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⑧ What are the negative aspects of this job?

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⑧ What are the negative aspects of this job?

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A negative aspect is you get a lack of administration.

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⑦ What are the positive aspects of this job?

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⑦ What are the positive aspects of this job?

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A positive aspect is the teachers get to bond with students

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I began my teaching career in the fall of 1998, and now have twelve years' experience and a Masters of Science in Education.

What I've Learned About Being a Teacher

Maybe you are looking for a career change, or maybe you are still trying to figure out "what you want to be when you grow up." Perhaps you are already on your way toward a degree in education.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher once I entered high school. I was in the higher-level English courses, and my teachers inspired me not only to think critically about literature but also to write with feeling and purpose. I loved how everyone in the class could talk about their views and thoughts on passages from books, share their writing in small-critique groups, and the overall feeling of learning that I experienced. I knew that I wanted to teach and allow future students to have the fantastic experience I did-sharing their love of books and writing about their ideas.

I went to college and took my undergrad courses in English Writing and Secondary Education. I was eager to have my own classroom and meet fellow teachers to share ideas with.

However, things did not turn out exactly how I'd envisioned. I've yet to teach a higher-level class with students who are eager to learn. Instead, I've gotten the classes with struggling learners, kids on the verge of dropping out, and kids who come with parole officers and troubled backgrounds who sometimes don't see the value in education. I've had to revamp my initial teaching style in order to reach these types of students, and every year (sometimes every day) brings new challenges.

Contrary to what you might think, however, I absolutely love these classes and the kids I've taught over the years. I wouldn't change it for anything.

I began my teaching career in the fall of 1998, and now, after twelve years' experience and a Master of Science in Education, I offer you everything I've learned about being a teacher: the pros and the cons.

The Pros and Cons of Teaching

Trying and failing to help difficult students

Summer vacations and holidays

Connecting with other teachers and staff

Lack of support from administration

Always learning and continuing to grow

Continuous professional development requirements

The Pros

Being a confidante. The feeling you get when a kid chooses you as the one person they will open up to and let down their guard.

The bond you form with your students after spending 180 days with them during the school year. I've had students from 10 years ago still stop by to see me, send me emails, and look me up on Facebook. I've been invited to baby showers, weddings, and college graduations of former students. I'm always touched that they still remember me.

The friendships you make with other staff. Some of my closest friends are those that I've met while teaching. You'll share ideas about not only work-related issues but also every other part of your lives, as well.

You'll always get to enjoy your love of learning. If I've learned anything, it is that you are constantly learning and growing within the profession. There are so many great websites and ideas that other teachers have and are willing to share.

The "aha moment" when the students finally understand what you've been teaching. You can see it on their faces, and you know you've opened a door in their minds that might otherwise have remained closed.

Being a hero. Knowing you are the only person that some kids have to rely upon, and that you are their source of strength and inspiration.

Summer vacations. I don't think I need to elaborate on this little gem that comes with the profession.

The days off. Let's face it, in no other profession will you receive time off nearly every month. The days and weeks off throughout the school year are fantastic!

The Cons

Summer vacations. I know it's also on my list of pros, and you're probably wondering how 8 weeks off can be a con. Well, the answer is money. Many districts offer just the 21 pay schedule, meaning your last paycheck comes on the last day of school-and that's it until September rolls around. Without fail, the last two weeks of August I am always short on funds. No matter how much I think I've budgeted and saved, something always comes up, and I long to go back to work so that I can make some cash!

The salary isn't very good. With an average salary of around $60,000, teaching is not exactly a lucrative profession. Some states, like California and New York, have salaries in the $80,000 range, but for the most part, the amount of work dedicated to students inside and outside of the classroom is not necessarily reflected in a teacher's paycheck.

Not always getting the support you need from your administration. This will, without a doubt, happen to you on more than one occasion. Maybe you won't get backed up in terms of discipline with a student; maybe your principal will side with a parent rather than with you; maybe you've got a really great idea for a class or project, but the administration shoots it down. At some point, you will become frustrated with the administration and wonder why they make triple your salary.

