Can You Teach Elementary With an English Degree?

If you hold an English degree and are passionate about teaching young children, the perfect career choice would be teaching in an elementary school. However, with so many requirements to become an elementary teacher, you might wonder if it’s possible for you to teach elementary with an English degree or if you need to meet other qualifications.

You can teach elementary with an English degree. However, you must take state-approved teacher preparation programs and licensure or certification tests before you are allowed to teach public school students. Private schools can hire elementary teachers with English degrees at their discretion.

This article will discuss the best college degrees one can hold to teach elementary students and how non-education graduates, like those with bachelor’s degrees in English, can become elementary teachers. We will also explore the pros and cons of teaching elementary with an English degree and the alternative careers they can take apart from teaching. Keep reading to learn more.

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Best Degrees for Teaching Elementary

There is no specific degree required to become an elementary school teacher. However, it is recommended that anyone who wishes to teach in elementary schools take a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Numerous higher education institutions across the United States offer this degree.

A bachelor’s degree in elementary education will prepare the prospective teacher with the knowledge, techniques, and experience needed to handle young children from the first to the sixth grade.

An elementary education degree will also teach prospective teachers to handle subjects commonly taught to elementary students, such as reading, math, science, and social studies. This will also enable them to take state licensure or certification exams to be allowed to teach in public schools.

There are some schools that offer an elementary education bachelor’s degree with a minor in the subject area you wish to teach once you become a teacher.

To learn more about taking an education degree, you can watch this YouTube video from Niche: The College Search App:

Prospective teachers may also take degrees in early childhood education, child development, behavioral sciences, psychology, and other related fields focusing on children. Additionally, they can take a bachelor’s degree in a specific subject area, such as language arts, English, mathematics, social sciences, and science-related fields.

However, aspiring teachers who took degrees outside education must take alternative routes, including teacher preparation programs or coursework, and undergo a student teaching practice before being allowed to take the licensure or certification exams.

They may also opt to obtain a master’s degree in education or a related specialization relevant to the subject they wish to teach in elementary school.

To learn more about this subject, you can check out my article: How Long Do Elementary School Teachers Go to College?

How Can English Degree Holders Become Elementary Teachers?

Degree holders in fields other than education, including language arts and English, may become teachers in private elementary schools without taking the licensure or certification test or completing education-related coursework. Private schools have their own qualifications for hiring teachers.

However, for public schools, most states require prospective teachers to graduate with a bachelor’s degree related to education in an institution approved by the state’s education department, go through a state-approved teacher preparation program, and take the state’s licensure or certification test. Meeting these requirements will enable the prospective teacher to teach elementary students in public schools within the state.

Several states require future teachers to meet a minimum grade point average (GPA) in obtaining their bachelor’s degree before being allowed to take the test for teachers. These include:

However, getting a certification is not the end of the road for a teacher. Several states require teachers to serve a minimum amount of time and maintain a satisfactory performance rating within a specific number of years to achieve tenure or risk being reverted to probationary status or dismissed.

You can check my article for an in-depth discussion about achieving tenure for teachers.

State-Specific Requirements for Prospective Teachers With Non-Education Degrees

It is a different scenario for non-education degree holders who wish to teach in public elementary schools.

While states have varying requirements for prospective teachers to obtain their teaching certification. All of them generally require a bachelor’s degree and completion of a teacher preparation program and student practice teaching before being allowed to take the state licensure exam for teachers.

They may be required to take alternative courses approved by a state’s education department. Also, the number of hours a prospective teacher must have in student teaching practice varies from one state to another.

Some states also require future teachers to have an employment offer from the school district where they plan to teach before being admitted to teacher preparation or student teaching practice.

Some states only have one alternative mode for non-education degree holders to become public elementary school teachers, while others offer multiple pathways. Some states do not provide an alternative path in certain elementary school grade levels. Some states also require a background check on prospective teachers.

Several states have recognized certification from non-government bodies, including the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence and the National Evaluation Series.

Some states also require a minimum GPA as part of their qualifications to be approved for admission to the teacher preparation or alternative teaching certification programs, just like the standard way of being certified.

Suppose the teacher has a license from another state. In that case, they may have to check with the state’s education department about any reciprocity agreement to recognize their out-of-state license. Once the license has been recognized, they may have to take the state’s licensure or certification test before receiving the state’s teaching license.

Duties and Responsibilities of an Elementary School Teacher

Here are some of the duties and responsibilities of an elementary school teacher:

Develop lesson plans across multiple subjects (for classes in first to third grades) or multiple sections (for classes in fourth to sixth grades).

Assessing student performance based on established metrics or rubrics as stipulated in the curriculum.
Observing students based on their behavior and ability.
Assisting students in overcoming learning challenges to ensure effective learning.

Communicating with the students’ parents through parent-teacher conferences.
Communicating with critical stakeholders in maintaining and improving student performance.

You can read my article about how hard an elementary school teacher’s job is for an in-depth discussion of their job responsibilities.

Advantages and Limitations of Teaching Elementary With an English Degree

Now that we discussed the best degrees for prospective teachers to teach elementary school students and how they can obtain certification, let’s discuss the advantages and limitations of teaching young children with an English degree.

Advantages

Some states require a bachelor’s degree in the subject you wish to teach, like science or math. Having an English degree will undoubtedly meet that requirement.
You will be able to apply what you have learned in obtaining your English degree and combine them with the techniques you learned during teacher preparation.

Job growth is assured as many young students from other countries enroll in elementary schools across the United States. You can check out my article to learn more about the high demand for elementary school teachers.
You get the opportunity to learn from your students as you develop your relationship with them.
There is some degree of autonomy in how you teach your students. Some school districts have set standards for teaching specific subjects in the curriculum. Still, you may be able to apply what you have learned in your English degree to deliver the lessons to your young audience creatively.

The communication skills you learned in your English-related courses can be applied when talking to your students about their performance or behavior.

Limitations

Since you have graduated with an English degree, you may struggle with teaching other subjects in elementary school apart from English. Elementary school teachers teach all basic subjects. You must create lesson plans for all topics, primarily if you teach from the first to third grades.
You may work with students who have behavioral or emotional challenges. Having an English degree may not be enough to address those concerns. Hence, taking the teacher preparation program seriously is essential as it prepares you to handle these.

You may be required to work long hours to develop lesson plans for subjects outside English and reading.

Alternative Careers for English Degree Holders

Here are some possible careers English degree holders may consider taking apart from becoming an elementary school teacher:

Archivists

Brand strategists
Content managers
Copywriters

Editorial assistants
Journalists and writers
Librarians

Proofreaders
Private tutors
Public relations specialists

Publishers
Researchers
Technical writers

Final Thoughts

Like other people who graduated with non-education degrees, English degree holders can teach elementary school students. You can teach them in private schools if you meet the job qualifications set by the school.

In public schools, however, you are expected to complete teacher preparation and undergo student teaching practice before being allowed to take the licensure or certification tests as set by your state’s education department.

You can check with your state’s education department or the nearest educational institution that offers an authorized teacher preparation program about how you can get teacher certification to teach elementary students.

Sources

The Balance: Best Jobs for Graduates With an English Degree