had time to be with my family. I have learned that even at the high school level I can really connect with students, which I wasn’t sure how involved I would be. Not that I am super involved, but I try to make those connections it is not just about conveying information. I would say that’s another thing, I would try to make sure you want to be here, if you hated coming to class it would affect learning and your ability to associate school with passion. That’s another important thing I have learned throughout my years of teaching.
Q: What made you decide you wanted to become a STEM teacher?
A: I have always loved working with kids, even when I was pretty much a kid. When I was in high school I used to coach and I participated in science summer camps, that is always what I have done is worked with students. I have always loved since I was a small child so there was never any doubt that once I got into teaching that I would teach science. The first four years I taught elementary science and then I moved to high school. So I have always taught science just at different age levels. So, there is not anything that happened, it was just a combination of my two loves, working with kids and teaching science.
Q: Do you have any advice to members of Girls Get STEM on how to become a STEM teacher?
A: I would say, just know what you're getting yourself into. I think I was lucky that I worked with kids a lot prior to going into STEM teaching, so I knew I liked the teaching aspect and I also had a degree in science. My degree is in Earth Science, so I knew really what I was getting myself into. In contrast, I know some other people who thought they wanted to get into teaching but they didn’t know what teaching is really like. I recommend trying to gain more hands-on experience to understand the work environment and difficulty of time management.
Add comment
Comments