As a child, you knew precisely which career path you wanted to with: being a teacher. Perhaps you taught your younger siblings fake lessons in the basement with old school desks, or perhaps these lessons were actually real. You might have even read books for them and asked them to analyze their thoughts, the symbolism, the foreshadowing, and other literature-related techniques, only to notice a blank stare directing facing your way.
Regardless, you kept those childhood dreams without losing any ounce of faith. The path of being an elementary school teacher—a leader, an inspiration, a role model—never lost your interest.
You then received your college degree in elementary education. You graduated college not too long ago, and now you are more than ready to take on the educational industry as a teacher. You have written endless lesson plans for education courses in the past, have been taught behavioral psychology, and have even learn about the sociology of education.
Unfortunately, that does not mean you are as prepared as you may believe to be teaching for the first time.
If you are in need of a few basic preparations before teaching, this guide will help.
1. Try substituting
First of all, being a substitute teacher will give you the hands on experience you need in a classroom setting. You will get familiarized with the different personalities of students and how to appropriately handle them. You will learn how students respond to certain lessons or even disciplinary actions. On a side note, being able to have the role of a substitute teacher will look outstanding on a resume, so do not forget about that knowledge.
2. Be prepared for accessories, furniture, and crafts
As a teacher, you will most likely be lacking in plenty of resources. This means that the super-duper fun Halloween crafting lesson plan involving building ghosts out of tissue paper and toothpicks that you had in mind will cost you. You will have to budget very wisely and do tons and tons of coupon searching, either through print magazines or through the internet. Also, you are going to have to pay for the fun banners and bullet board accessories which will be on your classroom wall. Last but not least, you might be lacking in sufficient classroom furniture which means you might have to either borrow or purchase a few chairs from your favorite furniture store.
3. Plan a second job.
Although teachers make excellent money, it truly never hurts to have a second job once summer strikes. During the summertime, you have prime opportunities to seek out another job, whether it is bartending, waitressing, or even retail. Since you’re a soon to be teacher, none of these occupations should be too hard for you to grasp—in fact, you might find yourself teaching others more than they already know about their jobs, despite being there for years longer than you.
All in all, being a teacher is one of the most fulfilling jobs out there. If being a teacher is your true calling, then make sure to become one—and to follow a few of these steps if you believe it will help you advance in your career.