A teacher’s influence on student achievement is “20 times greater than other variables.”1 Of all those teachers, perhaps none are more crucial to a student’s future than high school educators. They serve at that critical juncture between our childhood and adulthood, when most of us decide if we’re going to launch into a career or go off to college after graduation.
High school teachers bear enormous responsibility in helping build onto the educational foundation established through the first eight years of education. As an educator, you always strive to provide the best education for your students, and at the same time inspire them to become lifelong learners.
What Does a High School Teacher Do?
High school teachers have a long list of responsibilities and duties to keep them busy! A few of the most common include:
- Using curriculum to develop engaging lessons plans
- Ensuring a comfortable learning environment where students can thrive
- Designing collaborative activities for students to work together
- Monitoring student learning and behavior and offering support services
- Managing the classroom
- Checking that students are grasping the skills taught
- Offering guidance and academic support
- Reviewing and grading student assignments and assessments and offering constructive feedback
- Ensuring lessons meet essential standards
- Incorporating technology into the classroom
- Working with administrative staff, faculty, and school leadership
- Assisting with extracurricular activities
- Supervising students during off-campus trips or at other school events
- Engaging with parents to review progress or discuss concerns
- Assisting students with meeting college admissions requirements
- Helping to resolve conflicts
In some smaller public schools, teachers may be responsible for teaching more than one subject. They may also wear additional hats, serving as counselors to help guide students towards academic success both in high school and beyond.
High School Teacher Salary and Career Outlook
Many variables impact a high school teacher’s salary, such as geographic location, years of experience, educational qualifications, and whether the school is public or private. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual high school teacher’s salary is $62,870 (as of 2020) and can range from $41,330 to over $102,130.2
There are roughly 998,800 high school teachers currently employed in the United States. The profession’s job outlook is steady at 8% projected growth over the next decade, equaling about 1,077,000 positions by 2030. That growth percentage is about the same as the average for all other career field growth projections, though that is not a guarantee of future job openings.
Applicants must stay competitive to find good jobs, and BLS notes that those qualified to teach subjects in math, science, ESL, or special education could be in higher demand.
How to Know if You Would Enjoy a Job as a High School Teacher
Most education students become high school teachers because they’re passionate about the subject matter they teach, and they love to share their enthusiasm with young minds.
However, teaching also requires an incredible amount of patience, empathy, and resilience. When standing in front of a classroom, you’re under the spotlight. The pressure is on to be prepared and inspire students while staying flexible enough to adapt when things get off track.
If you don’t like speaking in public or are afraid to exert authority or get frustrated easily may not have what it takes to become a high school teacher!
Steps to Becoming a High School Teacher
So, how do you become a high school teacher? There are some basic preliminary steps, and they vary depending on the state you plan to teach in as well as your chosen specialty.
In general, high school teacher positions require a minimum amount of education with additional certification, internship experience, or licensure needed for some roles.
Here are the general requirements to become a high school teacher!
How Long Does it Take to Become a High School Teacher?
It takes four years of full-time college attendance to complete a necessary bachelor’s degree plus up to three months of preparation time for the Praxis exams. Students attending college part-time could take up to twice as long.
Meanwhile, some students take their Praxis tests before graduation to save time so they can get started teaching sooner! Of course, many students press on to get their master’s degree knocked out, which can add one or two years to the timeline.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a High School Teacher?
A major perk of being a teacher is the ability to positively impact the lives of so many young people. It’s a dynamic profession with plenty of opportunities to learn new things, such as incorporating technology into the classroom. Many high school teachers enjoy the downtime during summer vacation and other holiday breaks, and there is usually job stability and a good benefits package.
Wages are a common area of dissatisfaction; however, as a high school teacher, you may have the opportunity to increase your salary. High school teachers often get paid for added jobs such as overseeing student government, clubs and organizations, or subbing classes during their preparation period. Also, the pressure is always on when you’re a teacher as you must stand and present in front of students.
Best Degrees to Become a High School Teacher
Ideally, future high school teachers should earn a bachelor’s degree in the subject they want to teach or major in teaching and education with a focus on their intended teachable subject(s). Every college and university is different, but you’ll need to enroll in the school’s teacher preparation program regardless of the major you select.
Majoring in teaching and education will empower you with more knowledge and skills to be used in the classroom. The potential downside is that you’ll have less background in the subject you want to teach.
Majoring in the specific subject you intend to teach makes you a better subject matter expert. The tradeoff is that you’ll receive less comprehensive teacher preparation.
10 Best High School Teacher Colleges and Universities
Anyone looking to become a high school teacher understands the importance of a quality education. Based on our methodology, these are the best schools that offer secondary education (high school) degrees.
- Texas Christian University
- Boston College
- Towson University
- Saint Joseph’s University
- University of Maryland – College Park
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
- New York University
- Salisbury University
- Florida State University
If you’re looking for other schools that offer Education programs, check out the Find Your Perfect “U” tool. You can search over 6,000 colleges and universities with 11 different filters to find the perfect school for you!
Where Can I Learn More About Becoming a High School Teacher?
- American Federation of Teachers – Founded in Chicago in 1916, the AFT is the country’s second-biggest labor union for educators, with almost 2 million members.
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation – CAEP’s stated mission is to “advance equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.”
- ETS – Educational Testing Service is a nonprofit designed to create educational assessment exams, such as the Praxis series.
- National Education Association – The premier American labor union, NEA has been around since 1857 and currently has ~2.3 million members.
- TEACH.org – Featuring free resources for educators, Teach.org is on a mission to “assist anyone who is considering becoming a teacher.”
FAQ
Get all the Universities.com's college news, advice, updates, financial aid, and more straight to your inbox.
Sources:
- http://stand.org/national/blog/2015/04/10/6-incredible-facts-about-great-teachers
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-5
- https://www.americanboard.org/blog/all-about-alternative-teacher-certification/
- https://www.ets.org/praxis/states
- https://www.ets.org/praxis/about/
- https://datacheckinc.com/blog/included-background-checks-teachers/#:~:text=School%20districts%20usually%20conduct%20a,about%20convictions%20in%20other%20states.
- https://news.stanford.edu/2019/12/03/trustees-set-2020-21-tuition-expand-financial-aid-middle-income-families/#:~:text=Currently%20at%20Stanford%2C%20parents%20with,to%20%24150%2C000%20in%202020%2D21.
- https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/public-ivy
- https://www.washington.edu/news/2018/12/07/uw-is-top-u-s-public-institution-for-federal-research-expenditures/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Higher%20Education,increase%20from%20the%20prior%20year