How to Prepare to Teach Creative Writing
Read widely., Develop your own love of writing., Take all the high school English classes you can., Consider where you wish to teach creative writing., Enroll in a college undergraduate program., Go for your master's degree., Consider getting a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read widely.
Any writer, to be effective, must first be a reader.
Read both non-fiction and fiction in a number of genres.
You'll find your own areas of interest, but reading outside these areas will help you relate to your students' interests. -
Step 2: Develop your own love of writing.
Look at what you read with a critical eye to see how the writer develops ideas and uses words.
Also, look for opportunities to write, such as for your school newspaper or magazine or writing contests open to students, and keep looking for opportunities during your years of formal instruction. , Most colleges require you to have taken some English classes in order to enroll, but English classes also expose you to the works of authors such as Jane Austen, Willa Cather, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck, and playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.
You should also take elective English classes such as creative writing and journalism if required in order to work on the school newspaper. , Where you wish to teach creative writing will determine how much additional formal education you need.
If you plan to teach creative writing at the high school level, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate, while if you plan to teach at the college level, you'll need to have at least a master's degree and perhaps a PhD. , If you plan to teach writing in a middle school or high school, you'll want to major in education, with a concentration, minor, or second major in English. (In some states, you can get a teaching certificate with a major in a subject other than education, but you will probably have to take a certain number of education classes to qualify for the certificate.) If you plan to teach at the college level, you may want to go for a bachelor of arts degree in English, with a concentration in writing.
Required courses for a bachelor's in English include classes in language and literature as well as in writing.
English majors may be required to take classes in technical as well as creative writing.
Students preparing for a bachelor of science in education with a concentration in English also take classes in the nature of language and how to teach an English class to others.
Some programs may also require a certain number of hours in foreign language classes. , To teach writing in a college environment, you'll need to complete your master's in fine arts (MFA) degree.
A master's degree is not immediately necessary to teach writing in middle or high school, but many school districts may require continuing education classes and eventual acquisition of a master's degree for you to maintain certification.
In this case, you'll probably want to go for either a master's in education degree or an MFA.
Most MFA programs require a 2- to 3-year commitment, which culminates in preparing a thesis, consisting of some form of creative writing, such as a novel or anthology of short stories or poetry.
Programs consist of a mixture of writing opportunities and coursework, which may either be conducted on-campus or online.
Some programs offer stipends to fund students' writing projects, while others offer teaching assistant positions to pay students' expenses and may even offer graduate students the opportunity to design their own courses. , Although an MFA is sufficient to land a college teaching position, you may want to go for a PhD if you want the higher credential or need more time to finish a book manuscript than the time an MFA program would provide.
PhD programs in creative writing are structured similarly to MFA programs, but over a longer period of time (8 years on average), with a greater amount of independent study and the requirement to create a doctoral dissertation.
It is possible to engage in a more research-oriented PhD program, although some colleges may consider this a detriment instead of an advantage for candidates applying for teaching positions. , The saying "publish or perish" is probably truer for seeking creative writing teaching positions at the college level than any other.
Having 2 or 3 books in print when you apply for a college teaching position will give you a decided advantage over an unpublished candidate, particularly a tenure-track position, even if you have an MFA and the other candidate has a PhD.
While being published by a college or university press still has more cachet than a mainstream publisher or small press, the rise of print-on-demand publishers has raised the status of non-university presses.
You still need to provide your best-quality writing samples when applying for a college position. , In addition to student teaching during your undergraduate years or being a teaching assistant during your graduate years, look for other opportunities to teach creative writing, whether at a community college, to a senior citizen's group, or a writer's workshop at a writer's conference.
If you plan to teach at the college level, these opportunities can land you at least a part-time college teaching position, where you can then gain the experience to land a full-time position.
Other activities you can take part in include reading submissions to literary magazines or raising funds for them. -
Step 3: Take all the high school English classes you can.
