Launch League

Public service, teaching and people · Ohio

High school teacher: what the job actually is

Teaching one subject to around a hundred teenagers a day, and doing the planning, grading and parent emails that make up the other half of the job.

By , founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

The work

What this job actually is

  • Teaching the same lesson several times a day to different classes, and making it work for each one.
  • Grading. Essays, labs and tests come home with you at night and on weekends.
  • Managing a room of teenagers who did not all choose to be there, some of whom are dealing with a lot at home.
  • Meetings, emails to parents, paperwork for students with learning plans, and hallway and lunch duty.
  • Summers off, but much of that time goes to planning and training, and the school year is intense.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 7:00 a.m. Arrive, make copies, set up the first lab.
  2. 7:40 a.m. First period. Half the class is awake.
  3. 10:15 a.m. Planning period, mostly spent answering emails and grading quizzes.
  4. 11:30 a.m. Lunch duty in the cafeteria.
  5. 1:00 p.m. A student who has missed a week comes in to catch up. You stay after class to help.
  6. 3:00 p.m. Department meeting about a new curriculum.
  7. 8:00 p.m. Grading at the kitchen table.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

You may like this if
  • You really like your subject and like explaining it.
  • Teenagers' moods, jokes and pushback do not rattle you.
  • You can stay organized with a lot of moving parts.
  • You want work that matters to a specific group of people every day.
You may hate this if
  • You need your evenings and weekends free all year.
  • You do not want to deal with classroom behavior every day.
  • Being on stage for six hours a day would drain you.
  • You hate repeating yourself.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ohio

  1. Earn a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher prep program

    Ohio's resident educator license requires at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited teacher preparation program. You usually pick your subject, like math or English, during college.

  2. Pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators

    Ohio uses the Ohio Assessments for Educators, which include content tests in your subject and an Assessment of Professional Knowledge for grades 7 to 12. Your college program will tell you which tests you need.

  3. Get your resident educator license for grades 7 to 12

    Ohio licenses are issued for grades pre-K through 8 or grades 7 through 12. The resident educator license lasts two years and can be renewed in some cases.

  4. Complete the Ohio Teacher Residency program

    New teachers spend their first two years in the Ohio Teacher Residency program, with mentoring. Completing it qualifies you for a professional educator license.

While you are still in high school

  • Many Ohio districts run a Teaching Professions program. Kent City Schools, for example, offers one to grades 10 to 12, with classroom field experience and a portfolio.
  • College Credit Plus lets Ohio students in grades 9 to 12 take college courses at no cost at public colleges, including intro education and subject courses.
  • Tutor younger students or help coach a team. You will find out quickly whether explaining things to kids gives you energy or drains it.

Where this comes from: Ohio Revised Code 3319.22: educator licenses and grade bands · Ohio Revised Code 3319.223: Ohio Teacher Residency program · Ohio Assessments for Educators · Kent City Schools: Teaching Professions career-tech program · Ohio Revised Code 3365.02: College Credit Plus eligibility · Ohio Revised Code 3365.07: College Credit Plus costs at public colleges. Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.

The money

What it pays in Ohio

Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.

$78,800
Median pay in Ohio, a year
49,540
People doing this job in Ohio
$81,820
Median pay in the Akron area, a year

Most people in Ohio earn between $48,370 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $103,150 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.

Try it this week

Teach one real lesson

  1. Pick one thing you know well from a class you are taking.

  2. Plan a 15-minute lesson to teach it to a younger sibling, cousin or friend, with one quick check at the end to see if they got it.

  3. Teach it. Then ask them to explain it back to you.

  4. Write down what confused them, and how you would teach it differently next time.

Questions to ask somebody who does it

  • How many hours a week do you work during the school year, honestly?
  • What part of the job did your college program not prepare you for?
  • How do you handle a class that is not listening?
  • What keeps you teaching?
  • What would make you tell someone not to do this?

Can you own one?

Not really: this job is almost always done for an employer.

Questions

Quick answers

How much does a high school teacher make in Ohio?
The median pay for a high school teacher in Ohio is $78,800 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $48,370 and $103,150.
How do you become a high school teacher in Ohio?
Earn a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher prep program. Pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators. Get your resident educator license for grades 7 to 12. Complete the Ohio Teacher Residency program.

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