Science teacher's jobs can be suitable for those people who are eager to discover and regularly update their knowledge on various sectors of science. Subjects like chemistry, physics, and biology are the most common subjects that a science teacher must know. You can specialize in any one subject. As a science teacher you will have to supervise lab experiments for students and make them understand the concepts and process involved in the experiment. As a science teacher, you have the opportunity to help the students understand the natural world around them. Sometimes you may have to arrange field trips so that the students can get practical knowledge about the things around them. Science teachers should motivate the students to think out of the box and should be able to answer the questions raised by the students.
Some basic responsibilities of a science teacher are outlined below:
- Researching and making lesson plans
- Continuous interaction with the students to ensure concepts are clear to them
- Formulate studies plans for students and show them the ways to improve themselves
- Maintain and regularly update the performance records of the students
- Meet parents and provide them feedback regarding the students' behavior and progress
- Keep watch on the students' growth and ensure that there is steady growth in students
- Should always encourage students so that they can achieve their targets
- Perform some additional duties as assigned by the higher authorities
- Should actively participate in the meetings, trainings and presentation
- Discussion of goals and objectives at the starting of the year
- Organizing creative activities along with other teachers so that students get new things to learn
- Help the new comers to coordinate their activities
- Science teacher must give personal attention towards such students
To be a successful science teacher, a person should possess the following skills:
- Good oral and written communication skills
- Must easily get mixed with other team members and work with them in coordination
- Should have positive attitude towards life and be self motivated
- Time management skills are pre requisite to become successful as science teacher
- Good classroom management skills
- Good counseling skill is must
- Developing a friendly relationship between the science teacher and the students
Prior experience is not a necessary criterion all the time. A qualified science teacher needs to have a professional resume, the official college transcripts and a proper Science Teacher Certificate to start teaching successfully.
On an average, a science teacher gets a salary of $51,000- $75,000. But this may vary depending on your qualification and experience. Science teachers are paid more as compared to other teachers. It is a vast field and once you enter it you can go on growing. Only thing required is commitment hard work from your side. The salary is also according to the working area. The salary goes in descending order from college to high school to middle school.
The career prospects depend on the geographical area and the subject specialty of the person. Education is a never ending field and so the job of a science teacher will never come to an end. Instead experts predict the employment opportunities to rise at a rapid rate. Science teacher's jobs are highly reputable in the society and has good pay scale as compared to other jobs.
The job of a science teacher is well spread out in a number of subjects. Within the dimensions of the classroom, he is the sole responsible person who can take help of either traditional teaching modes or pioneering methods to impart scientific knowledge through laboratory experiments and demonstrations among the students. This is not just a philanthropic job but an emotionally satisfying one as well.