Schools are filled with dedicated professionals. While many parents interact only with their children’s homeroom teachers, there are dozens of other positions working behind the scenes to create a safe, healthy, and effective learning environment.
Maybe you are interested in a career in education but know that running your own classroom is out of the question. Very understandable. Fortunately, there are TONS of other ways to work as an educator. In this article, we take a look at ways you can contribute to your local learning community without becoming a teacher.
Read on to learn more about what you can do with a degree in education. Spoilers: it’s probably a lot more than you think.
School Nurse
We did say healthy right in the title, didn’t we? School nurses are fully licensed RNs who have gone on to acquire a special certification that qualifies them to work in school. Naturally, they work very directly in helping to make the school healthier.
While many students only see the school nurse when they get a scrape on the playground, their responsibilities extend well beyond applying bandaids. They are gatekeepers, doing their part to keep the entire school community healthy.
When viral outbreaks are surging within a school, it is the nurse who manages the crisis. They may set strict behavioral guidelines, send kids home when they develop troubling symptoms, and even contact state health agencies if the problem gets out of hand.
It’s worth keeping in mind that there are some awesome benefits to working as a school nurse. For one thing, you’ll get summers off. Parents will also be pleased to work a schedule that closely aligns with that of their children.
Finally, school nurses get to avoid some of the worst stress factors relating to their work. Yes, they do play an important role in the wider school community, but their patients generally do not have ailments more threatening than the common cold.
Specialists
Teaching specialists are fully licensed teachers at the same pay scale as someone running their own classroom. They will see students all day, sometimes in their own room, but more often by “pushing into,” other classrooms to lead a lesson on topics like:
- Reading
- Writing
- STEM
Specialists experience all of the joys of teaching without as many of the pressures. They are able to focus on one area that interests them, they rarely have to interact with families—a rewarding but often stressful component of the job—and they often work in small groups rather than seeing 25+ kids at a time.
Librarians
Librarians do a lot more than just peddle books—though that is noble work in its own right. Most librarians actually already perform educational responsibilities. Stop by your local public library and you will find a bulletin board full of classes for children and adults—virtually always led by a librarian.
The education connection is even clearer in the school setting. Here, librarians are almost always required to have a master’s degree in library sciences AND a teaching license.
Librarians, naturally enough, generally focus on nurturing literacy skills. However, in many school districts, they will often push in much the same way as a specialist to assist with other lesson plans as well.
PE
There’s an old joke. Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach PE. Don’t worry, it isn’t true. The stereotype of the sadistic gym teacher is just as misaligned as that of the grumpy librarian. Gym teachers contribute to a healthier school environment simply by getting kids moving every day.
Children are supposed to be physically active for at least an hour, daily. It’s hard to hit that number when you are desk-bound. PE makes it easier but making exercise mandatory.
Many PE teachers are also deeply involved with their school’s athletic programs. This is another awesome way to give back to the school community. Not only are school sports a good way to get exercise and develop camaraderie between classmates but it has consistently been shown to improve GPAs.
Students who are required to hit a certain grade point average to retain permission to play school sports get higher scores than those who do not. Bottom line? PE teachers play a vital role in the school community.
Administrator
Administrators work primarily behind the scenes. Their job is to develop policies that advance district goals and help students achieve the best possible educational outcomes. They do this twelve months out of the year, often trying to balance strict state requirements with shoestring budgets and staffing shortages.
It is stressful work, but also a responsibility that no school district could do without. Most school administrators were teachers at one point, though this is not necessarily a requirement. They do all have a graduate degree in administration.
For their advanced training, they are generally well-compensated. Many administrators, particularly those with a few years of experience, make six-figure salaries.
MISC
Then there is a whole world of miscellaneous school jobs that are of great importance:
- Paras: Paraprofessionals are basically teaching assistants. They may help students with assignments, make copies, oversee quizzes, or even teach short lessons. Paras are required only to have a high school diploma in many states, making it an accessible way to try out the world of education.
- Truancy: School attendance is vital to successful student outcomes. Truancy officers play an important role in this process, checking up on students with attendance problems, and generally holding families accountable.
It doesn’t end there. Social workers, speech therapists, and even counselors, all play a vital role in the health of their school system. These jobs can be difficult. Where a first-grade teacher will spend the majority of their time with the same twenty kids, a school social worker will often divide their time between three schools within the same district.
Still, it is important work. If you are interested in a career in education, it is important to remember that there are tons of opportunities that go beyond simply being a classroom teacher. Find the job that excites you the most and figure out what it takes to do it.
