How do you become a high school math teacher...and why would you want to?

Math teachers are very much in demand, and in the present economy a math teacher has more job security than many other jobs. This would probably always be the case and you would be likely to find openings for math teachers in just about any geographical area of your choosing. Another incentive for becoming a math teacher is that your state might offer tuition reimbursement or student loan forgiveness since math is a critical shortage area for K-12 schools. As a matter of fact, one of the mandates of the federal "No Child Left Behind" act is that all classrooms should have a "highly qualified" teacher. This translates to being certified in the subject you are teaching. The number of schools across the country that are in compliance with this, as far as math is concerned, is appalling low. If such a financial incentive program is available in your state you should be able to get details about it at the state Department of Education website.

A good school to start with might be a community college, if you have one in your area. This would be especially true if you are not just out of high school and are "going back" to school. In such a case you would be what is called a non-traditional college student. Community colleges usually have very good support systems for such students, including remedial courses if you need to brush up on any prerequisites. They also usually have learning labs with tutors that can help you throughout an entire course or just for some topics that you are having a hard time with. Also, if you are planning to work while you go to school, a community college would offer a flexible schedule in terms of what time of day courses are offered.

As far as the process is concerned, I can say that you would need a four year degree. So after two years at a community college you would go on to finish the last two years at a school such as a state university or a private college, depending on which would be more accessible for you. I live in Florida and I know that to teach mathematics here you don't need to major in math, but you do need to have a certain number of credits in math. You would also need certain education courses in order to qualify for state teaching certification once you have a teaching job. Many colleges offer a Math Education major, which lays out all of the courses you would be required to complete to obtain certification. You can probably find information about these requirements on your state's Department of Education website. Alternatively, an advisor at the community college should be knowledgeable about these requirements and be able to set you in the right direction in terms of what courses you should start with.

As a final note, if you are in another career but are dissatisfied and would like to become a math teacher you should find out if your state has an alternative certification program in place. Florida requires that all school districts have some program of this kind. In my district it is a self-study program where there are a number of "tasks", each related to a different aspect of teaching math, that need to be completed. An onsite and an online mentor is assigned to each candidate. This is a great time saver as an alternative to going back to school. However, it is required that you have a college degree in order to enter such a program. Also, you have to be the kind of person that is very self-disciplined so that all of the tasks are completed within the prescribed time.

If you are interested in teaching math you should read Teach Math as a Journey.  And for just some great math, read my hubs about algebra, discrete math, and pi.