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Home > Teaching Specialties > English Education
English Education
 English teachers help us learn the language and appreciate influential works that have made an impact on the English language. Becoming an English teacher starts with earning at least a bachelor’s degree and sometimes a master’s degree in English education. Rewarding jobs are available for English teachers in the public and private sectors of education.
English teachers have an opportunity to choose to focus their teaching on classic literary texts, creative nonfiction, contemporary fiction, film and web-based media, and more. Famous authors like Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe may provide works that you use in your classroom to teach young students the history and basics of English. In addition to famous literary works, you will instruct on other necessary skills such as the structure and flow of an essay.
You may have the privilege and challenge of working with a diverse population of students to help them understand and appreciate the English language. You may also be responsible for:
 Creating lesson plans that meet curriculum standards
Reviewing books and materials prior to class
Delivering appealing, articulate lectures
Adapting your teaching style and class projects to meet the needs of diverse students
Finding and implementing instructional materials for use in the classroom
Grading tests and papers
Mediating between student, parent, and other educators to evaluate student progress
As an English teacher, you might teach at any of these types of environments:
secondary schools, such as middle and high schools
public or private schools, including parochial schools
public or private colleges and universities
Qualifications for English Teachers
English teachers in the public and private sectors are most often required to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. These degrees must be earned through an accredited college or university program. Provisions to the No Child Left Behind Act in 2006 prompted many prospective English teachers to earn their degree and state certification in tandem.
Some states offer professional development programs which allow someone with a bachelor’s degree in English, but without a teaching credential, to work under professional guidance while completing a one-year program.
Many teachers are opting to earn their master’s degree in addition to their bachelor’s in order to boost their earning potential. Your state may require you to complete your master’s within a certain period of time in order to qualify for higher salary opportunities. To learn more about your specific state requirements, check with the Department of Education for your state.
Certification Requirements
You must earn a teaching credential in order to teach at any public school. All states hold their public school English teachers to complete a bachelor’s degree along with a certain amount of subject and education credits. Private schools, on the other hand, may not require a license.
Once you earn your teaching credential or license, you may also be required to attend continuing education classes to keep up with educational standards. Again, this will vary by state. Applying for your teaching license will also require you to pass a competency test like PRAXIS that will require a certain level of understanding in reading, writing and teaching.
English teachers have some rigorous requirements, but all for good reason. As an English teacher you will be impacting your students in a way that will leave them vulnerable if taught improperly. An English teacher is held to a high standard because their job is so influential and crucial to the development of a student’s academic mind. You will have the privilege of playing a hand in the course of young people’s lives.
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