Teaching, the act of helping someone to learn; also, the profession that deals with helping others to learn. Teaching is the largest profession in the United States. Most full-time professional teachers work in kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, and colleges and universities—both public and private. Others teach in technical and vocational institutions, which train people for jobs in such fields as beauty culture, secretarial work, data processing, and television repair. Many men and women are part-time teachers, working either as substitutes or in recreation programs and evening schools. Some give private lessons or offer tutoring services.
Classroom teachers in elementary schools, especially in the lower grades, usually work with the same group of children during the entire school day. In junior and senior high schools, each teacher usually teaches only one or two subjects to several different groups of students.
In addition to regular classroom teachers, there are many teachers who work in special education—the education of children who are blind, deaf, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded, or who have other problems. They may teach them in special schools or in special classes or sessions within regular schools. Elementary teachers who work with several groups of pupils during a single day, such as music, art, or physical education teachers, are sometimes called special teachers.
College and university teachers are known as professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors. Few spend more than 12 hours a week in classroom teaching. Many devote considerable time to reading, research, writing, consulting work for government and industry, or other professional activity in their special field.
