If you are like most students, you are probably so early in your life that you haven’t fully considered your career options. Sure, you may have wanted to be a singer, actor or football player when you were younger, but those paths may no longer be realistic. Unless you have a unique talent, it is very difficult to make it as a professional artist or athlete. This is why you are now wondering what career path you want to take. At Dade Prep Academy, we are committed to teaching the next generation of professionals, technicians and leaders. This is why we take teaching so seriously. We understand that it may be one of the most important jobs in the entire world. It is our responsibility to educate the next generation.
So, have you ever considered a career in teaching? Do you think you are up to the task of educating others? Do you like helping others grow to meet their potential? Do you think you have what it takes?
There is a teaching shortage nationwide, especially in Florida
Florida is the fastest growing state in the nation. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, our population grew by 1.9% in just one year from 2021 to 2022, with 706,597 new residents. Today, we have over 22, 244,823 residents in the Sunshine State as more and more of our fellow Americans see all the great things our state has to offer.
The demographics of this population boom are also different than in the past. Where in previous years, Florida saw influx of retirees from other states, today’s new arrivals are mostly young families with children. As a result, the demand for schooling in Florida has increased. This has given rise to a teaching shortage in Florida.
Today, there are over 5,294 teacher vacancies in Florida schools. According to Newsweek, this is the worst shortage the state has ever seen. This means that many schools can’t fill teaching and other staff positions, leading to crowded classrooms and impacting education. This is part of a larger nationwide trend, with public schools reporting a 7% loss in educators from 2019 to 2021. This is due in part to teachers retiring, as many older ones did during the Pandemic. It is also because there are not as many people applying for open positions. Making the situation more difficult in Florida is the increase in the number of students.
What does this mean for you?
If you are a student in a public school, this teaching shortage could impact your education. Your classrooms will be larger, so you will have to compete with more students to get the attention you need from your teacher. It will also mean that your public school will not be able to offer as many elective classes as it did in the past. This is because the limited number of teachers means that the ones still working will be pulled in more directions.
But with every problem, there is also an unforeseen benefit. If you are looking for a career, then teaching might be the one for you. There is a business theory called Blue Water. Basically, there are two types of jobs or businesses, those competing in red water and those in blue. The red water careers are overcrowded with possible employees outnumbering the amount of open positions. Blue water careers are those where there are plenty of available jobs, but not enough people to fill all of the openings. Today in America in general and Florida in particular, teaching is a blue water career. So, if you become a teacher, you will probably not have any problem finding a job opening. In fact, you may find your services in such demand that you can pick and choose between the teaching position you like the best. In other words, if you become a teacher today, you are in the driver’s seat of your career!
How can you become a teacher?
There are a number of steps to becoming a teacher, starting with getting a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. However, unlike some professions, the majors you can take to quality for a teacher are quite broad. For example, if you want to become a physician, you need to have a certain number of credits in specific science classes like chemistry and biology, and successfully complete medical. For teachers, there is no professional school like medical school or law school. In addition, while many future teachers major in education, others concentrate in Psychology, Sociology, History, English, Mathematics or one of the many sciences. Actually, many who major in math or science can be the most in demand teachers as schools are putting an increasing emphasis on STEM.
Once you’ve gotten your bachelor’s degree, you will need to complete a teacher preparation program that has been approved by Florida. This preparation course can usually take another year or two after you graduate from college.
With these requirements in hand, you can now decide between teaching in Florida’s public schools or at a private school like Dade Prep. Public school teachers in Florida are required to pass a criminal background check and to successfully complete a number of credentialing examinations. Once you have completed this, you will be eligible to apply for a Florida Teacher License. If you decide to teach in private school like Dade Prep Academy, the institution may either follow the requirements of Florida public schools or have its own set of criteria for hiring you as an educator.
The future is yours with a career in education
As you can see, there is a big demand for teachers. This will continue as the population of our state increases year after year. So, if you are planning your future, you can rest assured that there will most likely be a teaching job waiting for you when you graduate from college. In addition, you can use your background in education to do other jobs, including going into administration at educational institutions if you prefer that role. The future is bright for those in education, and a great place to start out on that road is here at Dade Prep Academy, where we are proud to educate the future teachers of Florida.