Professional development training days. These can be great if they are applicable to what you teach. On the other hand, they're not always relevant. For example, I've sat through a training on foreign language in elementary school, and to this day I can't figure out anything I learned in that training that is useful for what I teach. Sometimes the district will hire a speaker who tells you about why you're not good at your job, and how everything you're doing is wrong. It's always baffling how many of these speakers either have never taught in a classroom or have been out of the teaching field for decades. I'd rather teach my classes for the day than sit through 7 hours of someone talking at me.

Students who won't complete any assignments, no matter what you do. Sometimes you will pull out every trick that you know to get a student to complete their work. You'll try to strike deals, be overly lenient, practically spoon-feed the answers-all to no avail. You'll spend nights wracking your brain wondering what you could have done differently to get through to this kid. Sometimes you just have to let it go. This can be one of the hardest parts about teaching-knowing that a kid with potential just won't make it.

Teaching at Private School vs. Public School

The vast majority of private schools are religion-based schools, and that impacts what you'll be allowed to teach. Public schools tend to offer higher salaries and better benefits than their private-school counterparts. This can make public school a more attractive option for potential educators. However, there are a higher percentage of new teachers at private schools, which means it's easier to get started in a private school than it is to start out in a public school.

Most public-school teachers are required to take annual continuing education courses or attend seminars, which is not a requirement of most private-school teachers.

If you're interested in smaller class sizes, private school might be a better option for you. Public schools tend to have much larger class sizes, and generally offer a greater variety of classes. Interested in teaching Latin or International Baccalaureate classes? You're more likely to find those opportunities at a private school.

Public schools also offer higher levels of diversity among the student body. Students at private schools are typically in higher socioeconomic brackets; therefore, if you are looking for a more diverse group of students to teach, you may want to consider public school.

Teaching at Different Grade Levels

Elementary and kindergarten teachers tend to teach more general subject material on a wide range of topics. For example, as a third-grade teacher, you're responsible for planning reading, math, science, and social studies lessons. The students are younger, so grading assignments will be easier and less time-consuming than at higher grade levels.

Junior high and high school teachers teach more specialized subjects. You're expected to have more expertise on your designated subject (such as U.S. History or Biology), and planning and grading assignments will be more complex and time-consuming ventures. Junior high and high school teachers also typically teach far more students per day, as they teach multiple periods a day as opposed to having one class of 20-30 per year.

The students will also be different and dealing with behavioral issues. Elementary school children may be more prone to tantrums, while junior high and high school students face more puberty-associated drama issues and bullying.

Teaching English Abroad

Not sure whether you want to commit to a career in teaching? Interested in exploring your options? You might want to think about teaching English abroad. This is a popular option for recent college graduates in America. You can make decent money with little experience (particularly in Asia-European countries tend to have higher standards for their English teachers in terms of experience and education).

For the most part, all you need is a bachelor's degree and a willingness to live abroad for an extended period of time. It's a great way to figure out if teaching is the right path for you before you spend tons of money on the education required to become an instructor in the United States.

Substitute Teaching

Substitute teaching is a great way to get some experience and test the water if you're not sure about becoming a teacher. You get to teach on a wide variety of subjects, and the requirements for becoming a substitute teacher are far less stringent than those of a full-time teacher.

While the salary is not ideal in terms of a long-term career, substitute teaching is one way that many educators get involved in teaching, and being able to "try before you buy" with teaching is certainly a key advantage of the profession.

Will You Become a Teacher?

Being a teacher is something that you must have a passion for. It is more than just a job; rather, it is who you are. It can be both rewarding and frustrating. There will be times when you will wonder why on earth you chose this profession, and there will be many more times you realize there is nothing else in the world you would rather do. It is a wondrous feeling to know you have the capacity to impact so many young people who are our future.

