"Mini-Guide" to K-12 Education Degrees Online

• "K–12 (pronounced just "kay twelve", "kay through twelve", or "kay to twelve") is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, and some parts of Australia. The expression is a shortening of Kindergarten (4-6 years old) through 12th grade or grade 12 (16-19 years old), the first and last grades of free education in the United States, Australia and English Canada."

- Wikipedia

Think about an online K-12 education degree if you:

• Are patient
• Have self-confidence
• Are compassionate
• Are understanding
• Can explain concepts to others in a way they can understand
• Enjoy seeing others succeed
• Take pride in helping others accomplish their goals
• Enjoy helping others
• Strive for excellence
• Enjoy being around children
• Have a positive attitude
• Have good communications skills
• Are able to motivate others
• Adapt easily to change
• Have a sense of humor
• Have found yourself in public talking to strange children and correcting their behavior
• Can usually understand why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents
• Get a secret thrill out of laminating something

If an online K-12 education degree or becoming a K-12 teacher isn't right for you, consider these fields instead:

• Curriculum and Instruction:
  Understand the importance of current media and technology and how to incorporate new applications to develop and improve existing curriculum, as well as improving the effectiveness of curriculum instruction. Enhance leadership and organizational skills while focusing on improving the teaching and learning process.
  Curriculum and Instruction Online Degrees
• Special Education:
  Gain the expertise for teaching and developing specialized curriculum or programs for special needs. Have a solid understanding of how to work with student with behavior, emotional, and cognitive disabilities.
  Special Education Online Degrees | Special Education Online Certificates
• Educational Technology:
  Educational Technology seeks to improve the teaching and learning process by the creation, use, and management of appropriate technological processes and resources.
  Online Educational Technology Degrees | Online Educational Technology Certificate Programs
• Library and Resource Management:
  Know how to contribute to an academic environment using technology and multimedia; learn how to develop relevant programs to supplement school curricula.
  Online Library and Resource Management Degrees | Online Library and Resource Management Certificates

Most schools allow you to choose a specialization – a focused area of study within the K-12 education degree.

• Educational Administration
  Prepare for leadership positions and focus on management of personnel, legal issues in education, and education finance. Gain a greater perspective of a school’s impact and role in any given community.
• Special Education
  Develop awareness, sensitivity and the knowledge necessary to meet the various needs of students with disabilities and be able to teach in different settings (home, school, etc.).
• Distance and Online Education
  Apply technological know-how with teaching experience; incorporate a variety of tools and multimedia to engage and education students without face-to-face interaction.
• Elementary Reading and Literacy
• Elementary Reading and Mathematics
• Middle Level Education
• Educational Leadership
• Program Specialist
• Secondary Education
• Elementary Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Science Education
• Collaborative Learning and Teaching
• Interdisciplinary Studies

Teachers must complete a bachelor's degree program consisting of courses centered on education, followed by obtaining a license to teach in the state in which they want to work. The degree program may consist of courses designed to prepare future educators to teach, as well as courses in math, science, music, art and literature. Educators may also be required to take courses in working with students from diverse cultures, teaching English as a second language and psychology. Future educators may also need to meet certain technical requirements by taking courses in using computers to teach in the classroom.

Public school teachers are required to be licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Private school teachers are not required to be license, but they do need to hold at least a bachelor's degree. Many states, experiencing a shortage of teachers, have programs which offer alternative routes to licensure for those who have bachelor's degrees in fields other than education. This usually involves undergoing additional courses or a training program to prepare them for the classroom. Prospective teachers entering the field under one of these alternative routes to teaching may be granted a provisional license until they complete all of the requirements for full licensure.

Educators may be required to obtain a certain number of continuing education credits in order to renew their teaching license with the state. They may also be expected to earn a master's degree after they have taught for a certain number of years. Educators wishing to become school principals or superintendents will need to hold a master's degree or doctorate.

While the exact curriculum will vary from school to school, here are some of the courses you might take as an K-12 education major:

• Communication
• Academic writing
• Psychology
• Foundations of Education
• English Language Teaching
• Classroom Methods
• Curriculum and Management
• Student Teaching
• Human Development and Learning
• General Education courses, including Social Sciences, Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Mathematics.
• Reasoning and Problem-solving
• Student Assessment

When you have completed your online K-12 education degree, you will likely have gained many of the following skills and competencies:

• Ability to select methods, activities and materials that are aligned to a module, lesson, or course
• Ability to create and foster a safe, inclusive learning environment
• Capacity to encourage and support learners to succeed in an academic setting
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills
• Expanded and sharpened instructional and teaching skills
• Good listening skills
• Increased awareness of how people learn
• Sensitivity to student diversity
• Thorough understanding of various teaching styles, learning theories, and methodologies
• Understanding of human development and how changes affect the learning process

As a career-oriented major focusing upon the instruction of students, a variety of education majors are needed to accommodate diverse groups of students at every level of learning. Potential employers for people with online K-12 education degrees include:

• Preschools and Nursery Schools
• Public and Private Schools
• Middle and Junior High Schools
• Secondary (High) Schools
• Alternative Schools
• Colleges and Universities
• Community Recreation Centers
• Consulting Firms
• Correctional Institutions
• Day Care Centers
• Educational Publishers
• International Language Schools
• Libraries
• Museums
• Test Preparation Companies
• Two-year and Technical Schools
• YMCA/YWCA

Possible Job Titles for Associate's or Bachelor's Education Degree Holders/Entry Level Job Titles

Here is a sampling of jobs you for which you may be qualified with a degree in K-12 education. Remember that requirements differ from state to state, and certain cities may require additional credentials as well. Use this for inspiration, remembering that this may represents some, but certainly not all, of the careers you can consider.

