A biology teacher is someone who studied biology or life sciences in college and then went on to get a teaching credential, master’s degree, or doctorate to further their education. These instructors could work in middle or high schools, as well as community colleges or universities. The type of job performed may be influenced by the school environment.
It’s possible to make a distinction between a biology teacher and a biology professor. Secondary school biology teachers may or may not have spent significant time in college studying and majoring in biology. They could be majoring in microbiology, chemistry, zoology, or another field of science. Regardless of other priorities, they will be able to teach beginning high school biology courses and provide instruction in areas such as life sciences. To meet the demands of a school, many science teachers teach outside their area of expertise, and they are not limited to teaching classes in their major.
It’s critical to realize that the scenario outlined above isn’t always accurate. Some secondary school science teachers majored in biology before getting their teaching license. They may only teach biology and life sciences courses at work and not be involved in other scientific fields.
Biology teachers at the college level are usually members of a life sciences or biology department, and they are likely to teach only courses in their field. Unless a professor has dual expertise in subjects such as biochemistry, it is unlikely that a chemistry professor would teach a biology class or vice versa. Because biology has so many subspecialties, college biology teachers can expect to teach a diverse range of courses. These could include advanced biology and life science topics, as well as far more participation in biology labs, but teaching could also include beginning biology classes for students who need to fulfill life science prerequisites.
As the future biology teacher’s studies progress, he is likely to gain highly specialized knowledge in the field. With these specializations, especially at the doctoral level, a teacher may be hired by a college to teach in new areas of research. This means that teachers, especially for upper-class or graduate students, may design some or all of their own classes. Teachers at the college level may also supervise students who are majoring in this subject and create more in-depth assignments for advanced students.
In contrast, a high school biology teacher’s class design is usually limited, and he or she may be required to follow regional or state standards when creating classes or selecting subject matter. It’s possible that the decision on which books to use won’t be made until later. Despite these constraints, many secondary school biology teachers enjoy their jobs and enjoy teaching the fundamentals of the field in the hopes of inspiring students to pursue it further in college.