Become a Teacher: Teaching in Public Schools
In The United States of America most children, 90% as of 2006, will attend public schools. Public schools are schools that are funded by Federal, State, and local tax revenue. Therefore, parents do not have to pay for their child’s education while they attend a public school, but as that is a great benefit to the parent it can also be a downfall to the student. Without tuition costs it is very likely for public schools to be under-funded and be in need of education tools such as books and instruments. Also, because the public schools are funded by tax revenue they must follow and obey all rules and regulations that are set for them by the government.
Public school systems were created by the government to give all children the right to an education, and not only those with money. Since they are government ran, public school systems are non-inclusive, meaning that will educate nearly any child that is within their “borders”, or geographical area. Public school systems were formed to get more intelligent minds out into the workforce, and more thinkers into our streets.
The traditional public school will take a student 13 years to complete. These years are typically called, “K – 12”, and that means Kindergarten through 12th grade. A typical age for a child to enter Kindergarten is approximately 5 years of age, and after Kindergarten they need to complete grades 1-12. Once a student passes 12th grade they receive their diploma and are unleashed into the “real world”.
The mission for public schools in the United States is to give an education to all students, no matter their financial status, race, or creed. The government is willing to do this so that students can succeed and develop into a working adult someday.
Do Public Schools Need Teachers Right Now?
With the economy being in a near-recession right now you will find many teachers at the age of retirement unsure about their futures. Therefore they maintain their teaching position a few more years to ensure a healthy retirement. With that being said it is still manageable to find teaching jobs in the United States public school systems. The public school system is always attempting to offer buyouts to the elder teachers with the “old ways and high pay”. This is one of the reasons why teaching positions are readily available depending on the region of the United States that you are planning to work in.
On the other hand, if your degree and research is in a popular field it can be very difficult to find employment in the public school system.
Where Are the Public Schools?
Public schools are located all throughout the United States, but there are many more schools located in urban areas. Although more public school students are from rural areas than urban areas. This is due to the fact that in larger cities violence is an issue in public schools and private schools are more accessible.More than 60% of the United States public school students live in the South and the Western parts of the United States, so there are more public schools in those regions.