Gifted is a term that applies to students with talents and skills in specific areas that exceed those of their peers, and a gifted resource teacher is someone who works with those students. These students are often much brighter than their peers and have issues forming relationships with others, which makes teaching those children difficult. Those who have experience in gifted and talented programs and students of this type often do best.
What are Gifted and Talented Teachers?
A gifted teacher also known as a gifted and talented teacher, is someone who works with students who have strong skills in one or more areas. Many schools let those students complete their own projects to gain credit, and those schools need teacher who can supervise the work that students do. Other schools offer advanced programs for students. While their peers take algebra or pre-algebra, the gifted students study geometry or calculus. The teachers working in this field must know how to relate to those who might have problems at home or at school due to their intelligence.
College Needed for the Job
You need a degree to work as a gifted resource teacher, but the type of degree needed varies based on where you live. Many states will let you work as a gifted teacher with just a bachelor’s degree in an education field. Other states offer education programs that let you teach on the provision that you take graduate courses to earn a master’s in gifted education. There are a few states in the country that only let gifted teachers work in the field after completing an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree and a student teaching experience in a gifted and talented classroom.
Do You Need Certification?
Though gifted teachers do need state certification, depending on your state, you may not need any special credentials to teach gifted classes. Certification requirements vary from state to state, but you can contact the Department of Education in your state for more information. Some states offer a skills test that college graduates can use to receive certification, and other states use a criminal background check as part of its requirements. If you have any convictions for drugs, sexual crimes or other crimes, you may not pass the test. Several organizations do offer gifted resource certification, but you don’t need the certificate to teach in the field.
Tasks and Duties of the Job
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, high school teachers with a bachelor’s degree earn a median salary of more than $55,000 a year. Many of the teachers working with gifted students teach at the high school level, but there are also positions available in elementary schools and junior highs or middle schools. A gifted resource teacher may also find a job with a private school that focused on the education of gifted students. They supervise the work that students do, introduce them to new topics and subjects, assign homework and grade papers and tests of their students, and they provide emotional support when needed.
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Gifted children can feel ostracized from their peers because of the way they act and think. Teachers working with these students need to know how to foster their interest and make them comfortable with their intelligence. As a gifted resource teacher, you will work students in and out of the classroom.