• Elementary and Secondary Education Teachers
• Special Education Teachers
• Technical Education Teachers
• School Administrator
• Kindergarten Teacher
• Preschool Teacher
• Physical Education Teachers
• Professional Tutor
• Substitute Teacher
• Teacher Assistant or Aide

Possible Job Titles for Advanced Education Degree Holders

• School Administrator
• Administrator of Special Education
• Curriculum Director or Specialist
• District Administrator
• Educational Researcher or Writer
• Guidance Counselor
• Student Personnel Administrator
• Superintendent

Responsibilities will vary by the age group you teach.

At the elementary school level:

Elementary school helps lay the educational foundation which will set up the students for future success in their studies at the middle and high school level. The early grades introduce students to language skills, science, social studies and mathematics. Elementary school teachers impart these skills to students through art, games, music and books. Teachers are typically responsible for teaching several different subjects to one group of students.

At the middle school level:

Teachers in Middle School, also known as “junior high school,” help prepare students in grades 6 through 8 for the rigors and responsibilities of high school studies. While students in Elementary School are guided through very structured classes in sheltered environments, students in Middle School must be taught to study independently and turn in assignments by a set deadline. Middle school teachers may specialize in teaching one specific subject. They may also be responsible for teaching some courses which are career-related through vocational studies.

At the high school level:

High school teachers are responsible for guiding students in grades 9-12 through more in-depth studies and preparing students for further studies in college or in vocational/technical trades. Teachers in high school may also prepare students for employment after high school through career planning or job placement through on-the-job training courses. College preparatory courses are designed to give high school students the knowledge they need to take and excel at college placement exams. Some high schools offer programs which give high school students dual credit for both high school and college, so educators must have the training and knowledge to teach courses at a higher education level. High school teachers typically specialize in one subject area, and may teach several different classes in the same subject each day. They may also be assigned a home room class for the purpose of taking attendance and performing other school administrative duties, and supervise study halls where students can work on their coursework from their other classes. High school teachers develop study plans, assign homework and proctor and grade exams. By the time students graduate high school with their diploma, they are expected to be fully prepared for college or for entry-level jobs in the workforce.

Teaching can be a very rewarding experience, particularly for those who enjoy seeing a student grow and obtain new knowledge. However, it can also be a stressful and frustrating experience for a number of different reasons. Teachers may be faced with disruptive, disrespectful or unmotivated students. They are expected to help each student make satisfactory progress in their studies and master certain core subjects, which are measured in standardized exams.

Educators may also face a heavy workload with a minimum of resources at their disposal. Depending upon the school district, the school may have a shortage of computers, text books or other materials considered necessary for teaching a classroom full of students. The school facilities themselves may be old or rundown. Some teachers may have very little say in the kind of material they are expected to teach.

One misconception is that teachers have shorter work days compared to those in other professions. Teachers typically work more than 40 hours a week, including regular classroom time, participation in extracurricular activities within the school, and time spent grading papers and preparing lesson and homework assignments for students. In elementary schools, teachers may be responsible for teaching a number of different subjects. In middle and high school settings, teachers may teach more in-depth topics in one subject. While some school districts have adopted all-day kindergarten, some teachers still teach two different kindergarten classes per day.

Many teachers work the traditional 9 or 10 month school year, with time off during the summer. However, many teachers spend this time teaching summer sessions of school classes or furthering their own education by taking additional college courses in education. Some school districts have adopted a year-round schedule, in which classes take place for several weeks at time, followed by a week or two off until the next round of classes.

Teachers are afforded a certain level of job security once they become tenured educators. This usually happens following a probationary period of teaching at a school, usually about three years. This does not mean educators are immune from cost-cutting or layoffs. Instead, they are protected from dismissal without just cause and due process afforded by their union's contract with the school district.

According to the U.S. government's Bureau of Labor Statistics, "employment of school teachers is expected to grow by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations." This growth is expected to create an additional 479,000 teaching positions. Job opportunities will range from good to excellent, depending upon the area, grade level and subject matter taught. Most of the job openings will result from the large number of teachers expected to retire between now and 2016.

In terms of earning potential, the BLS states "median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers" ranged from $43,580 to $48,690 in May 2006; the lowest 10 percent earned $28,590 to $33,070; the top 10 percent earned $67,490 to $76,100. Median earnings for preschool teachers were $22,680.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $31,753 in the 2004–05 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2004–05 school year was $47,602.

Educators do have opportunities to supplement their income by coaching school sports teams and working with students in other extracurricular activities. Also, obtaining additional education such as a master's degree for gaining certification can result in additional pay.