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I began my teaching career in the fall of 1998, and now have twelve years' experience and a Masters of Science in Education. Maybe you are looking for a career change, or maybe you are still trying to figure out "what you want to be when you grow up."

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⑥ What computer or technological skills do you need for this?

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⑥ What computer or technological skills do you need for this?

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You need to know word processing skills.

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20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have

During the last 15 years, we in education have moved at light speed in the area of educational technology. Whether you are involved in higher ed, secondary ed, elementary ed, or special ed, all of us find it difficult to catch up, keep up, and put up with fast-moving computer-based technology. Not since the introduction of the blackboard have we seen a piece of equipment make such a difference in how we teach. Today, not only do we use computers, but we also have laptops, wireless laptops, and tablet PCs. In addition, we have the World Wide Web, scanners, CD burners, USB drives, digital cameras and digital video cameras, PDAs, as well as video and DVD players. And most educators use a variety of tools-including video, e-mail, desktop conferencing, online programs such as WebCT and Blackboard, as well as video conferencing-to teach. Thus, it is no longer acceptable for educators to be technology illiterate.

With that in mind, here is a comprehensive listing of the technology skills that every educator should have. Because as computer and associated technologies continue to change and evolve, educators must continue to strive for excellence in their work. Today that includes continued time and effort to maintain and improve their technology skills (as much as some educators do not want to admit).

Here are 20 basic technology skills that all educators should now have:

1. Word Processing Skills

2. Spreadsheets Skills

3. Database Skills

4. Electronic Presentation Skills

5. Web Navigation Skills

6. Web Site Design Skills

7. E-Mail Management Skills

8. Digital Cameras

9. Computer Network Knowledge Applicable to your School System

10. File Management & Windows Explorer Skills

11. Downloading Software From the Web (Knowledge including eBooks)

12. Installing Computer Software onto a Computer System

13. WebCT or Blackboard Teaching Skills

14. Videoconferencing skills

15. Computer-Related Storage Devices (Knowledge: disks, CDs, USB drives, zip disks, DVDs, etc.)

16. Scanner Knowledge

17. Knowledge of PDAs

18. Deep Web Knowledge

19. Educational Copyright Knowledge

20. Computer Security Knowledge

Educators should be able to use some type of word processing program to complete written tasks in a timely manner. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of THE Journal.

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20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have -- THE Journal

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During the last 15 years, we in education have moved at light speed in the area of educational technology. Whether you are involved in higher ed, secondary ed, elementary ed, or special ed, all of us find it difficult to catch up, keep up, and put up with fast-moving computer-based technology.

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⑤ What are the best colleges that will help you prepare for this job?

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⑤ What are the best colleges that will help you prepare for this job?

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Walden University is a good college to prepare you for this job

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Teaching is one of the most admirable professions you could choose - teachers are both underpaid and under-appreciated, yet they hold a great responsibility to educate the next generation of leaders, inventors, and innovators. Teaching can be a challenging profession, and the degree programs that will lead you to the classroom can be equally challenging.

Luckily, numerous colleges have dedicated entire departments to the subject of education. Many universities offer multiple degree options, allowing undergraduates to earn their credentials in multiple subject areas and grade levels.

The 50 Top Teacher Education Programs Ranking Methodology

Selection Criteria

For this ranking, we focused on four-year, public and private (non-profit) colleges and universities that offer multiple bachelor's degrees in teaching. To be eligible for consideration on this ranking, each school had to be actively conferring degrees to students in each of its teacher education programs (at least five per program in the past year). Because of our focus on affordability, we also limited consideration to schools with an average annual net price below $30,000. Lastly, we created a minimum threshold for quality by only researching colleges with retention and graduation rates greater than 50% and admission rates below 85%.

