Nghi Ly

English 1010
Anne Canavan
12/01/2015
Psychology Teachers
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life (Confucius).
This is one of the career quotes that struck me the most; I believe that people should wake up
each day and enjoy being in the career that they have chosen. Whatever you decide to do, make
sure it makes you happy.
After I graduated high school, I became certain that if I wanted to pursue a higher
education I needed to be persistent and determined to achieve my career aspirations. I once was
very uncertain about my career path, but now, I am positive about the direction my life is going. I
went through millions of career choices before I came to the conclusion; I want to become a high
school Psychology Teacher. To accomplish anything in life, there needs to be plan and a path to
get there. This especially applies to my career path. This project will allow me to further explore
the career, and helped me get a grasp on whether it is a good choice for me.
The first reason I chose psychology as my major is that the topic interests me; I have
always been curious about the brain and I enjoy learning about how the mind works. I would
love to learn all about the way people act, think and feel, and at the same time try to help them. I
know pursuing a career such as a Psychology teacher will have some difficulties just as other
careers do. For instance, how to handle a room full of teenagers, how to get attention when they

have such a short attention span, etc. Also, Ill need to learn how to have time for families while
giving my full potential to my job. I believe that being a Psychology Teacher suits me because
being a teacher has always been my dream job, and Psychology intrigues the curious in me; why
not combine them together.
I first became interested in psychology a couple years ago while I was a senior in high
school. I had an AP Psychology class with Mrs. Gaskins, and it was the best choice Ive ever
made. She was passionate about what she was teaching, and I got to learn things which Ive
never even heard of. Mrs. Gaskins had a unique way of conveying the information, and getting
students to involve with her lectures. There were a lot of projects, experiments, and activities we
did as a class. For example, when we were learning about the brain, she taught us songs,
mnemonic devices, and hand gestures so that students can remember them. With that being said,
she is a role model and someone who I look up to; she has inspired me to pursue a career similar
as her.
Mrs. Gaskins has been teaching Sport Psychology, General Psychology and AP
Psychology at Granite School District since 1996; she is known for her passion, and her
eagerness in educating students. Fortunately, I got to sit down and interview Mrs. Gaskins and
she was kind enough to give me some insight of the career. Mrs. Gaskins graduated at University
of Utah with a masters degree in Psychology and a masters degree in Human Development. I
was like most people, I went through several major changes to find what I enjoy learning.
Psychology fascinates me and I was opened to a whole new level of thinking. Teaching
psychology is exciting to me and the information I learned never ceases to amaze me, she said.
Psychology teachers educate students in the basic concepts of human behavior, the
scientific method, famous theorists and different approaches to theories. They teach courses in

psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology. Most psychology teachers
work in a public high school, but those who work in colleges or universities are also professional
psychologists. According to Myfuture.com, in order to be a psychology teacher in high school,
one must obtain the teaching certification required by state and have at least a bachelors degree
in psychology, which takes 4 years to complete, or another area of social science. High school
level will usually be a broad instruction on general psychology without detailing specific
characteristics or applications.
College professors have more complicated education requirements; they must have a
doctoral or professional degree to qualify for most positions in a college or universities. After
graduating, becoming a member of the American Psychological Association will provide you
with networking and educational opportunities through conferences and workshops. Professors
who work for larger universities can still offer general psychology course, but there are more
restricted classes to particular disciplines, such as human development, abnormal psychology or
forensic psychology. College professors often spend a large portion of their time conducting
research or experiments and spend less time teaching (Myfuture.com).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national employment estimate is about
37,930 with a 2.1% of employment relative standard error. Also, the job outlook for psychology
teacher is growing. There is a projected 19% growth in employment predicted to occur between
2012 and 2022. The BLS showed that a postsecondary psychology teachers earned a mean
annual salary of $74,240, and $56,310 for secondary school teachers. Working hours for a high
school psychology teacher are often from early morning to mid-afternoon, excluding the work
outside of school hours for grading papers and test. It is not as flexible as a college professor.
Starting pay for beginning teachers tends to be low, but work in extracurricular activities such as

mentoring students, and obtaining a higher degree may boost a teachers salary, according to
Mrs. Gaskins.
Students who wish to enter the Psychology field is recommended to take specific courses
during high school and college that will teach them the required skills for the job. If I were you,
I would talk to an academic advisor, they have everything you will need to know from which
classes to take, which classes to transfer, to how long it takes to earn your degree, or whether you
are eligible for financial support. They can give you a schedule of which classes you should be
taking so that you dont have to waste times and money. I learned that the hard way Mrs.
Gaskins stated.
Im always busy. If Im not grading papers, Ill be preparing for lectures; if not, Ill most
likely to be answering students emails and I am expected to work outside school hours.
However, I love waking up each morning and see that Ive inspired students to love Psychology
as much as I do, Mrs. Gaskins said. Teachers, in general, face a lot of challenges, this especially
apply to Psychology. First, the field uses a lot of specific terminology, so teachers need to be
constantly reviewing their vocabulary. Second, students often have never heard of or used the
terms which makes it harder for psychology teachers to introduce the new concepts. Third,
teachers have to stay informed about changes and innovations in their fields, so that they dont
deliver false information. Finally, they have such a broad subjects and a huge amount of content
to teach.
Mrs. Gaskins stated that being a psychology teacher, she used to have a hard time
balancing work and families, since she had to work extra hours most day. However, she learned
to work with her schedule throughout the year. She talks about her students to her families and
she shares her familys stories in the class. To be successful, one must have the abilities to

communicate information and ideas fluently and effectively, the ability to write clearly so others
will understand you, and willing to listen to others, taking time to understand the points being
made. Also, selecting instruction and learning strategies must be appropriate for the situations
when learning or teaching new things. It is a job that requires patience, passion, motivation and
an enthusiasm for educating, Mrs. Gaskins added.
In conclusion, a career as a Psychology teacher can be extremely rewarding and
challenging at the same time. Although the career requires a lot of schooling and a vast variety of
skills, but the satisfaction of being able to educate students and motivate them to become success
make the challenge worth it.

Work Cited
Gaskins, Katherine. Personal interview. November 12 2015.

"Psychology Teachers." MyFuture.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 17 Nov.
2015.

1.
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3.
4.

What inspired you to being a Psychology Teacher?

What were your preconceptions about this career?
What advice would you give to someone who is interested to go into this career?
What would you do if you were me?

5. How much do I expect to make?

6. What difficulties did you experience when you first entered the career?
7. What do you do every day being a Psychology Teacher?
8. What do you wish you have done while in college?
9. What skills do you need to be successful in the career?
10. Was it worth it to have a career in this field?