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of subject matter and teaching strategies. In time they may elect to earn a Master's degree - a requirement to maintain certification in some states.

A Master's degree commands a degree of respect. Only a small fraction of the populace earns any type of graduate degree, and teachers make up a large portion of the fraction. For the purposes of teaching, there are two different types of Master's degrees to consider: the Master of Education, and the Master of a particular subject area.

The teacher who pursues the Master of Education studies heavily on teaching theory and practices. They may even conduct research on new teaching techniques, publishing studies that benefit the whole profession. This degree serves as an indicator of a professional who has worked to hone their skills as an educator. It does not serve to greatly increase a teacher's content knowledge in any particular subject area. This is a valuable choice for teachers of lower grades, where highly specialized subject knowledge would be of minimal benefit.

A Master's degree in a particular subject area demands advanced learning of the teacher. They complete coursework alongside other students who are seeking high level careers in that particular field. While a few courses designed specifically for teaching a particular subject may be included in the curriculum, the majority of studying is focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the material. Armed with a greater repertoire of material, this teacher becomes better able to answer higher level questions that students may ask, create a broader array of lessons than offered by the standard curriculum, and can especially benefit gifted and talented students who yearn for more stimulating and challenging material. This choice makes excellent sense for a teacher in a secondary school setting, especially in an environment that encourages students to excel.

From the outside, a non-teaching professional who already possesses a Master's in their field may choose to pursue teaching certification. Such a person then holds a great deal of subject matter knowledge, both from education and "real world" experience, and is apt to be the most versatile in providing stimulating and challenging material. In contrast, they will only have been provided the minimal theory afforded to beginning teachers, and will have to gain experience in practical classroom theory. (A teacher with a Master's degree can still benefit from further education,

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