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[quote=Anonymous]OP:

I'm not a lawyer, but I made the switch from editing to public-school teaching 5 years ago. I now teach middle school.

Assuming you'd like to teach in public schools, where the pay is twice what it is in private, I agree with the people who warned you against alt certification programs that do not require at least 6 months of student teaching. I went through one myself, and there are two major pitfalls: (1) the major school systems don't want to hire people with provisional teaching licenses, which is what you come out with initially and (2) when you do get hired, you will lack the classroom experience (classroom management, understanding testing/data collection that is a much bigger part of the job than you may realize, etc.) that others have.

Also, it's true that social studies jobs (which include government and civics) are the hardest jobs to come by in the public schools. This is one more reason to go for the full teaching license, and not the alt certification type. I don't know how old you are, but it can also be tough to get high-school jobs if you are over 35 or so--they definitely look for younger people, especially those who can also coach sports after school.

It is a very difficult time to become a new teacher, because of the increased scrutiny teachers are under at every level: legislators, parents, and principals. But if this is what you want to do, it is worth it. Going to work every day to do something meaningful is a wonderful thing.

The best place to start is by signing up to be a substitute teacher. Being a sub doesn't usually involve developing lessons, but at least you'd get a sense of the rhythm of the day, the unpredictability, how well the kids relate to you, etc. You could do it as your schedule allows. Also, start volunteering in related areas as much as possible (tutoring, teaching ESL at a church/etc., serving as juror for academic contests such as debates and science fairs).

Good luck, OP!
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