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Secondary School Teachers instruct students in one or more subjects in public or private secondary schools. In doing so, they help to prepare students to be citizens and job holders. Secondary School Teachers may work in middle, junior, or senior high schools.

NATURE OF THE OCCUPATION

Secondary School Teachers may:

Establish procedures and enforce administration policies and rules to maintain class room order amongst students

Prepare appropriate lesson plans and select textbooks and educational software

Determine appropriate teaching methods

Guide the learning activities of students

Plan assignments according to students' varying abilities

Check student attendance and tardiness

Evaluate students' progress through daily assignments, tests, projects, and reports

Record interim grades and compute final grades

Maintain discipline and a suitable learning environment

Counsel and refer students when academic or other problems arise

Confer with parents, staff, and community groups

Keep informed about trends in education and subject matter specialties

Attend faculty meetings, workshops, and conferences

Participate as a member on educational planning and placement committees

In addition to classroom teaching, Secondary School Teachers are often responsible for working with students in extra-curricular activities and may be involved as a class or club sponsor, forensics or drama coach, athletic coach, study hall monitor, or homeroom teacher.

Click here   to watch Secondary Teachers at work!

In addition to printed materials, Secondary School Teachers may utilize the following materials and equipment to stimulate and aid student learning:

OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES

A Secondary School Teacher's subject matter specialization may be English, mathematics, science, social studies, business education, home economics, health and physical education, speech, music, or industrial arts.

Secondary School Teachers may specialize in these areas:

091.227-010 SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS guide the learning activities of students and instruct them in one or more subjects. In doing so, they help to prepare students to be citizens and job holders. Secondary teachers may work in a middle, junior, or senior high school.

099.227-030 ADULT EDUCATION TEACHERS instruct out-of-school youths and adults in academic and non-academic courses in public or private schools or other organizations.

In addition to learning about these specialties, you may also find it helpful to explore the following Career Exploration Scripts:

WORKING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Though schools vary in the quality of their physical facilities and equipment, most of them are well lighted, heated, ventilated, and some are even air-conditioned. Most schools are also adequately supplied with good library facilities as well as media equipment and other instructional aids.

Secondary School Teachers are not usually supervised in their daily teaching activities. However, most Teachers are responsible to a building Principal. Large systems also have department chairpersons who assume general supervisory functions.

On the average, Teachers work 186 days per year. The normal workweek is 37 hours. However, when all teaching duties, including meetings, lesson preparation (which may be done at home), and other necessary tasks are taken into consideration, the total number of hours spent working each week is slightly more than 48. Approximately, one-sixth of the Teachers work in their school systems during the summer. Others use their summer vacations for working on advanced degrees, traveling, or taking other summer employment.

An increasing number of Teachers are members of teachers' unions that negotiate wages, hours, responsibilities, and other terms of contracts. Most Teachers belong to the National Education Association (NEA) or the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Membership in either association includes affiliation with both state and local units as well. Teachers who belong to an association or union must pay dues. In some districts non-members are required to pay equivalent fees depending on the contract.

You Should Prefer:

• Performing activities involving the communication of

          information/ideas

• Working for the good of people

You Should Be Able To:

• Use reason and logic

• Understand the significance of words and use them effectively

• Perform arithmetic operations quickly and accurately

• Direct, control, and plan activities

• Deal with people beyond giving or receiving instructions

• Influence people in their attitudes about ideas or things

• Make decisions based on personal judgment

• See detail/recognize errors in numbers/spelling/punctuation

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

One leg of a right triangle is 12 in. long and increasing at a rate of 2 in./sec. The other leg, 5 in. long, is decreasing at the rate of 1 in./sec. At what rate is the hypotenuse changing?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Should be able to read and comprehend from various areas in academia, for example the following science entry:

The energy budget is in a constant state of balance, which means that about 47 to 50 percent of solar insulation is returned to the atmosphere by a number of processes. These processes include radiation, convection, conduction, and change of state of atmospheric moisture. Much of the warming of the earth's atmosphere is accomplished by heat re-radiating from the earth back to space.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

Prepare a plan for a lesson in weathering and erosion.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

Excellent analytical skills and be detail oriented in assessing and teaching students.         

The State of Michigan requires a license for this occupation.  Click here   for "Michigan Licensed Occupations," see Teacher, Elementary and Secondary for specific licensing information.  Teachers must take periodic TB tests.

