Ged Training

Q. I'm thinking about doing some substitute teaching. I'm thinking at maybe middle or school levels. I'm a recently graduated history major, taking a year off before graduate school. How much does a sub usually make? Is it enough to live on? ( and by that I mean an unluxurious college-student standard of living- cheap apt., rickety old car, etc.). I have a history degree with a 3.9 GPA, but no teaching experience or coursework. I know that a BA plus a license seems to be the usual minimum req- how adequate is it in practice? (Also, I speak pretty decent Spanish, which I suppose would help in some areas with lots of Hispanic immigrants) Where are good places in the country to sub, in terms of pay, demand for subs, etc? I have some interest in the west coast, but no specific ideas (aside from pleasant place to live, nice scenery, nicer weather than Minnesota, etc.). Also, what's it like? Grueling? Not bad? My guess would be that maintaining class discipline would be the most difficult aspect of it...

A. I am also a new graduate, (technically I graduate in three weeks), and I am also considering doing some substitute teaching next year if I am unable to find a full-time position. I have to say that I am very surprised to hear (perhaps Bill is mistaken?) that you do not need an actual education degree to teach in the States. Is that true of all teachers, or just for substitutes? I don't doubt that some people do not need all of the education classes in order to be efficient, or in some cases even excellent teachers. On the other hand there are teachers who have completed a four year Bachelor of Education degree and should perhaps find another vocation. As a mother (my son is 10 and in grade 5), I am glad that his teachers have a certain level of education as then I am more confident in their abilities to know not only the subject matter, but also to have an understanding of child development. That said, my child, as most people, has had some wonderful and some less than wonderful teachers. The idea that a teacher does not need to have any educational training to teach is a bit unerving. I am interested in hearing from beginning, pre-service, and veteran teachers about your views on the education system in the United States. Depends on which state you're talking about - each state has it's own set of standards and requirements for teachers. Teaching isn't for everybody - having a degree in education isn't going to guarantee that you are going to be able to do this, or that you are going to like to do this. Every teacher goes through a 'unique' process of becoming a teacher, compared to many of the other teachers on a given campus. Teachers are like students in that there are usually no two the same. Teaching is very much a vocation in that it's a job that you continually learn to do as you do it - and every teacher learns and develops that their own pace. On top of that, every individual class is unique - some classes are great (from either the teacher's or the student's point-of-view) and some are not and there is everything in-between. It's pretty much a given that as a teacher you are going to have some experience with having a problem class(es) - learning to deal with the problems in a successful way can make you a better teacher (IMO). But, usually you can't do that on your own - it takes having a really decent support system in place, either in the form of a mentor teacher or an experienced administrator, or even just some one else in your department / hall to talk to and who has survived a few years themselves. I've seen a number of teachers who had horrible first year who quit because they either didn't have this support or didn't make use of it. Any training? - you're probably right. Specifically a four year degree in education? I disagree. I'm a vocational teacher - I have been teaching now for 10 years. I came into teaching after many years working at an industry job and I don't have a degree in education. I did however have to go back to college and spend three summers taking certification classes and worked under the supervision of a mentor teacher for two years before I was issued a teaching certificate. The state of Texas feels that I'm qualified to be in the classroom teaching the classes that I do - however, there are some states where this wouldn't be the case. In general day to day subs receive NO health insurance or other benefits and the pay is quite low. As to making $100 a day, not in Florida... Here's one district in Texas that has a whole webpage on being a sub: San Antonio, Texas http://www.nisd.net/hr/substitutes/ QUALIFICATIONS Possess a valid Teacher’s Certificate or have completed at least 60 semester hours of academic studies from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Ability to speak, read and write English well enough to carry out duties of the job. SALARY Certified Teachers $85.00 per day/$57.00 per half day 90+ Semester Hours $70.00 per day/ $47.00 per half day 60-89 Semester Hours $65.00 per day/ $43.00 per half day Paraprofessional Subs High School Diploma or GED Ability to speak, read and write English well enough to carry out duties of the job. SALARY $55.00 per day / $35.00 per half day

Submit a Learning Question

Submit an Question

Learning FAQ Subjects

Other Learning Sites

Site Information

About Us
Contact Me
Privacy Policy

Sitemap

Ged Training

Oregon Ged

Get Your Ged

Free Ged Programs

Nursing Continuing Education Seminar

Free Ged Testing

Submit a Learning Question

Learning FAQ Subjects

Other Learning Sites

Site Information