A High School Teacher Proffesion - Essay Example

 A high school teacher basically gets a student ready for post-graduation life by imparting skills and delivering lessons that the student will find handy in college life and in the job market or environment. A high school teacher can be employed in either a private or a public school. The work of a high school teacher, in my opinion, is a blend between white collar (since it entails professional, managerial and administrative work in an office, cubicle, staffroom or class) and pink collar (because it is concerned with student/ consumer interaction and services oriented work) industry categorizations. Basically, a high school teacher works school hours (commonly spanning from 8am to 5pm) which varies depending on the school regulations or state laws. However, some high school teachers can, at their own leisure, work in the evenings, or weekends, to grade (mark) papers and prepare lessons (Maloy and Irving, 24). Most high school teachers do not however teach during summer, on public holidays and when schools close on April, August and December. Judging from the nature of work of a high school teacher, and the amount of free time in a year compared to other demanding, all year round professions such as those of doctors, I think their median annual wage of USD 55,050 is fair. However, there is still room for improvement on this figure and more motivation because teachers are responsible for the important task of shaping the destiny of a nation by modeling students into better citizens, relatives, friends, leaders and employees/ employers (professionals) in all fields (Maloy and Irving, 43). High school teaching can come with its own fair share of challenges and stress. Teachers can often be at the end of unfair criticism from both their superiors, supervisors and students’ parents because of the students’ poor performances while they could have actually tried their best, or while the problem lies elsewhere (either in the school, at home or in the communities in which the students live). Moreover, teachers have to high school teachers have to accept that they will occasionally encounter utter disrespect and lack of motivation from students. Furthermore, high school teachers can find work difficult in schools with very large classes and an absence of critical learning/ teaching tools such as updated textbooks and computers (Haugen, 78). According to estimates, high school teachers’ employment is set to grow by 6% between 2012-2022 because of the reductions in the student to teacher ratios and enrolment increases. This growth will however vary from one region (state) to another. Most states have laws of tenure which hold that a teacher who successfully teaches for a stipulated number of years may be accorded more job security. The functions of a high school teacher include planning their subject lessons, teaching students in small groups or as an entire class, communicating with parents concerning the progress of students, preparing students for state required standardized examinations, monitoring students’ behavior outside the class, formulating and enforcing rules for the classroom, working with individual students to improve on their strengths and weaknesses and to motivate them, grading the assignments/ CATs of the students with view of determining their progress, and assessing the students to know their weaknesses, strengths and abilities. High school teachers also play critical roles as counselors and mentors to their students who come to them with various life and academic concerns (Haugen, 91). A high school teacher basically teaches 9th-12th grade students and commonly deals with a single subject such as math, biology or history. Within that subject area, the high school teacher may take on numerous classes (throughout the day, or otherwise). In most schools, students are placed in different classes judging from their abilities, which mean that a teacher must expertly vary their teaching tactics in such situations to suit all these student groups (Hoover, 73). Every state demands that for one to become a high school teacher, s/he must at least posses a bachelor’s degree. Most states require that the teacher had majored in a given subject. Teachers also often undergo teacher education programs where the teacher learns how to cope with various students and how to best convey information to the students. Conditions for becoming a high school teacher vary from one state to another. However, state requirements are not mandatory in private schools. Furthermore, in every state, a teacher has to be certified/ licensed, with the exception of private schools. Teachers complete annual professional development classes to retain their licenses (Hoover, 74). In as much as a high school teacher can be accountable to their seniors, other factors such as gender, sexuality, race, class and nationality have no impact on the high school teaching profession. It is only the qualifications outlined above that are considered when hiring a high school teacher. In addition to these qualifications, a high school teacher ought to exhibit tolerance, understanding, passion in student excellence and development, patience, resourcefulness and good communication skills (Hoover, 75). The highest ranking academic professional in a high school is the rector. Considered the main authority in the high school, the rector advises on policy matters and oversees daily activities of the high school. The rector researches on various issues that pertain to the teaching staff and students. The second in command is the deputy rector who assists the rector and ensures successful implementation of the rector’s directives. The senior most teaching staff (third in this chain of command) is the head teacher. This is followed by the deputy head teacher and consequently the principal teacher. From the principal teacher there are department heads who head teachers under their respective departments (Miller, 101). High school teaching has good flexibility because it offers a lot of free time in a year that teachers can use however they wish so long as it is within the laws. In addition, shifting from teaching into another field that requires knowledge of the subjects taught in high school is very easy and practical. For example, a high school business educations teacher can easily land a sales or marketing job in a local firm. Socio-economic factors such as globalization have enabled sharing of information and tips on trending issues between teachers and their counterparts in various parts of the world with relatives ease. This healthy exchange of information and ideas has equally enabled teachers deal well with immigration and language/ culture barrier issues (Miller, 98). Works Cited Haugen, David M. Education. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009; 78, 91. Print. Hoover, Randy L. "Principles of High School Teaching." Teaching Education: 73-75. Print. Maloy, Robert W., and Irving Seidman. The Essential Career Guide to Becoming a Middle and High School Teacher. Westport, Conn.: Bergin & Garvey, 1999; 24, 43. Print. Miller, Nathan R. Teaching in Circles: My Journeys in Teaching High School. New York: Kaplan Pub., 2009; 98, 101. Print. Read More