Joyner’s Journey: The Path To Teaching

     Want to be a teacher? This article shares Joseph Joyner’s perspective as a first year Teacher Intern at John T. Hoggard High School, where he balances teaching, studying, and working. 

     Joyner knew at a young age that he had a passion for educating. In his childhood, he began building instructional relationships at church, youth groups, and more. Now at the end of grad school, Joyner will head to his first official position teaching high school students. He hopes to work either at a high school in his hometown or here at Hoggard.

    Joyner graduated with a history degree at UNCW, then did a year-long masters program while serving his internship this past year. He advises that there are multiple paths you can take for the undergraduate path to teach high school; the most common one being to get a degree in your specialization area, then take on a minor to get your teacher’s license. Your specialization is based upon what subject you want to teach. For instance, Joyner received his degree in history with the plan of teaching American or Civics History, and for his internship, he taught economics. Becoming a teacher requires a lot of determination and work, but it is rewarding. Joyner's advice for Hoggard Students is, “Be smart, be safe, make good decisions all the time.”