Health Teacher: Job, Education and Salary Information

• What elementary health teachers do
• Educational and certification requirements
• Salary and employment projections
• Pros and cons of being an elementary health teacher

What do elementary health teachers do?

Elementary health teachers do a great variety of things, including:

• Lecturing on good nutrition and exercise
• Introducing topics such as sex education and drug abuse (depending on the school district)
• Taking children on field trips
• Helping individual pupils cope with health or lifestyle concerns

Educational and certification requirements

To teach health, teachers in an elementary school generally are required a have a bachelor’s degree, a teaching certificate and additional training in health, wellness and nutrition.

Master’s degrees and doctorates are usually not necessary to teach at the elementary level. However, a bachelor’s degree, teaching credentials and student teaching in the subject are usually qualifications just to be interviewed for the job.

Salary and employment projections

Career-related websites estimate the following annual salaries for elementary school teachers:

• BLS: $54,550 (median)
• PayScale.com: $41,706 (median)
• Glassdoor.com: $46,967 (average)
• Salary.com: $55,083 (average)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth for elementary school teachers is 6 percent.

Pros and cons of being an elementary school health teacher

Pros

• Children get lifestyle education that they might not get at home
• Children learn several lifestyle strategies
• Children learn valuable nutrition and hygiene options

Cons

• Children might be embarrassed by the topics being taught to them
• Children may resist being taught different ways to live
• Children may want to follow teachers’ guidance but lack money or opportunities to pursue it

• What middle school health teachers do
• Educational and certification requirements
• Salary and employment projections
• Pros and cons of being a middle school health teacher

What do middle school health teachers do?

Middle school health teachers give students enough information about healthy options so they can make informed decisions about their lifestyles.

Middle school health teachers’ duties usually include:

• Leading classes on topics such as hygiene, introductory sex education, eating disorders and their impact on the body, or nutrition and its effects on the brain
• Presenting fitness options
• Gathering pamphlets from community-based health organizations
• Overseeing class projects or going on field trips to places like community gardens and fitness centers

Educational and certification requirements

To become a middle school health teacher, you must have a bachelor’s degree, a state-issued teaching certificate, student teaching experience and courses in health and fitness.

To be better prepared, a bachelor’s degree in health is an option.

If you choose to advance in your career, a master’s degree is almost certainly required.

Salary and employment projections

Estimates of middle school teacher annual salaries:

• BLS: 55,860 (median)
• PayScale.com: $43,528 (median)
• Rileyguide.com: $53,430 (average)

The expected job growth rate for middle school teachers is 6 percent.

Pros and cons of being a middle school health teacher

Teaching middle school health can be challenging.

Pros

• You help give students accurate and complete information and help clear up their confusion.
• You can make it fun and interesting to learn difficult or uncomfortable subjects.

Cons

• With an influx of people from other cultures, you may find strong resistance to what you’re teaching.
• Children may scoff at what you say or treat your material with scorn.
• Students may not want to listen to what you have to say.

• What high school health teachers do
• Educational and certification requirements
• Salary and employment projections
• Pros and cons of being a high school teacher

What do high school health teachers do?

Their duties usually include:

• Talking more about the physiology of health and wellness.
• Making sure students are knowledgeable about basic hygiene and disease transmission.
• Giving students a greater understanding of drug abuse and its effects on the body and brain.

Educational and certification requirements

Health teachers in many states are required to have bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, teaching credentials, student teaching experience and courses in health and wellness.

To advance in education, a teacher might also get a degree in school administration or management.

A master’s degree in psychology can be a huge help because teachers must work with many personality types in the classroom.

Salary and employment projections

Annual salary estimates for high school teachers:

• BLS: $57,200 (median)
• Glassdoor.com: $50,000 (average)
• PayScale.com: $45,889 (median)

The job growth projection for health educators is 6 percent.

Pros and cons of being a high school health teacher

Pros

• You may save a student from taking drugs.
• You may instill new lifestyle habits.
• You may teach students skills they can use to fit more comfortably in society.

Cons

• Students and parents alike may be angered by the subject matter you are teaching.
• Students who are not English language speakers may require additional tutoring.