<p>Just starting to look into colleges and figuring out what the path to get there for my sophmore daughter. She is sure she wants to be a high school teacher. We are beginning to plan her courses and are trying to figure out exactly what these schools want to see. Recently I heard that the top schools for Education are State/Western and Central. Where does U of M fit in? My daughter is currently pulling a 3.65 gpa with honors math and english. But we all know that she's not putting in maximum effort. I guess what I'm wondering is, is it worth it for her to go nuts trying to get a higher GPA to get into say Michigan, or just cruise along at her current speed and get into Western. Does it matter when trying to get a job as a teacher?</p>
<p>Here's how I'd rank Michigan's best education programs</p>
<ol>
<li>University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor</li>
<li>Michigan State University</li>
<li>Western Michigan University</li>
</ol>
<p>
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" I guess what I'm wondering is, is it worth it for her to go nuts trying to get a higher GPA to get into say Michigan, or just cruise along at her current speed and get into Western."
[Quote]
</p>
<p>What do you mean?</p>
<p>I was just going to recommand a schools in Michigan ( a resident of Michigan myself).</p>
<p>Schools that I heard that are well in the teaching field are:</p>
<p>Michigan State University
University of Michigan- Ann Arbor</p>
<p>If she happens to fall off with good grades, perhaps looking at Eastern Michigan University... which I also heard was a good school for teachers.</p>
<p>It's definitely true that MSU and Michigan have great education programs, and I know that a ton of the teachers from the Detroit area come from Eastern (and if you want to teach in one specific area, a local school would give you good opportunities, i.e. go to Northern if you want to teach in the U.P) BUT if she wants to be a HS teacher, she should major in the field she's interested in rather than education, and go to the school that's best for that field. That way, if she changed her mind in college she would have other options (including, if she was driven, to try to get her Ph.D in the field and become a professor). </p>
<p>If she wanted elementary education or special ed or the like, MSU does have top rated programs.</p>
<p>Western Michigan University has a top 100 education program, I'm pretty sure it's better than Eastern Michigan for education</p>
<p>One in one thousand teachers in this country has a degree from Eastern Michigan University.</p>
<p>We are lucky here in Michigan that there are so many options for potential teachers.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" (sorry I don't know how to quote)</p>
<p>What I mean is that, she's getting a 3.65 without busting her butt. I'm not saying that she's slacking, but she wasn't like me when I was in HS (spending every minute studying). To get into U of M, she needs to to really pull it up - I'm hearing a 3.9 or 4.0, whereas if she wants to go to Western, Central, Eastern or possibly State, then she' fine just getting the 3.65 or so. She tests really well and was offered to write the SAT/ACT in 6, 7, and 8th grade (but only chose to do so only in 7th), so we are optimistic about her test scores. She is planning on getting 5 AP credits by graduation, two of which she will take Junior year.</p>
<p>I'm just not sure how the prestige factor of the schools plays into getting a good job as a teacher. I guess we could talk to some educators about that. </p>
<p>Mephisto - that's interesting what you are saying about just getting a degree in the field. She's leaning towards teaching social sciences or English. Don't you need a Bachelors of Education?</p>
<p>Pierre0913 - do you know where I could find this Top 100 list?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Mephisto - that's interesting what you are saying about just getting a degree in the field. She's leaning towards teaching social sciences or English. Don't you need a Bachelors of Education?
