ACT-Houston
Houston 832-200-0552
Dallas 214-267-2222Austin 1-877-286-0024
Alternative Certification for Teachers
Health (Grades EC-12)
Obtaining an alternative certification for teaching health for early childhood through twelfth grade involves gaining a wide breadth and depth of background on the many health topics that are age appropriate for the students. The teaching professional for health across all grades will need to successfully communicate the basics of health related topics at a level the student can comprehend and apply. It will also be important for the teacher to provide sound foundations in a wide range of health topics from nutrition, to physical, emotional and behavioral health.
What to Expect of the Alternative Certification Program for Health
In order to become an education professional specializing in health for early education grades through high school students, basic, general education courses will be required to support your teaching background. The basic, general education is usually a combination of English, mathematics, science, social studies, history, speech communications and electives that will support your health interests. Core courses in health topics will also be required which can include food safety and nutrition, physical aspects of health beginning with topics such as the five senses for preschoolers and expanding to the topics of physical and hormonal changes for teenagers.
The alternative certification expectations typically also require an internship or student teaching opportunity where the teaching professional will be fully immersed and evaluated for interaction skills with students as well as teaching ability. This hands on experience usually proves to be intense and beneficial.
Teaching as a Health Specialist
As a health specialist, the teaching professional may face some unexpected setbacks to their program in the scope and topics they wish to teach. Most health classes are requirements for students and consequently there is an extensive amount of time spent on basic learning topics. Additionally, some course material may be determined by state requirements or district requirements and may not directly enable a teacher to have the freedom to teach as creatively as they may wish. However, the subjects involved with health topics continues to grow and expand as healthier lifestyles.