Ranking Factors

Once we had our initial list of contenders, we ranked all the eligible programs in six categories:

Teaching Program Popularity: How many students earned their bachelor's degree in teaching last year, and what did that represent as a percentage of the total graduating class? (Weighted 30%)

Breadth/Activity of Teaching Degree Programs: How many total teacher education programs does the school offer, and what is the average number of students who graduated from each program last year? (Weighted 10%)

Acceptance Rate: What percentage of applicants does the school admit each year? (Weighted 10%)

Graduation Rate: What percentage of undergraduates earn their degree within 150% of the expected timeframe? (Weighted 15%)

Retention Rate: What percentage of freshmen return to the school for their sophomore year? (Weighted 15%)

Net Price: What is the average annual cost of attending the school after adding together the price of tuition, fees, and room/board then subtracting the average financial aid package awarded to undergrads? (Weighted 20%)

Next, we crunched the numbers, scaled the scores so that the top program earned the maximum possible points, and assigned each school a total point value out of 100. Scroll down to see our results: a ranking of the 50 best, most affordable colleges for teaching degrees in the U.S.

50. Salisbury University

Salisbury, MD

Seidel School of Education & Professional Studies

49. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL

College of Education

48. University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

Cato College of Education

47. University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH

School of Education

46. Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA

College of Education and Human Development

45. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Lynch School of Education and Human Development

44. Niagara University

Niagara University, NY

College of Education

43. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, PA

College of Education and Social Work

42. Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development

41. University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Department of Teacher Education

40. Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Teachers College

39. St. Joseph's College-New York

Brooklyn, NY

Department of Adolescence Education

38. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lincoln, NE

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education

37. Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

College of Education

36. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC

School of Teaching and Learning

35. Auburn University

Auburn, AL

College of Education

34. East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

College of Education

33. Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

College of Education

32. University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO

Department of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum

31. SUNY College at Geneseo

Geneseo, NY

Ella Cline Shear School of Education

30. SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, NY

School of Education and Human Ecology

29. Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Department of Teaching and Learning

28. CUNY Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY

School of Education

27. University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

College of Education

26. Towson University

Towson, MD

College of Education

25. SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, NY

Department of Teaching and Learning

24. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

23. SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

School of Education

22. Florida International University

Miami, FL

Department of Teaching and Learning

21. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Department of Teaching and Learning

20. Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA

School of Education

19. Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

18. CUNY Queens College

Queens, NY

Division of Education

17. Miami University-Oxford

Oxford, OH

Department of Teacher Education

16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL

College of Education

15. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC

College of Education

14. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

College of Education

13. Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

College of Education

12. University of Delaware

Newark, DE

Delaware Center for Teacher Education

11. Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

School of Education

10. The College of New Jersey

Ewing, NJ

School of Education

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL

Department of Teaching and Learning

8. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH

Department of Teaching and Learning

7. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN

College of Education and Human Development

6. Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Reich College of Education

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

College of Education

4. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL

College of Education and Human Performance

3. University of Maryland

College Park, MD

College of Education

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA

College of Education

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT

David O. McKay School of Education

Thanks for reading our ranking of the 50 top teacher education programs in the US!

By BVS Staff
January 2018

See Also:
The Best Affordable Online Master's in Early Childhood Education Degree Programs
Most Affordable Online Special Education Degree Programs (Bachelor's)
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's Degrees in Math Education

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50 Best Value Colleges for Teaching Degrees

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Teaching is one of the most admirable professions you could choose - teachers are both underpaid and under-appreciated, yet they hold a great responsibility to educate the next generation of leaders, inventors, and innovators. Teaching can be a challenging profession, and the degree programs that will lead you to the classroom can be equally challenging.

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A skill you need is to enjoy communicating your understandings to other.

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Teaching offers the chance to change other people's lives permanently for the better.

As a teacher you can help to develop somebody's subject knowledge and maybe even their mind and personality.

Teaching is an incredibly rewarding thing to do and good teachers are needed everywhere: in schools and college classrooms to educate the young, as well as in the workplace and other settings to teach adults and colleagues.

One-on-one teachers may tutor someone in a particular subject or for their wider personal development.

However, teaching anyone can also be tiring, stressful and demanding. It is a responsibility and any slip up is very visible. People's minds and motivation vary a great deal and teachers have to find many different ways to connect with their students.

