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To become a high school English teacher, do you have to have a degree specifically in English? I'm a prospective student at USC and want to major in Narrative Studies, an interdisciplinary major in the English department, but I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to get a job as an English teacher unless I have a degree in English. Does anyone know? I can't seem to find the answer online. Thanks.
EDIT: I currently live in California and probably will want to stay in the state and teach, but not 100% sure at the moment. I'm also interested in teaching ESL abroad for a year or two after graduation.
You should call the local school boards and ask what they need. It depends on location. Here, you need a 5 year education degree with English as your specialization - or ESL.
You need course work that will match your states erducational requirements for an endorsement in ENGLISH. You also need to complete a tEACHER PREP program.
You can always go to Teach for America---THEY TAKE ANYONE WITH A PULSE.
Requirements vary by state. Since you are interested in CA, contact the state education department for the requireuments. It's probably on their website. I do believe there is some sort of test everyone has to take to prove that you can teach in English besides the state teacher exam. You can also contact the education department at USC. I'm sure there are people there who know the requirements for certification.
You need course work that will match your states erducational requirements for an endorsement in ENGLISH. You also need to complete a tEACHER PREP program.
You can always go to Teach for America---THEY TAKE ANYONE WITH A PULSE.
I'm not a Teach for America fan, but are you trying for sarcasm with that statement?
The incoming teachers have an average GPA of 3.6 and all of them have held some sort of leadership position in college, according to Teach for America.
Meaning they do not care if you can teach, know how to teach or understand the concept of teaching--TFA will put anyone in the classroom regardless of aptitude or pedagogical insight.
As we all know, therer are a lot of uninformed people graduating from college and a 3.6 plus GPA is not always a reliable indicator of knowledge..
And when you have 10-20 times the number of applicants as there are positions, the acceptance rate is bound to be less than 50%.
To become a high school English teacher, do you have to have a degree specifically in English? I'm a prospective student at USC and want to major in Narrative Studies, an interdisciplinary major in the English department, but I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to get a job as an English teacher unless I have a degree in English. Does anyone know? I can't seem to find the answer online. Thanks.
EDIT: I currently live in California and probably will want to stay in the state and teach, but not 100% sure at the moment. I'm also interested in teaching ESL abroad for a year or two after graduation.
You need a degree in education, not English. You can't teach unless you complete an approved teacher licensure program - which your school's education department would have. Then you get a certification or endorsement in English by taking a certain number of English and English education courses. However, there is little market for high school English teachers. You would be more marketable if you studied ESL also called TESOL or applied linguistics) and got a certification in that instead. It's very similar in terms of subject matter and would probably allow you to take many English classes in college. Naturally, this would also take care of the teaching abroad.
None of the states I am familiar with allow teaching with just a subject degree, and if CA is an exception then that would be surprising, but I guess possible. You can check the state's dept of education website about teacher licensure.
Meaning they do not care if you can teach, know how to teach or understand the concept of teaching--TFA will put anyone in the classroom regardless of aptitude or pedagogical insight.
As we all know, therer are a lot of uninformed people graduating from college and a 3.6 plus GPA is not always a reliable indicator of knowledge..
And when you have 10-20 times the number of applicants as there are positions, the acceptance rate is bound to be less than 50%.
That's quite a bit different then "anyone with a pulse."
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