EDUCATION AND PREPARATION OPPORTUNITIES

NOTE: A Bachelor's Degree (four years of study beyond high school) or a Master's Degree (five to six years of study beyond high school) or a Professional Degree or Doctorate (seven to ten years of study beyond high school) may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the Career Exploration Script:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0200 ART , 0700 CAREERS , 0800 CHOIR , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1000 COMPUTERS , 1100 ECONOMICS , 1300 ENGLISH , 1600 FOREIGN LANGUAGE , 1700 GOVERNMENT , 1900 HISTORY , 2100 LITERATURE , 2200 MATH , 2400 MUSIC , 2700 PHYSICAL EDUCATION , 2800 PUBLIC SPEAKING , 2900 SCIENCE , 3000 SOCIAL STUDIES , 3300 TECHNOLOGY

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this Career Exploration Script.

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS***

157 SECONDARY EDUCATION

Programs in Secondary Education provide opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills needed to teach grades seven through twelve. Teachers must be certified at the secondary level. They are required to specialize in major and minor subject areas and are certified in their areas of specialization. Secondary School Teachers must complete an approved teacher training program with a bachelor's degree. In addition, vocational endorsements may be earned.

Courses within this program vary according to major and minor areas of study. In addition, a sequence of professional education courses and student teaching are common to all programs.

Courses may include:

Search for a College and/or Instructional Program 

***APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES***

There are no Apprenticeships related to this Career Exploration Script.

***MILITARY TRAINING PROGRAMS***

There are no Military Programs related to this Career Exploration Script.

E-Learning Courses and Programs

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERIENCE AND METHODS OF ENTRY

Belonging to organizations like the Student National Education Association and being a tutor or Teacher's aide while in high school are ways of gaining experience. Student teaching, in Teacher training programs in colleges, offers experience in a classroom setting.

              School-to-Work opportunities include:

informal apprenticeships

mentorships

job shadowing experiences

touring a local Secondary Teacher Aide employer

internships

volunteer work with a Secondary Teacher Aide employer

community service work with an agency

Secondary School Teachers commonly find their jobs through direct application to school systems. Assistance may be obtained from college placement offices, want ads in newspapers and other publications, and contacts in education. In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:    

EARNINGS AND ADVANCEMENT

Salaries of Secondary School Teachers depend on such factors as their education and teaching experience, municipal budgetary conditions, unionization, supply and demand factors, and geographic location. Those who work in large metropolitan areas usually receive higher wages than those in rural areas. Teachers generally earn less in private schools than in public schools.

According to a recent nationwide survey, the average of the highest annual salaries (2006-2007) paid public classroom Teachers was $66,881; the average of the lowest salaries was $32,951; and the average of the mean was $48,885.  The median yearly earnings of "all" workers in the U.S. were $36,140 in 2007.

Salaries (2007-2008) of public school Teachers employed in various Michigan school districts were:

*Salaries vary depending on 42-, 46-, or 52-week schedules.

Most public school Teachers receives paid sick leave (10-15 days per year); paid holidays; and winter, spring, and summer vacations; life, hospital, medical, and surgical insurance. Some also receive dental, vision care, and prescription drug coverage. Most employers provide paid retirement plans and income protection insurance. Many also offer contributory tax-sheltered annuity plans. Sabbatical leave is available in some districts, usually providing for leave up to one year at half pay.

After working a probationary period, which usually lasts 2 to 3 years, Secondary School Teachers receive tenure. Advancement usually depends on further education and experience. Advanced degrees bring added earnings. Promotion to department chairperson, assistant Principal, or Principal may also be achieved through experience and advanced education. After some years of classroom experience, some Teachers prepare themselves through specialized education for positions such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, or reading consultants. A possible career ladder may be: Secondary School Teacher, lead or senior Teacher, Department chairperson, assistant Principal, Principal.

EMPLOYMENT AND OUTLOOK

Nationally, about 1,037,500 Secondary School Teachers and 75,800 Adult Education Teachers were employed in 2006. The majority of Secondary School Teachers worked in a public or private school setting.

Employment of Secondary School Teachers and Adult Education Teachers is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2016.  The education sector will continue to see a slow but steady increase in the number of job opportunities available within the next several years.  Student enrollment is expected to increase slightly through 2016. Factors such as an increase in the national drop out rate, transfers to other school districts, and other issues affect the overall school enrollment rate. Teachers who have expertise in integrating personal computer technology with classroom instruction will be strongly demanded by school districts. Many unfilled vacancies exist in specialized fields such as mathematics, bilingual education, industrial arts, chemistry, physics, data processing, special education, and speech correction. 

There are approximately 49,500 Secondary School Teachers employed in Michigan schools.

Employment of Secondary School Teachers in Michigan is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2014.  An average of 1,050 annual openings is expected for secondary Teachers, with 280 due to growth and 770 due to replacement of workers who retire, die, or leave the labor force. The same factors affecting the employment of secondary Teachers nationally will likewise affect instructors in Michigan.

SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Printed Occupational information is available upon written request from sources below.

  Copyright © 2008 Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth