I have always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. i have a high school diploma and I'm a Para-Pro. What steps do I take to make my dream come true?  Thank You!

benswifey:

I have always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. i have a high school diploma and I'm a Para-Pro. What steps do I take to make my dream come true?  Thank You!

The first thing I'd do is talk to the principal where you work, or the HR department for your school district, or something like that.  Different states and districts have different requirements, and you want to make sure your path will qualify you for a position where you already are.

-=Steve=-

---

B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

You may also want to find out what your state's licensing requirements are.  What state are you in? 

In order to become a teacher, you need to familiar with your state's licensing and accreditation process.

I assume that you are a working mother with kids and a busy schedule, so definitely consider an online degree so that you can continue to be a great mother to your kids.

Here are some online schools that have online education programs:

• Saint Leo University
  
• Ashworth College 

Hope this helps! Would love more fellow teachers out there!

Be advised, Ashworth College is DETC accredited, this may not meet your state's licensing requirements.

Like the ones before me have said, you first need to know your state licensing policy.  Once you find that out, look for a school that suits you.  With you wanting to be a Kindergarten teacher, your degree plan needs to be centered around a Early Childhood Education degree plan, unless you want to go higher, if not, ECE would be the best.  On this site click on Online Degrees, from the menu, click Education, then click Early Childhood Education.  A list will come up with all online schools that offer ECE degrees online.  I do know that Ashford is the most noted online, when it comes to this site, but there are many others out there.  You might want to persue your Associates Degree, the Bachelor, and then your Masters.  The majority of schools in the US require a teacher to have a Masters Degree before teaching.  Now, with that said, many states also allow you to start subbing once you have 60 hours accumulated.  Find all schools you are interested in, and start applying.  Pick the school that you feel most comfortable with.   Good luck in your quest!

Here is the link to the Early Childhood Education Degrees on this site.  Like I said in my previous post though, they are not the only ones that offer these, they are only the more noted out there and that also use this site to help broadcast themselves to the perspective students out there looking for online degrees.

http://www.elearners.com/online-degrees/early-childhood-education.htm

Also check out the marketplace for teachers.  For example, in Texas from what I've heard there is a waiting list of teachers wanting to get hired at the K-6 level, thus many end up teaching middle school until an opening comes along.  In that case there are requisite hours in given disciplines that must be met, ie 12 hours of English and Composition or 9 hours of post secondary mathematics, etc.  Really it depends on how your state licenses at which grade level, but from what I've heard about my state, almost any new teacher will have to start in a 6-9 grade level in the higher populated areas.  The same might not be true for rural areas but then rural pays a lot less...

My understanding is that special education teachers are the ones that are most in demand, so if that's something that might interest you, it's something to consider.

-=Steve=-

---

B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

i am pretty sure that you have to go to school for a few years. but it should be easy.