Which describes your path to becoming a teacher most closely?
Master's Degree in Education
What did you major in in college and what college degrees do you have?
BA in Math and Latin American Studies (minor in History), Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Math Education
Did you have other full-time jobs before you became a teacher? If so, what were they?
Nope.
When in your life did you decide you wanted to become a teacher?
knew I wanted to teach very early, but the type of teacher changed a lot. In elementary school, I wanted to teach elementary school. In middle school, I wanted to teach music. In high school it became Spanish or math until I finally settled on math.
Did you complete student teaching before becoming a teacher? If so, describe that experience.
I observed several different teachers in the fall semester before being placed with a cooperating teacher (CT) in the spring. We were on an A day/B day block schedule, so there were 6 classes in all. I spent 2 weeks watching my CT and then took over teaching the classes one at a time. Once I was teaching all of the classes, I taught full time for 6 weeks and then slowly returned the classes to my CT. While teaching, I did all planning, grading, discipline, and other classroom duties.
What are the pros and cons of being certified in the method you used?
Master's degree comes with a 10% pay increase and the program I was in gave full scholarships so that I did not have to pay for graduate school. It did take longer for me to become licensed. I did not have a teaching license when I finished undergrad.
Would you recommend your path to becoming a teacher to others? Why or why not?
Yes! It was definitely worth it.
How many years of experience to you have in the classroom? Do you plan to remain a teacher or do you have other career aspirations?
The plan is to stick around. If I ever left the classroom, I couldn't go far. The daily interactions with students are the majority of what makes my job meaningful.