How to Become a Teacher's Aide

Teachers who educate students have an enormous responsibility. Teacher's aides contribute to this important process by helping classroom teachers in instructional support, clerical duties, student supervision, learning material preparation, and other duties as needed. Obtaining your degree to become a teacher's aide can be a fulfilling career and may also provide a glimpse of what it takes to become a fulltime teacher. An online degree program can be beneficial for those who need to juggle a busy schedule.

What Is Taught in a Teacher's Aide Degree Program?

As a minimum requirement to become a teacher's assistant, you need a high school diploma and on-the-job training. If you work in a school with a majority of the students from low-income households, referred to as Title 1 schools, you must meet federal guidelines that require an associate's degree or pass an in-depth state or local assessment. Hiring trends indicate that an increasing number of employers favor those with some related college coursework.
A typical curriculum for a teacher's aide degree program consists of courses such as:

• Introduction to teaching
• Developmental characteristics in children K-12
• Group dynamics in the classroom
• Childhood development
• Effective use of instructional materials
• Curriculum development

The Job Outlook for Teacher's Aides

Teacher assistant jobs are expected to increase 10 percent from 2008-2016. Children who are non-native English speakers, children with special needs, and the trend of schools to improve on the quality of education provides increased opportunities for teacher's aides to help in these areas. Those who have at least two years of postsecondary college education have the best prospects in applying for these positions. In 2007, the mean annual wage for teacher assistants was $22,820. Fulltime teaching assistant jobs normally provide healthcare benefits while part time positions do not.
Source:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Teacher Assistants

Frank Ling is Editor of Gamernode.com. He has also worked as a photographer and video editor at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as a reporter and photographer for local community newspapers, as a quality assurance trainer for Electronic Arts, and has written for various websites.