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Public school teacher vs student teacher

The differences between public school teachers and student teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student teacher has an average salary of $59,035, which is higher than the $42,231 average annual salary of a public school teacher.

The top three skills for a public school teacher include public schools, classroom management and K-12. The most important skills for a student teacher are classroom management, math, and language arts.

Public school teacher vs student teacher overview

Public School TeacherStudent Teacher
Yearly salary$42,231$59,035
Hourly rate$20.30$28.38
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs79,47179,071
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4242
Years of experience--

What does a public school teacher do?

Typically, public school teachers prepare lesson plans and give instructions to students in their assigned school. The teachers establish and implement grade appropriate course work to align the academic requirements of their students. They evaluate and monitor the performance of the students as well as assess and document their progress. Most often, they are exposed to complex tasks within the function of their job. Also, they may take part in the implementation of individual education plans for certain students.

What does a student teacher do?

A student-teacher is responsible for assisting their supervising instructors in maintaining the class orderliness during lectures and class activities. Student teachers' duties include helping with lesson plans, organizing learning activities, managing student behaviors, observing classroom procedures, preparing visual materials and other educational equipment, providing feedback for students, and keeping students' records for evaluation. A student-teacher must maintain excellent communication and decision-making skills to set goals and make consistent progress to the class while keeping students engaged.

Public school teacher vs student teacher salary

Public school teachers and student teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public School TeacherStudent Teacher
Average salary$42,231$59,035
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $52,000Between $46,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MDBoston, MA
Highest paying stateMarylandMaryland
Best paying companyBaltimore City Public SchoolsGreat Hearts Academies
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between public school teacher and student teacher education

There are a few differences between a public school teacher and a student teacher in terms of educational background:

Public School TeacherStudent Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorEducationElementary Education
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Public school teacher vs student teacher demographics

Here are the differences between public school teachers' and student teachers' demographics:

Public School TeacherStudent Teacher
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 39.3% Female, 60.7%Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between public school teacher and student teacher duties and responsibilities

Public school teacher example responsibilities.

  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Modify curriculum to meet the needs of ESL students.
  • Work with ESL pupils in addition to mainstream students.
  • Participate in annual IEP meetings for individual students
  • Deliver language arts instruction through a variety of literary genres including classic literary texts, creative nonfiction, and contemporary fiction.
  • Plan and deliver instruction for ESOL and ESE reading groups
  • Show more

Student teacher example responsibilities.

  • Manage RTI reading groups using both basal materials and literature-base novel units.
  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Develop lessons that integrate technology into mathematics and language arts for various grade-levels.
  • Enhance student engagement for learning math and science through maintaining collaborative learning classroom environment.
  • Used responsive classroom strategies for Pre-K and first grade.
  • Attend workshops on how to access and create IEPS and bill for services.
  • Show more

Public school teacher vs student teacher skills

Common public school teacher skills
  • Public Schools, 20%
  • Classroom Management, 16%
  • K-12, 7%
  • Student Learning, 4%
  • Language Arts, 4%
  • K-6, 4%
Common student teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 20%
  • Math, 13%
  • Language Arts, 8%
  • Social Studies, 6%
  • Kindergarten, 5%
  • IEP, 4%

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