Teaching is not always recognised for being the difficult task that it is in terms of status or financial reward.

Skills Needed for Teaching
As well as subject knowledge, there are some other, more general qualities that teachers need. As a teacher, you should:
1. Enjoy communicating your understanding to others.

There is definitely a performance element to most teaching. Our section on interpersonal skills, including effective speaking, covers this in more detail, and there is a great deal of overlap with presentation skills.

2. Have confidence.

You will need the confidence to look calm and professional even when tired and stressed. See our page: Building Confidence for more information.

3. Have great organisational skills.

Have you prepared for the session and done any marking in time?

Have you kept what is needed for anyone in the group who was away?

If you are part of a teaching organisation, have you fed back results to any interested colleagues?

You may find our page: Organising Skills useful.

4. Work effectively in groups.

In a school or college, you may be part of a group that teach at your level or within your subject. If so, you will have to agree between you what is to be taught and how to deal with any difficulties.

See our page: Groups and Teams for an introduction to effective team working skills.

5. Be able to deal with conflict.

There may be students who need to be told to work harder, or a disagreement between students that you need to help to sort out.

Our page on Conflict Resolution provides some advice on how to do this.

6. Motivate your students to do their best.

This may require encouragement and/ or criticism, and probably a bit of both at different times.

Our page on Motivation Skills provides more information.

7. Empathise with your Students.

If you can see that your students are exhausted, there may be no point in trying to teach a very complicated topic. You need to create a feeling that you are all working together towards the same goal. This means building up trust and rapport.

See our pages on and Building Rapport for more.

8. Give feedback.

Whether this takes the form of comments on performance or marking written work, it needs to be constructive. Offer praise as well as criticism whenever possible and tell your students how they can improve.

Our page Giving Feedback will help with this.

The Best and the Worst of Teaching

What's the Best that can Happen?

You get to tell enthusiastic people about a subject that you love.

You may have interesting discussions that push you to think on your feet and expand your own understanding.

You see less-able students blossom and manage to get the outcome they need.

What's the Worst that can Happen?

Lots of outside work may be needed to mark work or prepare sessions.

Not all your students will be enthusiastic. Children and teenagers can be surly or downright rude, while adults that you teach may have their own views on things.

Warning

Teachers who work with young people can also be accused of inappropriate behaviour with their students: it's probably every teacher's greatest fear.

However, sensible behaviour from teachers - such as leaving the door open when in a classroom on your own with a student - minimises this risk. False accusations are rare and good management should be able to deal with them.

Transferable Skills

You may possess some, or even all, of the skills listed above having acquired these through other experience.

Many people go into teaching as a second career, for example, people who have been in the armed forces may be used to directing people whilst also attending to their pastoral care, and many other professions need well developed communication skills and coaching skills.

See our page on transferable skills for more ideas of skills obtained through other life experience that might be transferred into teaching.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide to Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring require some very specific skills, particularly focused on facilitating and enabling others, and building good relationships. This eBook is designed to help you to develop those skills, and become a successful coach or mentor.

This guide is chiefly aimed at those new to coaching, and who will be coaching as part of their work. However, it also contains information and ideas that may be useful to more established coaches, especially those looking to develop their thinking further, and move towards growing maturity in their coaching.

Deciding What Age Range to Teach
If you like the idea of teaching professionally, there are different settings in which it can be done. Each has their advantages and disadvantages and there is an enormous range of jobs on offer.
Teaching Younger Children

Primary, elementary or junior school teachers usually teach many or all subjects to their class, so they need to be confident across all subjects to a certain level.

Primary teachers get to know their class very well indeed, which can be very rewarding.

You need to be very patient with younger children. They have boundless enthusiasm, but this can be overwhelming at times.

Teaching Older Children

Secondary or high school teaching requires a real passion for your subject area and a very good knowledge within it. If you did your degree a while ago, you may need a refresher course.

You will teach a wide range of classes and ages, which means learning more names, but seeing less of particular characters.

Teaching teenagers means that you have to deal with the phenomenon that is ' cool' - in other words, that it is socially unacceptable for many of them to show any enthusiasm for anything. This can be very frustrating, and teenage mood swings can lead to some awful behaviour.

However, teenagers can also be very interesting, idealistic, passionate and funny at their best.

Teaching Adults

Adults studying for further education are generally well motivated and keen to learn.

This sector is not always well funded and there may not be many jobs around.

Adults may also be juggling studying with work and the demands of their families and will need sympathy and extended deadlines from time to time.

In summary, there are good and bad points in all settings. The best way to decide is to do some work experience in different types of school or college to see what you think might suit you. You may have a friend in teaching who can help you to arrange this, but if not just try some institutions in your local area.

Many teachers are very good about encouraging more people to go into teaching.

You need to visit schools to see them from a teacher's perspective: your memories of what school was like as a student are not enough. In any case, education evolves constantly, and it may all be very different to what you remember.

Finally...
Teaching is brilliant if, at a basic level, you like people and want to encourage them. You will also be doing something of great value. You probably remember your own best teachers very clearly and you know what they added to your life.

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Teaching offers the chance to change other people's lives permanently for the better. As a teacher you can help to develop somebody's subject knowledge and maybe even their mind and personality. Teaching is an incredibly rewarding thing to do and good teachers are needed everywhere: in schools and college classrooms to educate the young, as well as in the workplace and other settings to teach adults and colleagues.

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③ Where is the best place to live to do this job?

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③ Where is the best place to live to do this job?

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Ohio-Pennsylvania is a good place to live to do this job

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Deciding where to teach isn't always easy. Besides considering school quality and culture, teachers looking for jobs in any given area have to think about whether they'll be able to afford to live there. The median annual pay for kindergarten and elementary school teachers was about 40.4% higher than the median income for all employees in May 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But teachers in some places with a high cost of living still struggle to make ends meet.
This is SmartAsset's second annual study of the best places to be a teacher. Read the 2015 study here.
Study Specifics

SmartAsset found the best places in America to be a teacher by ranking 140 of the largest U.S. metro areas across seven metrics. Just like we did in the 2015 version of our study, we looked at average high school graduation rates, housing costs, crime rates and average math and reading proficiency rates in each metro area.

After we completed the 2015 version of our study, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) redefined their metro areas. Because this change prevented us from accurately assessing the growth in teachers' salaries and job prospects in the past year, we didn't include either of these factors in this year's study. Instead, we considered two new factors: the amount of money that school districts spend on each student and the strength of each state's teacher union. (Read more about our methodology below.)
Buying a home? Try SmartAsset's mortgage calculator to find out what your mortgage payment will be.
Key Findings

Pennsylvania is a great place to teach. The state has one of the strongest teacher unions in the country. Four of the top 10 places to be a teacher are metro areas in the Keystone State.

Florida isn't. Seven of the worst places to be a teacher are located in this state. While average annual salaries for these metro areas are mostly lower than those in the top ranking metros for teachers, housing costs are higher.

1. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pennsylvania
The Youngstown metro area ranks as the best place in the U.S. to be a teacher. The average public school teacher who lives there makes $57,909 per year. The average person there pays just $644 each month for housing-related expenses.

On average, high schools in the Youngstown-Warren-Boardmanmetro area have a graduation rate of 88%. If students don't want to stray too far from home after earning their diplomas, teachers can help them prepare to attend the colleges in the area, like Youngstown State University or Kent State University at Salem.
2. Akron, Ohio
Our study shows that schools in the Akron area rank well for reading and math proficiency. Along with students in the Indianapolis-Carmel metro area (which took the 80th spot in our ranking), students in Akron had the third highest proficiency rate in the 2013 - 2014 school year.
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Out of the top 10 metro areas in our study, the Pittsburgh metro area invested the most money in their students. According to 2014 school finance data from the U.S. Census Bureau, school districts in this metro area spent $10,868 on each student.

