To become a teacher, look up the requirements in the state in which you live. Some states have different requirements to earn certification. All states require that a teacher attends and earns a bachelor's degree in teaching from an accredited college or university. Some states also require some teachers to obtain a master's degree as well. When a teacher completes all of the necessary coursework, tests and the student-teacher period, the teacher is then certified.
When the state certifies a teacher, he is also considered a licensed teacher. To remain licensed, a teacher must complete coursework from time to time, as required by the state. Some states also require that teachers earn a master's degree within a certain period of time to remain licensed.
To become a licensed teacher, you must also pass a state exam. The Praxis exam is the most common test used for teachers to become licensed. To be a certified, licensed teacher, a person must obtain all of the credentials required by the state. The credentials depend on the type of teacher she becomes. For example, becoming a math teacher requires different credentials than becoming a science teacher.
People becoming elementary teachers receive credentials that are very general, allowing the teacher to teach almost all subjects at that level. Teaching middle school and high school may require a person to receive specific certifications that are directly associated with the subjects they will teach. For example, a middle school teacher may have credentials to teach math and science classes. In this case, the teacher is not certified to teach other classes, such as English or social studies. Other teachers earn a certain certification for all ages, such as speech therapists, school counselors or reading specialists.