High School Math Teacher: Career, Outlook and Education Info
Explore the career requirements for high school math teachers. Get the facts about career outlook and education requirements for employment to determine if this is the right career for you.
What is a High School Math Teacher?
High school math teachers instruct students in mathematics concepts including, but not limited to, algebra, calculus and geometry. They plan lessons for each day and create a plan to ensure that students learn the necessary concepts over the course of the academic year. They help students understand complex mathematical concepts and then give quizzes and exams in order to create progress reports. They may also prepare students to take various standardized exams. The following chart gives an overview of this career.
<table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degree Required</b> </td><td> Bachelor's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Training Required</b> </td><td> Teaching courses (non-education majors)</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Education Field of Study</b> </td><td> Math education, mathematics</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Key Responsibilities</b> </td><td> Teaching math lessons, grading homework, monitoring student progress</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Licensure</b> </td><td> Required to teach in public schools</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-30)</b> </td><td> 8% (average) for all high school teachers*</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Median Salary (May 2020)</b> </td><td> $62,870 for all high school teachers*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatIsTheCareerSummaryOfAHighSchoolMathTeacher">What Is the Career Summary of a <a href="http://Learn.org/articles/High_School_Math_Teacher_Become_a_High_School_Math_Teacher_in_5_Steps.html">High School</a> Math Teacher?</h3><p>High school math teachers instruct secondary level students in the science of numbers, commonly known as mathematics. Typical areas of study that you can expect to teach as a high school math teacher include algebra, geometry and calculus. Your duties may include administering lessons, facilitating discussion, grading homework, maintaining classroom discipline and evaluating student progress. You will need to provide progress reports, evaluations and assessments to students, parents and administrators.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatTypeOfEmploymentOutlookCanIExpect">What Type of Employment Outlook Can I Expect?</h3><p>Job prospects are expected to increase moderately for high school math teachers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted a job growth of 8% for secondary school teachers from 2020-2030 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). This would be an increase of 77,400 jobs. The BLS attributed this projected growth to increased student enrollment as well as declining student-teacher ratios.
</p><p>According to the BLS, in 2020 the median annual salary for high school teachers was $62,870. The upper 10% earned $102,130 or more per year, while the lower 10% earned $41,330 or less. What you can expect to make is affected by your education and experience levels, employer and location.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatEducationalRequirementsWillINeedToComplete">What Educational Requirements Will I Need to Complete?</h3><p>Degrees in math education, such as Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education, are commonly awarded by colleges and universities. Alternately, you may pursue a bachelor's degree in mathematics while also participating in a teacher training program. After earning your bachelor's degree, you might consider continuing your education in a master's or doctorate degree program in mathematics education.
</p><p>When you've obtained at least a bachelor's degree, completed a teacher training program and gained supervised teaching experience, you'll generally be qualified to apply for state licensing. Some states also require that you complete technology training and achieve a minimum grade point average. Public schools in all 50 states require high school math teachers to test for a teaching license. Additionally, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards provides optional certification for high school math teachers (<i>www.nbpts.org</i>). You may apply for certification in teaching mathematics to adolescents and young adults.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>Prospective high school math teachers may also be interested in teaching other subjects, like biology or English, though they would have to pursue a different educational path in order to do so. They could also choose to teach math at the middle school level if they wanted to teach more basic concepts. Other career paths include social work, school administration, childcare work, and library science.</p>