Your guide to teaching STEM
You can make a big impact as a math or science teacher. Here’s everything you need to know.
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You can make a big impact as a math or science teacher. Here’s everything you need to know.
Neven Holland wants more students to love math — but that wasn’t always the case. “I never had math teachers who looked like me or who highlighted why my experiences were valuable and applicable to what we were learning,” he says about his early school life. “I simply felt like I wasn’t good at math. I wasn’t a ‘math person.’”
Then he enrolled in a teacher training program, with a mentor teacher who offered a different perspective. For the first time, Holland saw a math teacher who showed that mistakes were okay, and who brought students’ experiences into the classroom.
Holland now teaches fourth-grade math in Memphis, Tennessee. He wants to emulate his mentor teacher’s approach. “I promised myself that I would teach math in a way that celebrated and incorporated my students’ experiences through high-quality, engaging, and culturally relevant content,” he says. “I wanted to teach in a way I wanted to be taught.”
Just like Holland, as a STEM teacher — that’s science, technology, engineering and math — you’ll show students that math and science can be about discovery and exploration. You’ll connect lessons to real life problems, and help students, including girls and students of color, see themselves in science and math. In short, you’ll make a big impact.
Let’s look at what to expect from a STEM teaching career.
In a nutshell, STEM educators teach math or science, often at the middle school or high school level.
Math teachers often teach several classes, like algebra, geometry or pre-calculus. As a science teacher, you might focus on a specific subject, like biology, chemistry, earth science or physics. You can also teach more general science classes or computer science!
Most importantly, you’ll get to connect lessons to real-life issues, spark curiosity and reflection, and maybe even blow things up (well…hopefully not).
Yes! Math and science are shortage area subjects across the country. With in-demand expertise, you’ll have a secure career ahead of you.
Plus, as a shortage area teacher, you’ll have more options in where you work — so you can find the school that’s the best fit.
STEM professionals develop everything from new medical treatments to renewable energy sources to electric cars. In fact, STEM jobs are projected to grow by almost 9 percent by the end of the decade. (1)
But recent research shows a gap between the number of students pursuing a STEM career and the number of STEM professionals we need. (2) Math, science and tech teachers are key to closing that gap.
Many school districts offer special incentives for shortage area teachers. That includes math and science! For example, you might earn a third-year teacher’s salary in your first year, or get an extra bonus on top of your regular salary. Depending on where you teach, this could add up to several thousand extra dollars each year.
Reach out to school districts that interest you to find out if they offer any incentives for STEM teachers.
Teaching in a shortage area also opens up support like the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. That’s another smart move for your finances!
Teaching STEM means more than teaching subject matter. It’s about meeting students where they are, and connecting lessons to their experiences.
Neven Holland has seen this effect. “In my first year in the classroom, I showed my students a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge as part of a lesson and was met with blank stares. Most of my Tennessean students had never been to San Francisco,” he says. “Then I switched it up and brought in the Memphis Pyramid and FedEx Forum — those little shifts made a big difference! My students were immediately more engaged.”
It’s also important to engage with students’ identities. That especially matters for girls and students of color, groups that are underrepresented in STEM careers (3): Research shows that students are more likely to stay interested in math and science when they have an inspiring teacher, or see STEM professionals who share their identity. (4) (5)
You can show students they don’t have to be any one thing to succeed in math or science — and that helps them imagine new possibilities for the future.
The path to teaching STEM is similar to other subjects. Specific steps vary by state — but here’s a quick overview:
You can start teaching faster if you get a degree in the field you plan to teach, like biology or chemistry.
But you don’t necessarily need a bachelor’s in your teaching subject! If you have a degree in something else, you can take post-baccalaureate classes to fill in any missing requirements.
Typically, yes.
However, if you have a bachelor’s degree, you may be able to start teaching before you earn your teacher certification. In most states, you can do this with an alternative certification program. (Some states call this alternative licensure or residency licensure.)
Through alternative certification, you’ll lead your own classroom, earn a full salary and take coursework outside of school hours.
This can be a great option if you’re changing careers, have worked in a school before or already have a degree in the STEM subject you want to teach!
“Anyone who remembers their own time as a student will not be surprised to hear that when kids feel that they belong — and when their experiences are visible and celebrated as part of learning — they perform better,” Neven Holland explains. “Instead of the world being divided into math people and non-math people, we can show students that we are all math people.”
Our certification guide has more info about how to become a teacher and next steps! Our resources are always free.