Middle School STEM Teacher
Why be a Middle School STEM Teacher
“Teaching science to middle schoolers is challenging, joyful and intense work. I love sharing the feeling of discovery when my students have some experience that helps them explain a phenomenon that we are investigating. I love when they have wrestled with a tough idea and come out the other side feeling exhausted but proud of their thinking. It isn’t always like this, but when we are learning the room sort of hums.” - Malia McDowell, Science/Robotics/Computer Science Teacher, Horizon Middle School, WWU MIT Graduate
How much does a teacher earn?
- Bellingham School District Teacher Salary Information
- Washington Teacher Salary Database: search individual teachers’ salaries by name
Is there a need for teachers?
Projections show a rising demand for teachers and a shrinking supply.
From: A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.
Can I get Student Loan Forgiveness?
Why teach STEM at the Middle School Level?
- Middle schoolers are amazing! They have a lot of humor, creativity, compassion and independence. They are curious about the world and more aware of things outside themselves. It’s a fun age group- not scary like so many people think.
- It feels like an opportunity to grab students before science becomes specialized and really focus on hooking them in and helping everyone see themselves as a scientist. Because science is more integrated in middle school, you can more easily point out connections and interweave different sciences.
- You get to dive into science content in ways you can’t in Elementary School, while not getting too specialized like high school. Teaching a broad variety is always interesting! You can catch the interest of more individual students throughout the year.
Want to see what being a teacher would be like?
SCED 481 is a two credit course designed to give you an introduction to being a science teacher. Learn more about SCED 481.
There are two routes you can take to become a Middle School STEM Teacher
