Brief description of the jobto top
-High School Teachers: Prepare lesson plans to instruct and evaluate adolescents’ academic performance. Need to be familiar with standard practices, concepts and procedures within a particular field (i.e. psychology). Because Psychology is a social science, most high school psychology teachers are primarily social studies teachers who teach a few classes to teach in psychology.
-High school teachers perform a variety of task out of the classroom. Some of these tasks include: supervising activities, participating in faculty meetings, providing general academic advice, as well as guidance on handling behavioral problems.
What training/certification is requiredto top -Must have earned a bachelor degree and graduated with a 3.0 GPA(in your major) -Graduated in the major you want to teach (ex. Psychology) or have 18 semester hours in the subject you plan on teaching with 12 semester hours in a related subject -Meet specific liberal arts, science, content core, and pedagogical core competencies for your specific certificate title -May need to enroll in a certified Alternative Teacher Certification (ATC) in an accredited University or College-“Alternative teacher certification programs are teacher education programs offered by colleges and universities (IHE's) in partnership with local school districts. The purpose of these programs is to prepare teachers for rapid entry into teaching in shortage areas.” -Must pass the NYS Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) -Must pass the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W) -Must pass the Content Specialty Test(s) (CST) -Must apply for a Certificate to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives
Differences by state:to top
All states have different requirements for high school psychology teachers.
For Example: -Florida:
-Need to hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
-Apply for a Florida Temporary Certificate in Psychology
-Must Pass a Subject Area Examination -California:
-Need a Bachelors Degree in Psychology
-Need Teacher Preparation Program which includes student teaching
-Pass the CBEST test
-Demonstrate subject matter competency with the passing of the CSET/SSAT and Praxis
-Completion of approved single subject program
-Complete developing English Language skills courses
-Complete U.S. Constitution course
-Foundational computer technology course
(By doing all these things you will get a preliminary credential which is only valid for 5 years) -Texas:
-Need a Bachelors Degree in Psychology
-Must take teacher training through an approved program. Texas institutions do not offer a degree in education
-Must pass the Teacher Certification Exams
Schools in NY awarding related graduate degrees.to top
-Undergraduates with a psychology major will need to complete the Alternative Teacher Certification (ATC)
In New York the following colleges offer this program:
Utica College, Iona College, Roberts Wesleyan College
Salary range:to top
-The median expected salary for a high school teacher in the United States is $42,219.
-This falls into the median salary range. Median salaries vary in different states and even different cities.
Examples: The median pay for a Syracuse school teacher is about $50,205.
The median pay for a Buffalo high school teacher is about $50,607
The median pay for a Queens’s high school teacher is about $56,798
-Bachelor's degree holders can expect very few opportunities directly related to psychology, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Those who meet state certification requirements may become high school psychology teachers.
-Median annual earnings of secondary school teachers ranged from $41,400 to $45,920 in May 2004; the lowest 10 percent earned $26,730 to $31,180; the top 10 percent earned $66,240 to $71,370. According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $31,704 in the 2003–04 school year. The estimated average salary of secondary school teachers in the 2003–04 school year was $46,597. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers, but may be given other benefits, such as free or subsidized housing. http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/NY/swzl_compresult_state_NY_ED03000011.html
-This website was helpful because it showed the differences in salary in different cities across the nation. http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas.psy/Career_Paths/Educational/Career04.htm
-This website showed the difference between pay ranges for teachers who either have been certified, or have different degrees (bachelors, masters)
Job forecast:to top
-Expected to grow faster than average for all occupations relating to Psychology
-Openings in schools due to retirement therefore good outlook (present to 2014)
-Growing faster in the west-States such as California, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, Utah and New Mexico- because of higher enrollment rates in the schools
Links to good web sites :to top www.apa.org
This is the American Psychological Association Website. It covers an array of psychological topics, such as disorders, personality traits and career paths in psychology. www.apa.org/ed/topss/
This website, also set up by the American Psychological Association, is dedicated specifically to High School Psychology. It is geared towards high school psychology teachers and resources, workshops, conferences, and curriculum help. www.psychologicalscience.org/
This is the Association for Psychological Science website. This website has specific links for teaching psychology that gives teaching tips, experiences and lessons. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm#nature
This is the U.S. department of labor website, in which “teachers” has been searched. It give specific details about the job of teachers. Although it does not specify between elementary, middle and high school, it gives a good general description of the nature of the work, job outlook, qualifications etc
Professional organizationsto top
-American Psychological Association: Provides users with information on any psychology topic as well as resources for those teaching Psychology in schools. Http://apa.org
-University of the state of New York, State Education Department: Provides future teachers information on how to become a teacher provides present teachers information and answers questions they may have. Http://www.highered.nysed.gov
-Encyclopedia of Psychology: Gives you information on any subject or question in Psychology. Http://www.psychology.org/links/Career/index.html
This site was originally developed by: Katrina DeWitt and Jesse Kimmerle for a course in Psychology in the Schools taught by Dr. Margaret Anderson at SUNY Cortland in Fall 2006.
