Learn to Teach With Scholarships for Educators
The legendary college basketball coach John Wooden reportedly once told an interviewer that "the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession."
Becoming a teacher gives you the chance to directly affect future generations, and it continues to be a popular career path . O ver the last decade, more than 100,000 students each year have earned a bachelor's degree in education .
Of course, while teaching has a major effect on society, it isn't necessarily a career path for those who want to get rich. With an average starting salary around $36,000 , new teachers may not be equipped to pay off large amounts of student loan debt right away. Fortunately, to help minimize that debt, there are plenty of scholarships and other financial aid options available for those who are called to teach.
For many aspiring teachers, government grant aid can cover a large part of college tuition, but it may come with some strings attached. To help bring quality teachers to high-need school districts, the U.S. government offers the TEACH grant program, which awards up to $4,000 per year to students pursuing a teaching degree.
The only catch is that if you receive an award, the grant commitment requires you to spend four years after you graduate teaching in a high-need field at a school serving low-income students. If this commitment isn't met within eight years, your grant funds are treated as student loans.
You can find similar grants for specific subject areas, too. The National Science Foundation'sRobert Noyce Teacher Scholarship supports aspiring STEM educators. Each year of support requires recipients to spend two years teaching science, technology or math in a high-need district. These awards are distributed by individual colleges and universities, so if you're going into STEM education, check with your financial aid office.
Future teachers can also find plenty of private scholarships. Most of these awards don't come with any postgraduation commitments and many of them are available with one application, like the Phi Delta Kappa International Prospective Educator Scholarships.
PDK, a professional association for educators, awards more than 30 scholarships each year. To be eligible, you'll need to either join or be referred by a member of the association or its related Future Educators of America group. Ten general merit scholarships are given each year, along with a variety of awards that take residence, college or financial need into consideration.
The Pi Lambda Theta honor society, a companion organization to PDK, also offers its own set of scholarships. Membership in PLT is required before you apply, and getting in can be tough.
Student members must be at least a sophomore in college and have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Once you're in, you can apply for a number of awards specific to education students who are already in college or grad school.
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The $1,500 Student Support Scholarship is the flagship program, and others are available depending on your level of study and area of focus. Like the PDK scholarships, applications are open through April 1 most years.
Members of the National Education Association Student Program are eligible to apply for the NEA-Retired Jack Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship.
The program provides a $2,000 scholarship award to a college student who is pursuing an education degree and demonstrates financial need.
Applications are due on or around April 15 each year, and make sure you start your application early. Unlike many programs, the Kinnaman Scholarship does not accept online or emailed applications.
Finally, in addition to federal grants and general scholarships, there are lots of subject-specific awards available. If you're pursuing a career in elementary education, for example, check out theNancy Larson Foundation. Each year, around a half dozen college juniors, seniors or graduate students in elementary education programs are named Nancy Larson Scholars.
If a career in health or physical education is your goal, there's the SHAPE America Bill Kane Scholarship, which provides a $1,000 award to a current undergrad. The best news is that you can apply for it now through Nov. 15.
Matt Konrad has been with Scholarship America since 2005. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota and a former scholarship recipient.Learn to Teach With Scholarships for Educators - Yahoo News: