Chapter 2 Becoming a Teacher 45
Step 2: College Preparation and Teacher
Training
To teach in kindergarten through high school, a bachelor’s degree is
required. This degree, sometimes called an undergraduate degree, is gener-
ally completed in four years. It is usually either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or
Bachelor of Science (BS), depending on your college major and the course
requirements you have met.
Colleges and universities have individual requirements for admission
to teacher education programs. Some require students to wait until their
junior year of college to apply. By this time, students have completed most
of their general education or core courses, and the teacher education pro-
gram can better evaluate applicants. Entrance requirements often include
personal interviews, prerequisite courses, a minimum grade point aver-
age, and profi ciency tests. A prerequisite course is one that must be com-
pleted before entering a program or prior to taking a higher-level course.
Profi ciency tests measure skill and knowledge in a subject area. Teacher
education candidates or majors may be required to pass profi ciency tests in
subjects such as reading, writing, and math. These skills will be integrated
into every teacher’s classes. Many programs ask applicants to list related
experiences they have had working with children.
Elementary and secondary education students must complete course
work related to education. Some courses provide background about edu-
cation as a profession and how schools function. Others help students
learn specifi c teaching strategies and classroom management techniques.
Students focusing on elementary education also take courses to prepare
them to teach all subject areas. Students preparing to teach for middle
grades and high school, study one or two subject areas in much more
depth, such as science or physical education.
Step 3: Classroom Experiences and
Student Teaching
An important part of preparing to become a teacher is gaining nec-
essary experience. As part of course requirements for teacher education
students, most classes require working with children or teens. Students
may observe, help a teacher, tutor students, teach a lesson, or be involved
in some other capacity. There are real advantages to this practice. Teacher
education students gain more experience, improve their skills, and see
how they like various aspects of teaching.
Teacher education culminates in a student teaching experience.
Students are placed in public or private school classrooms to immerse
themselves in the practice of teaching. There, they have at least one
cooperating teacher—a classroom teacher who supervises and mentors