Mummy From The Heart: So, Your Child Wants To Be A High School Teacher?

Monday 20 August 2018

So, Your Child Wants To Be A High School Teacher?

Teacher Image by Syda Productions, from Shutterstock

One of the biggest decisions your child will have to make in their life is what they are going to do in terms of a career. This can seem like such a huge decision for any child, but you can help to make it easier. One of the ways you can do this is by helping them to truly understand the job role that they are considering, as well as what is going to be needed in order to go down that career path. With that being said, if your child has decided that he or she wants to be a high school teacher, read on to discover how you can help them truly decide if this is the right option for them.

Start by helping your child understand what is going to be expected of them as a teacher

There is only one place to begin, and this is by discussing the day-to-day responsibilities your child will have as a secondary school teacher. A lot of children do not fully understand what they are going to be doing aside from the lessons themselves. However, teaching involves so much more than just running lessons. It includes all the following too:

Participating in and organising extracurricular activities, for example, sporting events, social activities, and outings.
Supporting and supervising the work of teaching assistants, as well as teachers that have only just become qualified.
Liaising with other professionals, from educational psychologists to career’s advisers.
Communicating with carers and parents regarding the progress of the pupils.
Undertaking pastoral duties, for example, supporting pupils through any difficulties and taking on the role of form tutor.
Managing classroom behaviour.
Preparing pupils for their exams.
Using a broad variety of learning equipment and resources, including interactive whiteboards and podcasts.
Researching different subject topics.
Marking assignments and giving feedback.
Prepare and deliver lessons to pupils of a variety of abilities and ages.

Qualifications in order to be a secondary school teacher

Now you have helped your child to understand the different tasks they are going to be carrying out as a secondary school teacher, you both need to plot their path to success. What qualifications are they going to need in order to become a successful teacher?

Your child will need to achieve good grades in both Maths and English as a minimum. Of course, if they then want to go on to teach a specific subject, they will also need to have good grades in the subject of question. A lot of people take a Bachelor’s Degree in the subject they want to teach, and then they do a Master of Education online course so they get the teaching qualifications they need to go with the subject qualifications.

Hopefully, you now feel like you are armed with all of the information that is required to help your child determine whether a career as a secondary teacher is right for them or not. It is important that your child understands what is required of them on a day-to-day basis, as well as the qualifications that are needed to get to this stage.

Deciding which career is best for your child is an important decision, and one I'm sure you'll enjoy being able to discuss and guide them on.