How would I go about becoming a secondary education teacher/school administrator?
I am a high school junior at Boston Collegiate with a solid GPA and lots of extracurricular activities that I enjoy partaking in. I love tutoring kids of all ages, from homework help to studying for quizzes. That being said, I'd like to become a high school English teacher, but I am also interested in eventually becoming a high school principal or director. What colleges should I look into to pursue this career? I'd prefer to stay in either New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island), but I am also opening to looking into New York State.
Thanks! #education #colleges #principal
2 answers
Jenn’s Answer
I have never taught, but I looked into all of these options before deciding that teaching was not the right career for me, so I'll offer what I know and someone else can supplement it if they'd like.
States have different certification processes (sometimes your credential is transferable to other states, sometimes not). You can look up each state's Department of Education, and they should have a place for you to find the credentialing requirement. Oftentimes an education major in college will help you through this process; otherwise, if you choose a different major (like English), there are graduate schools of education or alternative certification program like Boston Teacher Residency or Urban Teacher Residency that will prepare you to get credentialed and enter a classroom.
Lou’s Answer
You may want to consider applying for Teach for America after you finish college. Many Teach for America teachers transition into administrative roles after their commitment is over. You'll have the opportunity to teach for at least two years, and get the feel of how a school functions. You'll also build a strong network in education - both in the school and state you teach, but nationwide.
I also would recommend taking some business classes, especially management theory. I've found that while teachers make strong administrators, running a school is a lot like running a business (to a certain extent). The better you are at managing people and performance, the better you will be as a principal.