Secondary Education

Dive In
Being a secondary education teacher is the perfect way to delve deeper into an area of academic interest and expertise. Within secondary education, you can specialize in specific subjects such as English, biology, Spanish, or calculus, to name just a few. You can also teach career-oriented subjects such as health care, business, auto repair, communications, or technology.

The relationships forged with students exist outside the classroom as well. As a secondary education teacher, you may be called upon to provide assistance in choosing courses, colleges, and careers. Some of these mentoring relationships may even continue past graduation day.

Learn to Ride the Waves
Aspiring secondary education teachers typically major in the subject they plan to teach, while following a secondary education degree program in teacher preparation.

If you don't have a secondary education degree, you may still qualify to be a secondary education teacher. Many states offer alternative licensure programs for teachers who have a bachelor's degree in the subject they plan to teach, but who lack the secondary education degree required for a regular license. If your degree is in math, science, or a foreign language such as Spanish or French, secondary education surely has a place for you. Demand for these specialized teachers, as well as for teachers willing to work in urban or rural settings, is high.

The Water's Fine!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, secondary school teachers held 1.1 million jobs in 2004. Median annual earnings in secondary education ranged from $41,400 to $45,920 that same year, with the top 10 percent of secondary education teachers $66,240 to $71,370.

And, according to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree in secondary education earned an average of $31,704 in the 2003-2004 school year. The estimated average salary of all public secondary school teachers in the 2003-2004 school year was $46,597.

If you'd like to boost your secondary education salary, consider coaching a sports team or supervising other extracurricular activities. Earning a master's-level secondary education degree or national certification is another way to qualify for a raise. And if you're willing to give up part of your free summers, you can always extra income from summer school.

Go deeper, and pursue a career in secondary education today.

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