Worthwhile skills to cultivate while preparing to teach

Hi everyone,

I'm working towards becoming a science teacher (interested in HS level Bio) after my 20s were spent in the military and doing skilled trade work. I am graduating my local community college with an AS in Bio, but am moving states (from IL to Minneapolis, if that is relevant to the discussion) so will be taking a year off of any schooling. I have taken some 100-level education courses at the CC, though none of them involved in-school experiences due to the pandemic. I've never worked with kids/teens, but really enjoyed the mentorship aspect of the military and feel that teaching public school is a calling.

I hoped to hear advice about how my time would be best spent in the free time that I have. I've been working full time while taking college courses for years, and feel that I will have a lot of energy to expend without classes taking up time. I have looked into the local teachers' union, and they offer a student teacher membership that grants access to resources, but it is for those currently enrolled in a program; I will not be for at least another year.

Basically: knowing what you know now, what would you have done to best prepare yourself for teaching? Should I volunteer to work with children at a boys&girls club or something similar, focus on academic preparations (studying bio, math, chem, etc) to remain fresh for university level classes, reach out to local teachers for their experiences, or something totally different?

Thanks in advance, and thank you all for the work that you do.

Submitted October 13, 2022 at 06:04AM by anti_level https://ift.tt/g8zKVc4