Teachers interested in working in an area with a strong union might want to look at schools in Pittsburgh and other metro areas in Pennsylvania. The state ranked fourth in the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's analysis of the states with the strongest teacher unions. The 2012 study looked at several factors, including each state union's perceived influence, its resources and whether state policies aligned with union goals and ideals.
4. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Teachers probably won't have a difficult time finding jobs in Cedar Rapids. The unemployment rate in the metro area is fairly low. In June 2016, it was 4%, according to the BLS. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reports that it had an unemployment rate of 3.6% in 2014.

In addition to being the fourth best place in America for k-12 public school teachers, a recent SmartAsset analysis shows that the Cedar Rapids metro area ranks as the best place to raise a child. The area has good schools and an average high school graduation rate of 88%.
5. Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Fort Wayne metro area is located in northeastern Indiana and is home to about 422,029 people, according to the Census Bureau. Teachers who live there can benefit from its low cost of living. While the average annual salary for teachers is $49,848, the average person in Fort Wayne only spends about 17.4% of his or her income on housing costs.
Related Article: The Best Community Colleges of 2016 6. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
BLS data shows that there were more than 7,000 public school teachers in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro area in 2015. Besides having access to one of the strongest state teacher unions in the country, teachers earn $60,925 per year, on average. That's roughly 39% higher than the average salary for all jobs in the metro area.
7. Lincoln, Nebraska
Out of all of the jobs in the Lincoln metro area, just 1.7% of them were reserved for k-12 teachers in 2015. While teachers are in the minority, the public schools score well on some of the factors we analyzed.

On average, 86% of public school students in the Lincoln area graduate from high school. And according to a recent SmartAsset study, Nebraska ranks eighth on the list of the states with the best k-12 schools.
8. Canton-Massillon, Ohio
The Canton metro area has the second highest math and reading proficiency rate in our study. About 84% of students in the area (on average) tested as proficient when combining scores for both subjects. Our study shows that only schools in the Atlanta metro area had a higher average proficiency rate in the 2013-2014 school year.
9. York-Hanover, Pennsylvania
Public schools in the York-Hanover metro area spend more money on individual students than those in most of the metro areas in our analysis. Census Bureau data shows that school districts in the York area spend about $12,848 on each student.

Schools that spend more money on their students don't always provide them with a world-class education. But a recent report from the Albert Shanker Institute suggests that there's a positive correlation between per-pupil spending and student success rates.
10. Dayton, Ohio
The average k-12 public school teacher in the Dayton metro area makes $60,257 annually. On average, residents in the Dayton area spend just $9,900 on housing-related expenses each year. That means that teachers can likely use more than 80% of their pay to cover other bills and discretionary items.

Methodology & Sources

SmartAsset concluded that the best places in America for teachers would have a low cost of living, strong teacher unions and schools that provide students with a quality education. To complete our analysis, we looked at 140 of the largest metro areas in the country and compared them using seven different factors, including median monthly housing costs, average annual salaries for k-12 teachers and the violent crime rate (violent crimes per 100,000 residents) in the principal city of each metro.

We also looked at average high school graduation rates in each metro area and average proficiency rates in language arts and math for the 2013-2014 school year. Finally, we took two additional factors into account that replaced the income growth and employment growth metrics from last year's study: teacher union strength (based on state-level rankings from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute) and the amount of money that school districts in each metro area spent on each public school student.

After we ranked each metro area based on all seven metrics, we averaged those rankings and gave full weight to each of our factors. Then, we assigned each metro area a score between 0 and 100, with the top-ranking metro area receiving a 100 and the lowest-ranking metro receiving a 0.

Data on average incomes comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. School spending data and housing costs come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Violent crime rates come from the local governments and the FBI's uniform crime reporting database. Data on proficiency rates and graduation rates comes from the U.S. Department of Education.

