Busting Myths about the Teaching Profession
Rate Your Life
Gallup asked this question of 172,000 U.S. workers.
They did this analysis where they took the percentage of respondents who rated themselves at the top and subtracted off the percentage who rated themselves at the bottom. They ignore those who fall in the middle.
When they bin these scores by occupation group, they find that teachers rate their lives better than all groups, trailing only physicians.
Why do you think teachers rate their lives so highly compared to other professionals?
Science and Math teachers’ responses (60 total responses) when asked, “What provides you with day-to-day satisfaction?”
- Strong relationships between fellow teachers
- Always learning new and emerging areas of my content (eg. physics)
- Teaching is a science; teachers constantly use their STEM skills as teachers!
“Other committed teachers make amazing coworkers and friends.”
“Teaching provides the drive/reason to explore new and challenging areas of my content.”
Teacher Salary
Did you know…
Mid-career teacher salaries typically range between $60,000 and $100,000?
This is a salary schedule for teachers in the Atlanta Public School system and it shows teachers’ salaries based on the number of years of experience and the highest degree obtained. This is public information and you can always look up the salary schedule for any public school system.
Additional Opportunities for Income
In addition to the salaries shown, there are numerous opportunities for K-12 teachers to earn supplemental income. Unlike college professors, K-12 teachers get additional pay for activities outside their core teaching assignment. Teachers report earning between $2K to $15K per year for serving as a club sponsor (drama, science, NHS, etc.) or coach (baseball, cross country, etc.), or providing tutoring. And in the summer, teachers may choose to get a summer job. We know teachers who work at NREL in the summer, take students on guided tours in the Everglades, work at the Denver Zoo, etc.).
Other teachers choose to use the flexible summer schedules to enjoy time with their family and friends.
Something else to note here is that Private Sector STEM jobs certainly pay the best, but they also happen to be the most difficult positions to obtain. To land one of these private sector jobs right out of college is rare. On the other hand, because of the national physics teacher shortage, you are practically guaranteed a teaching job after you graduate.
Teacher’s Retirement Benefits
Did you know…
Most teaching jobs have better retirement benefits than other jobs you can get with the same degree.
Teachers Retirement System (TRS) of Georgia
Teachers in the state of Georgia have a terrific option for retirement. And after they have worked for at least 10 years in the school system, they can receive retirement benefits. These benefits are calculated with a simple formula:
(highest monthly salary) x (number of years of service) x 2%
So, if you were a teacher who earned a masters degree and worked in the Atlanta school system for 25 years, your benefits after retirement would be:
($6587) x (25) x 2% = $3294
which is what you would be paid every month.
Teachers in the U.S. retire at age 59 compared to age 63 for all occupations.
STEM Teacher Shortage
Most physics teachers have no substantial training in either physics or physics teaching.
Did you know…
You can get a job almost anywhere in the U.S. or abroad as a science or math teacher.
Science and math teachers are in extremely high demand. How high? In the 2018 AAEE (American Association of Employment in Education), Educator Supply and Demand in the United States Report, a Considerable shortage is given a numerical score between 5.00 – 4.21. Physics (4.59) Mathematics (4.49) Chemistry (4.47)
There is a National physics teacher shortage.
The severe national shortage of high school physics teachers is due to very low numbers of new teachers educated at US colleges and universities. About two-thirds of institutions with a secondary education program prepared zero high school physics teachers in the last five years. But small increases can make a huge difference!
Most institutions prepare zero new physics teachers per year.
In Georgia, right now, we need 92 new physics teachers this year and we are only producing 13 per year. That is only 14% of the needs being met. At UNG, we plan to change these data and produce at least 5 highly-qualified physics teachers every year.
The Physics Secondary education Initiative at UNG
At the University of North Georgia, we are committed to providing the best education in physics, astronomy, and engineering for our students and helping our students choose a career path that is right for them. One possible career that a physics/engineering student might choose is teaching and UNG offers multiple avenues for students to become highly-qualified physics teachers.
Avenues to Teacher Certification
At UNG there are multiple avenues you can take to become a highly-qualified physics teacher and earn your teaching certificate. Depending on your interests and time, you can choose the avenue that is right for you.
Bachelor of Science with a major in Physics
Students will complete this four-year avenue with a B.S. degree in Physics. This avenue provides a variety of early teaching experiences such as physics/astronomy Learning Assistants (LAs), and telescope operators (TOs). Students also have many opportunities to engage in undergraduate research and advanced physics lab and lecture courses.
This avenue is ideal for anyone who is interested in physics and teaching.
To earn teaching certification along this avenue, students can complete a one-year Post-Baccalaureate Initial Teacher Certification Program or teach in a school in Georgia and receive Alternative Certification.
Double major: BS in Physics and Secondary Education
Students will complete this five-year avenue with two B.S. degrees: Physics and Secondary Education, and will be certified to teach. This avenue provides a variety of early teaching experiences such as physics/astronomy Learning Assistants (LAs), telescope operators (TOs), and student teaching. Students also have many opportunities to engage in undergraduate research and advanced physics lab and lecture courses.
This avenue is ideal for anyone who is interested in physics and teaching.
While pursuing a B.S. degree in physics, you will likely engage in undergraduate research. Did you know that teachers can continue to do research after finishing their undergraduate degree? There are opportunities for teachers to engage in research during the summer, usually with a paid stipend and room/board. Check out these Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs): Pathwaystoscience.org
BS in Secondary Education with concentration in Physics
Students will complete this four-year avenue with a B.S. degree in Secondary Education and will be certified to teach. This avenue provides a variety of early teaching experiences such as physics/astronomy Learning Assistants (LAs), telescope operators (TOs), and student teaching.
This avenue is ideal for anyone who is interested in becoming a physics teacher.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) under grant no. 1707990. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Physics Education Research at UNG 