A Career in Education
By Jessica Garcia
11-14-16
Description of the Career I Chose
“To teach is to touch a life forever.” This anonymous quote describes my career choice. A career in early childhood education means being a teacher in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade. On a daily basis educators are responsible for creating engaging lesson plans, teaching students in various subjects like Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies based on what the state curriculum requires them to teach. Teachers must differentiate their instruction based on student needs and provide the tools they need to be successful. Sometimes this includes behavior and not just academics. Teachers must also continuously attend professional development sessions and do research to ensure they stay current with “Best Practices” or proven ways to help their students. They may also have other duties and responsibilities like ensuring safety on the playground, during arrival, and during dismissal. They must also communicate with families to let them know their child’s strengths, weaknesses, and goals.
Education & Skills Required
In order to become an elementary school teacher you must attend college for at least four years and earn a degree in Early Childhood Education. A four-year degree in Early Childhood Education is usually around 135 course work hours according to Georgia Southern University (2015). You can also attend school another two to three years to earn a Master’s degree and another three to six years to earn a specialist and doctorate, which could be an Ed.D. or Ph.D. The skills you must possess are the ability to communicate effectively, knowledge to teach the content materials, organized to manage multiple tasks each day, creativity to plan interesting lessons, patience for students who may have more difficulty than others, a caring and empathetic heart, and endurance to keep pushing students to be their very best and not give up on them. It may also help to be able to demonstrate “tough love” to effectively manage and discipline students while still letting them know it is okay to make mistakes and that they are still cared for. Writing, reading, and mathematics skills are also needed to be able to model this to students.
Salary & Location
Most teachers earn around $25,000 - $28,000 in their first few years of teaching according to Career Overview (2015). According to the Georgia Department of Education (2015), there is a shortage of teachers in rural impoverished areas in the South currently. In fact, there are alternative certification programs made to recruit adults who have had careers in other areas or who have been in the military who are wanting to switch over to teaching such as the TAPP program (U.S News & World Reports, 2009). This means they are trained after they earned a college degree in another area and had work experiences outside of teaching. Depending on advanced degrees and multiple years of teaching, educators can earn up to $65,000 each year and from $70,000 - $100,000 as principals or assistant principals depending on what county and state they teach in.
Mentors or Role Models in the Career
My first mentors in teaching were the teachers I had who inspired me as a student. I wanted to be like them and help children. There are also famous teachers who have made a difference like Aristotle, Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, and Maria Montessori. I also have several family members who are teachers. I enjoyed hearing about their careers when we had family gatherings.
Reasons I Want To Have This Career
I would like to be a teacher because I care about helping children and making learning fun for them. I have a passion for learning new things and seeing others get excited when they learn new things, too! I also like being able to be creative and show students who they can be empowered and take control of their own success in life. For me, teaching is not just a job, it is a passion and a career choice. I also like the fact that my hours are reasonable and I can still have time for family and friends in the evenings and weekends, as well as holidays. If I were a neuro-surgeon on-call, for example, I may have to make sacrifices and I may be more stressed out being responsible for lives. Lastly, a career in education has other options outside of the classroom. If I ever wanted to switch over to helping other teachers, for example, I could become an Educational Consultant or Coach. I could also continue teaching college students on the side who are trying to become teachers. So, there are several career opportunities in the field of Education that I can choose from.
Bibliography / Sources
- Career Overview Web Site. October 2015. Available:
- Georgia Department of Education. October 2015. Available:
- Georgia Southern University. October 2015. Available:
- Salary.Com. October 2015. Available:
- U.S. News & World Report. “A New Path to a Career in Education.” August 21, 2009. Available:
- Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC). October 2015. Available: