Career profile High School Teacher

Table of Contents

• What does a High School Teacher do?
• What is a typical salary for a High School Teacher?
• What personality traits are common among High School Teachers?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do High School Teachers need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a High School Teacher do?

High School Teachers teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

What kind of tasks does a High School Teacher perform regularly?

High School Teachers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
• Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
• Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate these objectives to students.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by administrative policy.
• Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
• Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
• Assign and grade class work and homework.
• Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
• Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
• Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
• Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage.
• Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
• Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems, or special academic interests.
• Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
• Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
• Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine their priorities for their children.
• Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.
• Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons that promote learning, following approved curricula.
• Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
• Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of secondary school programs.
• Prepare for assigned classes and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
• Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
• Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, contests, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
• Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
• Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Perform administrative duties, such as assisting in school libraries, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.
• Sponsor extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.
• Administer standardized ability and achievement tests and interpret results to determine students' strengths and areas of need.

The above responsibilities are specific to High School Teachers. More generally, High School Teachers are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a High School Teacher salary?

What personality traits are common among High School Teachers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a High School Teacher are usually higher in their Social, Artistic, and Enterprising interests.

High School Teachers typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, High School Teachers typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Lastly, High School Teachers typically have moderate Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a High School Teacher tend to value Relationships, Achievement, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, High School Teachers very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, High School Teachers strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Lastly, High School Teachers strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as High School Teachers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as integrity, self-control, and adaptability/flexibility.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of High School Teachers, ranked by importance:

What education and training do High School Teachers need?

Many High School Teachers will have a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

High School Teachers usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Educational degrees among High School Teachers

• 2.2% completed some college coursework
• 1.5% earned a Associate's degree
• 40.2% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 51.0% earned a Master's degree
• 5.0% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by High School Teachers

Important Abilities needed by High School Teachers

High School Teachers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, High School Teachers need abilities such as oral expression, oral comprehension, and written comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for High School Teachers, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by High School Teachers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

High School Teachers frequently use skills like speaking, instructing, and reading comprehension to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for High School Teachers, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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