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Earning a teacher education degree, whether through an online degree or on-campus degree, takes time, dedication, and effort. Whether you opt to begin with an associate degree, then move into a bachelor’s degree in education, you’re going to be spending between two and four years at your studies at your university or college and student teaching, which you must complete in person, even online students, before you become a teacher yourself. You’ll work on your general education courses, which give you a solid foundation for what you’ll be teaching to your students. Next, you’ll move into your core courses, which teach you about the process of teaching and allow you to focus on a specific subject, such as science or mathematics education, and a teaching level such as elementary education, early childhood education, K-12, or a specialty like special education or curriculum instruction. Finally, you’ll move into a short internship (student teaching), where you’ll begin putting the educational theory you learned in your online teacher education program into practice. This will prepare you for that happy day when you gain your teaching licensure, move into your own classroom, and begin teaching your own students in your teaching career. Of course, those who wish to get into college teaching or who want to work with adult learners may need to complete a master's degree program.
If you complete an elementary education degree and become an elementary school teacher, you’ll be most focused on early childhood education and human development during your university classes. You might love seeing young children “get” a new concept. That dawning understanding in their eyes gives you a feeling of satisfaction that you succeeded in teaching a student to begin understanding how letters form words and they can read! Or they’ll see how numbers relate to one another and they can add up to bigger numbers or be subtracted into smaller numbers.
Once you gain your teaching licensure and enter your own classroom to begin teaching, you should have a good background in early childhood development. You'll know the theories. You’ll have learned about primary education pedagogy and you use it every time you create a new lesson plan.
If you feel a genuine passion for teaching children, then teaching is your vocation, not just a profession. With each young life you touch, you are creating a legacy that may last for generations. Best of all, you’ll never work yourself out of a job—there will always be new children who need to learn. No matter what level you're interested in teaching (young children or high school students), you should take the time to explore the requirements of teacher education programs and request info from your state's Department of Education, which may have its own requirements for various teaching positions and teacher education programs, such as a bachelor's degree to teach K-12 and a master's degree to teach at a college or university or any adult learning course. Learners may also be required to complete advanced certificate programs or pass tests to become a specialist in a certain field (such as science education, mathematics education, or special education), and many who complete a teaching degree are expected to complete continuing education each year to maintain their teaching licensure. Some of these courses are available through online teaching programs, depending on the state.
Featured Online Education Programs
Typical Certifications Needed
After you graduate from an online teaching degree or other online program, you need to take your licensing exam, complete an FBI background check, and get fingerprinted. You’ll have to renew your fingerprints and background check annually.
Students have to pass their licensing exam to get their certification or teaching licensure. If you missed a few credits necessary for graduation, you can still obtain a provisional teaching certificate in several states. You can then take the courses you need during a summer session of through an online portal, so you have every credit required for full teaching licensure.
If prospective students have a bachelor’s degree in another field, but they want to become a teacher, they’ll still have to complete an approved program. They will also have to document their mastery of important teaching concepts and show that they can apply them in the classroom. If you’re going to teach in a rural area or in a high-demand urban area, you may have to get either an “intern” or “provisional” certificate after you earn your degree and before you begin working as a teacher.
Academic Standards
Education programs across the country have high expectations. Students will have to complete a certain number of hours to graduate. You’ll take education courses, then begin working on a concentration (such as science education or special education), if you choose one.
If you’re going to be teaching at the elementary level or above, you’ll have to take more courses to cover the learning basics. These include science, chemistry fundamentals, physics, mathematics, biology, economics, composition, linguistics, history, science, technology, oral communication, English literature, and possibly even a foreign language. Your university’s core requirements will look similar, with small differences.
Exams and Experience Needed
After you graduate, you’ll begin studying for your licensure exam. Your state will require you to meet certain education standards. In Minnesota, these include pedagogy exams, skills testing (reading, math, and writing), and content exams for any specific courses you will teach.
The best teachers have several skills and qualities that suit them for teaching.
- Excellent communication skills
- A commitment to learning all your life
- Experience working with kids of all ages
- Able to think on your feet
- Good interaction with a wide group of people
- Classroom experience
- Graduated from a state-approved teacher education program
- Willing to learn from a mentor
- Ability to reflect on advice you receive, then evaluate it
- Completed state licensing exam
Professional Organizations
AAE
Association of American Educators
Instead, it’s a national organization that promotes teacher advocacy and professional development. At its founding, its focus was, and still is, on providing the best environment for educating children. It also supports more parental involvement, local control, and higher standards of excellence in the field of education.
ASCD
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ASCD is a non-profit organization created to represent approximately 150,000 teachers worldwide. Its membership includes administrators, teachers and other professionals whose work involves education. Members receive several benefits and opportunities for professional development. At the lowest tier, Basic members are able to receive a subscription to Educational Leadership, which is a magazine that reports the newest techniques, facts, and information concerning teaching students.
ASCD members are also able to gain access to educational conferences and professional development workshops, which allow them to refine their teaching techniques. Members are also able to network with each other.
AMLE
Association for Middle Level Education
AMLE advocates for teachers of middle school students in the U.S. Members receive several benefits, including several publications, which enable them to stay up-to-date with the newest developments in education.
AMLE also allows members to take part in even more structured professional development, through workshops and events that show teachers how to get needed insight into childhood development, improve their teaching methods, and network with other education professionals.
NEA
National Education Association
The NEA is a 3.2 million-member teacher organization. Members work at every educational level and have access to quality education within the U.S. NEA also advocates for teachers at both the state and national level.
Members of the NEA are able to sign up for legal support and insurance, workshops, and professional development opportunities. To make membership easier, each state has its own chapter, which enables teachers to join a statewide group that focuses more on concerns and issues of fellow teachers in their own state.
This organization provides scholarships and grants to teachers so they can purchase needed class materials and learning support services. Teachers can get donated books, facility improvements, funding, and even facility improvements for both school and classroom libraries.
The NEA facilitates and conducts research on current education issues. This allows members to get a close-up look into exploring the challenges they are expected to confront in their schools. Member teachers are able to take and complete online courses that equip them to handle early childhood literacy, bullying, and help their students achieve more.
NABT
National Association of biology Teachers
The NABT assists biology teachers to advocate for fellow biology teachers across the country. Beginning in 1983, NABT has given member teachers opportunities to gain more knowledge in the biology field and enabled their ability to network with other education professionals.
NABT member teachers who want to deepen their professionalism can participate in conferences and workshops. Teachers who attend can hear expert educators, take part in hands-on demonstrations, and benefit from information sessions.
NABT members gain access to the American Biology Teacher, an award-winning journal focused on biology teachers from kindergarten through college. Readers are able to use research to help create imaginative lesson plans and science experiments. They also gain access to free teaching materials that will help them to set and meet classroom goals as they improve their teaching skills.