The data analysis for this study was completed by Nick Wallace.
Questions about our study? Contact us at press@smartasset.com. Photo credit: ©iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages

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The Best Places to Be a Teacher - 2016 Edition - SmartAsset

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Deciding where to teach isn't always easy. Besides considering school quality and culture, teachers looking for jobs in any given area have to think about whether they'll be able to afford to live there. The median annual pay for kindergarten and elementary school teachers was about 40.4% higher than the median income for all employees in May 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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The average Public School Teacher salary in the United States is $56,471 as of January 31, 2019, but the range typically falls between $49,297 and $65,194

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Salary for Public School Teacher | Salary.com

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Find out your worth. Get a free personalized salary report to view salary ranges, and bonus and benefits information for Public School Teacher jobs in the United States or search by specific US and Canadian cities and towns.

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How to become a teacher

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by Andrei Zakhareuski 68,648 views

Some people are born to teach, whilst others must constantly strive to reinvent themselves and recreate their lessons in the perpetual pursuit of perfection. It is an ever evolving yet challenging and lifelong learning environment of which we are an integral part. This article attempts to summarize top qualities of a good teacher, looks into what makes a good teacher, and provides ideas on becoming a better teacher.

Hope you find it interesting and make another step on the road to even better teaching!

What Makes A Good Teacher?

Creating a positive learning atmosphere and developing a good rapport without showing favoritism. Having the ability to engage and involve students with your personality.

Being patient - for slow learners, 'needy' students requiring attention and those lacking motivation.

Clarity - answering questions in a clear and concise way.

Organized - punctual, producing well-planned lessons with suitable material.

Sense of humor - miming and body language often require this quality, without resorting to circus antics.

Adaptable - being resourceful.

Imaginative - in creating and adapting teaching materials and also empathising with students in building rapport.

Becoming A Teacher. One Teacher = Many Roles

1. Controller - the person in control of class management.

2. Assessor - checking and deciding the method of giving feedback e.g. error correction.

3. A Resource - this is especially the case in developing countries, where there are limitations

4. Coach - encouraging class participation, especially for shyer students.

5. Tutor - in one-to-one teaching.

6. Organizer - instruction of students for activities and providing feedback.

7. Facilitator - for student interactive communication.

8. Counsellor - solving any language learning problems.

9. An instructor - in the traditional sense on language points such as pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar.

10. A provider of experiences - in order for students to practise the four skills they require, as many language examples as possible are needed.

11. A model - particularly for pronunciation.

12. A motivator - balancing activities to achieve language targets and student interest.

13. An authority - students rely heavily on teacher pronouncements and so generalizations should be avoided/explained as such.

14. An arbiter - balancing fluency with accuracy in assessing error correction.

15. An examiner - continuous monitoring and testing.

16. A disciplinarian - essential to maintain class control.

17. A balancer - a sliding scale which constantly changes.

18. A mentor - giving language insight to another culture.

19. A prompter - without taking away the initiative from the student e.g. role-play activity vocabulary support.

20. A participant - e.g. discussion.

21. A performer - with suitable behavior according to the activity being undertaken.

22. Rapport builder - recognizing, listening to, respecting and being even-handed with students, in a professional manner.

What Other Attributes Must A Good Teacher Have?

The teacher has to exploit his/her talents as a visual teaching aid to incorporate mime, gesture and expression to convey meaning and atmosphere in the classroom.

Language modeling is important as students may find video and audio recordings difficult to understand.

Teacher Talking Time (TTT) should be used productively and the importance of our voices never under-estimated.

Observation skills in assessing student performance and progress are also vital.

Teachers must be culturally aware e.g. Japan has a masculine collective culture, virtually all classes are monolingual, long-term oriented with a high degree of uncertainty avoidance.

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.

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Becoming A Teacher: What Makes A Good Teacher

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by Andrei Zakhareuski 68,648 views Some people are born to teach, whilst others must constantly strive to reinvent themselves and recreate their lessons in the perpetual pursuit of perfection. It is an ever evolving yet challenging and lifelong learning environment of which we are an integral part.