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HOW TO BECOME A MYTHOLOGY TEACHER
I get this question all the time, so I decided to make a
page about it!
Advice about Teaching
First, let me get on my
soapbox for a minute. Teaching is a
complicated job and to be truly successful, you must enjoy working with young people. Go into teaching because you
enjoy young people and want to impact their lives—not because you want to drone
on endlessly about your favorite subject. Too many high-school teachers are passionate about what they teach
(English, mathematics, mythology), but they are completely frustrated by
teenagers! In my opinion, this is completely backward. No wonder so many students find their education
mind-numbingly boring. Some teachers see
students as an obstacle instead of a purpose. Okay. That’s enough preaching from me. Now, on to the info…
Disclaimer: I know very little about the process of becoming
a mythology teacher. It happened to me
completely by accident. (If you’d like
to know more about that experience, read my post “Mythology and Reader's Theater”) But, without further ado, here is the extent
of my knowledge about how to become a mythology teacher.
Teaching Mythology in
High School
Mythology courses are a popular high-school English
elective. (I’ve also heard of some
schools where the mythology course is taught by a history or Latin teacher.) So in order to become a mythology teacher on
the high-school level, you should pursue a degree in education (probably with
an English emphasis) and then apply at a school that has mythology as one of
their elective offerings. Or, even if
they don’t, you can add it once you’re on the faculty!
Teaching Mythology at
the College Level
Mythology courses are also popular on the college
level. At some universities these are
taught by English faculty, but many are taught as part of the World Languages
department. These focus mainly on Greek
and Roman mythology and are taught by professors of Latin. So if this is your desired course, you should
attain at least a Master’s degree in either English or Latin and apply to a
college or university for employment. Many professors have a Ph.D. in their subject areas, but many courses
can be taught with just a Master’s degree. As far as I know, there is not a degree you can get solely in
mythological studies. A degree in
Literature or Latin will probably be the best you can do. Some universities offer a degree in Humanities,
which is a study of the classical world (Greece and Rome).
I do teach mythology in high school, but in the past I have been offered a chance to teach a mythology
course at a local community college before. They considered my degree, a Master’s degree in Education (English emphasis), sufficient for this.
Teaching Mythology to
Adults
Community centers often offer various classes for community
members. If you would like to teach
mythology but do not want to pursue a degree, this might be a great way for you
to teach an informal mythology class.
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