Do you have a four-year college degree? You’re qualified to teach. Yes, I have certification credentials and my master’s. I’m not convinced you need them to teach. Right now, public schools are slapping provisional licenses on many, many teachers without credentials to fill slots in the classroom. Many private schools do not require professional teaching credentials, just a bachelor’s degree.
If you have a college degree, you took a number of classes. You can teach science. My undergraduate degree was in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry. None of the classes in college really resemble high school Biology or Chemistry. They were helpful, not critical. Instead, do you have a desire to learn? You might be one chapter or module ahead of the kids. The first time you teach, you may be married to the textbook. Plan on a few panic attacks when you first cross an unfamiliar topic. Guess what? Even with a degree in Bio, my first classes, especially in Chemistry, were daunting and full of panicky moments of self-doubt.
Here are a few tips. Pick a science class you like. Start with elementary topics from Apologia’s Young Explorers, which have loads of hands-on activities. At least the first time, follow the textbook. Go ahead and supplement—but stick to the modules. Stay one chapter or module ahead. Tell the kids, ‘I don’t know’ when you don’t. Go ahead and look up a question right there with the kids. This still happens to me. I give the kid my best guess as an answer and tell the child, ‘I’m not 100% certain. Let me check.’ Don’t try to fake it. What happens when a lesson is just terrible? Start over. Every so often, a lab or activity just bombs. Start again the next class and move on. Tell the kids that the lab was an unmitigated disaster which we won’t repeat. We’ll go on and make new mistakes. In other words, be fearless. Expect both victories and defeats. Science is probably outside your comfort area. Good! This will be an adventure for all of you!
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