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will make a difference "Teachers
open up, for a lifetime, the magnificent gift of reading, the ongoing pleasures of math,
the adventure of geography and science, the lessons and legacy of history, the
enthrallment of music, art, literature and languages, the demands and accomplishments of
physical education and athletic competition... Teachers are the reason why airplanes fly,
computers program, ballets are danced, novels are written, cancers are researched,
lawsuits are won, skyscrapers are built and ‘art’ decorates refrigerator doors.
Life’s biggest accomplishments occur because somewhere, sometime, someone touched our
lives - and it all began with a teacher!" If you become a teacher, you make a commitment to be a life-long learner yourself. Teaching is learning - about subject matter, about the art of teaching, about how we learn, about your students, about your community and about yourself. Teaching is also about exercising leadership and helping people. You will have the
opportunity to help children learn, thrive and grow into productive members of their
community. Teaching is a well-respected, rewarding, intellectually stimulating profession.
Ontario teachers are respected at home and abroad. Many foreign schools are enthusiastic
about hiring Ontario-trained teachers. Other jurisdictions recognize that Ontario teachers
are professionals with exceptional qualifications.
Today’s teachers are professionals. They know their subject matter, their students and the methods of teaching in a changing world. Today’s teachers use their professional knowledge to promote student learning. They evaluate student progress and continuously refine their teaching practice. Today’s teachers are educational leaders. They collaborate with colleagues, parents, other professionals and members of the community to improve student learning. Today’s teachers are also learners and researchers. They recognize the interdependence of teacher and student learning and engage in career-long professional development to improve their practice. Ontario needs teachersThere’s been a dramatic change in the job market for teachers. Over the last several years, many new teachers found it difficult to get a full-time teaching job in Ontario. But now the province’s education system needs thousands of men and women to be elementary and secondary school teachers in all the academic and technological subjects. About half of Ontario’s 170,000 teachers will retire by 2008. And there simply are not enough people graduating from Ontario’s faculties of education to replace them.
The best preparation for a career in teaching is a well-rounded education. Today’s teachers need a solid grounding in the liberal arts, mathematics and science. Elementary students now study many math and science concepts that used to be taught in high school - and elementary teachers need to be prepared to teach them. Today’s teachers must be able to use computers and a wide range of learning technologies themselves, and be able to help students fully understand and make the most of these resources. "The complexity of the demands made upon teachers in modern schools
requires that all teachers should possess a level of research literacy. Teachers need to
be informed consumers of research. As well as being active researchers themselves... . The
independent professional is a critical consumer of research. To teach Kindergarten to Grade 6, you will need to complete an undergraduate degree and your Bachelor of Education (BEd) or equivalent. For Grades 7 and 8, you will need to be qualified as an expert in one subject. To teach high school, you must be qualified to teach two subjects. If you’re not sure whether you want to teach at the elementary or secondary level, take a variety of courses. You will have enough time to specialize in university. Teachers who graduate from BEd programs at Ontario universities are much sought after by schools in the province and around the world. Admission to Ontario faculties of education is limited - you will need very good marks to get in. Doing volunteer work with children is an excellent way to help you prepare for teaching. Although it is not a requirement, it may help you gain admission to a faculty of education. Try your hand at tutoring or working with children or young people through school, community or religious programs. It will also help you discover whether you like to work with youngsters. After you’ve successfully completed the teacher training program, your final step to your career in teaching is to become a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. To teach elementary school
In university, you’ll choose to specialize in one or two subjects from the elementary curriculum like English, history, science or math. A course in psychology, child development, or sociology of the family will also help you prepare for the classroom. To teach secondary school academic subjectsMany of the qualifications are the same whether you teach in elementary or secondary school. You need to complete an undergraduate degree and a teacher education program. As a high school academic teacher, you will need to be qualified to teach two academic subjects. This means that you should choose accordingly in your university majors. Take English and history, for example, or music and mathematics, or mathematics and science. If you think you would eventually like to be a specialist department head or principal, you may want to consider taking an honours degree. To teach secondary school technological subjectsTo teach technological subjects - communications, construction, hospitality services, manufacturing, personal services, design, transportation - you do not have to have an undergraduate degree. You must have experience and proven competence in your field. You need a secondary school diploma, five years of work experience in the technology subject area and the one-year teacher education program. You may also enter the teacher training program with less work experience if you have a combination of experience and post-secondary education related to the field. You could pursue this post-secondary education at either a college of applied arts and technology or a university.
Whether you’re preparing to become a teacher immediately after you finish your formal education, or whether you’re preparing to become a teacher after you’ve been in the working world for five or 15 years, working with children and adolescents as a volunteer is a plus. In fact, it’s often their volunteer work as youth group leaders or sports coaches that prompts people working in a technological field to realize they’d like to make teaching their career. If you have the experience and the interest, contact one of the faculties of education that prepares future teachers of technological subjects. Brock University, Queen’s University, University of Ottawa, University of Western Ontario and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto offer these programs - you can find their addresses in the list of faculties of education in this brochure. Were you trained to teach in another province or country?If you received your teacher training outside Ontario, the College of Teachers will evaluate your credentials to ensure that you have education, training and experience equivalent to that required in Ontario. If you do, and are fluent in either English or French, you can be licensed to teach in Ontario. If your qualifications do not meet Ontario standards, the College will advise you how to acquire additional qualifications, usually at an Ontario faculty of education. To apply for membership in the College and a licence to teach in Ontario, contact the College of Teachers and ask for the Registration Guide for Teachers Trained Outside Ontario or Outside Canada. Ontario Faculties of EducationOntario’s 10 faculties of education offer a wide variety of programs. If you are interested in studying to become a teacher, you should research several of these programs to find the best one for you. Some are offered on the university’s main campus, some at satellite campuses. Eight provide instruction in English, one in French, and one in either English or French.
The Ontario College of Teachers Founded in 1996, the Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs and regulates the profession of teaching in the public interest. The College sets standards of practice and ethical standards, accredits teacher education programs and conducts disciplinary hearings. A 31-member Council develops and approves College policy. The provincial government appoints 14 public representatives to the Council. The other 17 members are teachers, who are elected by the members of the College in a province-wide vote. To find out more about the College of Teachers, visit www.oct.on.ca, call the College’s Membership Services Department at (416) 961-8800 or toll free in Ontario at 1-888-534-2222, or e-mail the College at info@oct.on.ca.
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