-
Step 4: Consider where you wish to teach creative writing.
-
Step 5: Enroll in a college undergraduate program.
-
Step 6: Go for your master's degree.
-
Step 7: Consider getting a PhD.
-
Step 8: Publish.
-
Step 9: Get some practical teaching experience.
Detailed Guide
Any writer, to be effective, must first be a reader.
Read both non-fiction and fiction in a number of genres.
You'll find your own areas of interest, but reading outside these areas will help you relate to your students' interests.
Look at what you read with a critical eye to see how the writer develops ideas and uses words.
Also, look for opportunities to write, such as for your school newspaper or magazine or writing contests open to students, and keep looking for opportunities during your years of formal instruction. , Most colleges require you to have taken some English classes in order to enroll, but English classes also expose you to the works of authors such as Jane Austen, Willa Cather, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck, and playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.
You should also take elective English classes such as creative writing and journalism if required in order to work on the school newspaper. , Where you wish to teach creative writing will determine how much additional formal education you need.
If you plan to teach creative writing at the high school level, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate, while if you plan to teach at the college level, you'll need to have at least a master's degree and perhaps a PhD. , If you plan to teach writing in a middle school or high school, you'll want to major in education, with a concentration, minor, or second major in English. (In some states, you can get a teaching certificate with a major in a subject other than education, but you will probably have to take a certain number of education classes to qualify for the certificate.) If you plan to teach at the college level, you may want to go for a bachelor of arts degree in English, with a concentration in writing.
Required courses for a bachelor's in English include classes in language and literature as well as in writing.
English majors may be required to take classes in technical as well as creative writing.
Students preparing for a bachelor of science in education with a concentration in English also take classes in the nature of language and how to teach an English class to others.
Some programs may also require a certain number of hours in foreign language classes. , To teach writing in a college environment, you'll need to complete your master's in fine arts (MFA) degree.
A master's degree is not immediately necessary to teach writing in middle or high school, but many school districts may require continuing education classes and eventual acquisition of a master's degree for you to maintain certification.
In this case, you'll probably want to go for either a master's in education degree or an MFA.
Most MFA programs require a 2- to 3-year commitment, which culminates in preparing a thesis, consisting of some form of creative writing, such as a novel or anthology of short stories or poetry.
Programs consist of a mixture of writing opportunities and coursework, which may either be conducted on-campus or online.
Some programs offer stipends to fund students' writing projects, while others offer teaching assistant positions to pay students' expenses and may even offer graduate students the opportunity to design their own courses. , Although an MFA is sufficient to land a college teaching position, you may want to go for a PhD if you want the higher credential or need more time to finish a book manuscript than the time an MFA program would provide.
PhD programs in creative writing are structured similarly to MFA programs, but over a longer period of time (8 years on average), with a greater amount of independent study and the requirement to create a doctoral dissertation.
It is possible to engage in a more research-oriented PhD program, although some colleges may consider this a detriment instead of an advantage for candidates applying for teaching positions. , The saying "publish or perish" is probably truer for seeking creative writing teaching positions at the college level than any other.
Having 2 or 3 books in print when you apply for a college teaching position will give you a decided advantage over an unpublished candidate, particularly a tenure-track position, even if you have an MFA and the other candidate has a PhD.
While being published by a college or university press still has more cachet than a mainstream publisher or small press, the rise of print-on-demand publishers has raised the status of non-university presses.
You still need to provide your best-quality writing samples when applying for a college position. , In addition to student teaching during your undergraduate years or being a teaching assistant during your graduate years, look for other opportunities to teach creative writing, whether at a community college, to a senior citizen's group, or a writer's workshop at a writer's conference.
If you plan to teach at the college level, these opportunities can land you at least a part-time college teaching position, where you can then gain the experience to land a full-time position.
Other activities you can take part in include reading submissions to literary magazines or raising funds for them.
About the Author
Jonathan Perez
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
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