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I believe for the high school level it's better to have your degree in the subject you want to teach, you can get certified as a teacher without a degree in education (I don't know about the actual process of becoming a teacher, but all of the teachers I had in high school got their bachelors in what they taught). It's different for elementary school where you need a degree in elementary education.</p>
<p>I also believe it helps to have a masters degree, both for getting a job and being paid more.</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn't be so concerned about U of M because my friend got into the engineering school with a 3.7 GPA/ 27 ACT. So, go for it, and good luck!</p>
<p>I've been teaching for over twenty years so my own undergrad experiences may not reflect the reality on the ground today, but for what it's worth my school of ed classes at UofM were a huge waste of time. Since I've been out teaching I've been really impressed by the quality of the preparation of student teachers from MSU, Western, and I would also recommend that you take a look at Hope College in Holland.</p>
<p>Michigan and MSU are the top ranked Education programs in the state. How well one teaches has more to do with the individual and less with the program that supposedly trained her/him. Teaching is as much a matter of nature as it is one of nurture. Some people are great at it with little or no formal training and others, regardless of how well trained they are, will remain poor instructors. </p>
<p>Eastern and Western are also pretty good.</p>
<p>Seems that most young teachers around here get hired with just a Bachelors then the school district pays for them to get their Masters in the evenings or summers. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info everyone. I think a large part of the decision will be which one of the schools makes her an attractive offer financially. Unfortunately due to the econonmy/stock market situation, her college fund is worth less than half of what it was. A friend of hers got a full tution scholarhip to Western and it seems that many schools are making good offers to get better students. If she gets something like that, then the decision is probably made - assuming it's a good school. We will have three kids in college at the same time so, cost matters.</p>
<p>OHKID - that's interesting that your friend got in with those stats because I know so many kids who had better stats than that who didn't get in. The one that I do know with similar stats is American Indian. But you never know, I guess. She just loves the idea of going to Michigan, and has heard so many good things about it. She's also kind of liberal in terms of world views and thinks MI would be full of similar minded people. Her dad got his MBA there, not sure if that would help her?</p>
<p>I see that you posted this awhile ago but I figured I would add my two cents in! =]</p>
<p>I am going into my second year of college at Grand Valley State University and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. I am going to apply for the college of ed as a junior but I am already in some education classes and couldn’t be happier with the program. The professors teach you some by the book but go way above and beyond. My second semester ed class was spent in a school working with kids. It was a great way to get into the field and actually helped many people realize this was or was not what they wanted to do.</p>
<p>The program is relatively new but is already getting high reviews. It is a 5 year program and all the requirements make it pretty rigorous but completely worth it. I am going to be an English major but for the college of ed it’s a little tricky. If you’re secondary education, you major in your area (English for me) and then minor in something else but you have what they call an ‘emphasis’ in secondary education.</p>
<p>Saginaw, although they’re our rival =P is a good school if a student wishes to pursue a teaching certificate for special education. Eastern is also good. I know someone going to U of M but I personally wouldn’t spend that much money on a degree from U of M for teaching. You can get just as good of an education, possibly better depending what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>That’s just my two cents. Hope it helps! =]</p>
<p>As others have stated, Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, and Eastern Michigan offer great teacher education programs. Go with the best fit and best financial offer. Consider geography too (where you plan to teach after graduation). </p>
<p>I would honestly say that Michigan is one of the best states for producing new teachers.</p>
<p>You’re fortunate to have so many options to consider in your state. Though I can’t say I know a ton about Michigan schools, I have talked to many kids lately who are really liking Grand Valley State and Western Michigan. They don’t have the name-recognition of U of Michigan, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned about that. Her student-teaching experience and the networks her university has in education are more important.</p>
<p>Slightly off topic, but if your daughter’s high school has any courses relating to the teaching field, that would be a great opportunity to get her feet wet. My district, for example, offers seniors the opportunity to intern in an elementary or junior high classroom for a semester. </p>
<p>PS - I’m jealous that MI schools pay for teachers to get their masters (as a previous post said)…that doesn’t happen too often where I am!</p>
<p>The previous link with rankings is misleading. Those rankings are for the graduate programs, not for undergraduate level.</p>
<p>The Michigan State University College of Education is the place to be for people that want to major in education. It is dynamic and top notch.</p>
<p>[Michigan</a> State University](<a href=“http://www.msu.edu/]Michigan”>http://www.msu.edu/)
[Rankings</a> and Recognitions | Distinctions for College of Education| Michigan State University](<a href=“http://www.msu.edu/rankings-and-recognitions/distinctions/education.html]Rankings”>http://www.msu.edu/rankings-and-recognitions/distinctions/education.html)
[College</a> of Education - Michigan State University](<a href=“http://www.educ.msu.edu%5DCollege”>http://www.educ.msu.edu)</p>