Hello everyone! I am considering majoring in Elementary Education. I technically just finished my sophomore year of college but I am trying to transfer to another university because I was unhappy at my “current” university and want to go somewhere else for a few reasons. I was wondering if academic ranking matters for undergraduate education majors. I know you need to be registered to teach in your state but if you stay in a certain state does what college you go to matter. I am an Illinois resident and would most likely stay in Illinois, or at the very least the Midwest. I would like to go to a university that is well known for their academics, such as University of Illinois, University of Iowa, Northwestern etc… but will it really make a difference as an Elementary Education major. I could go to Northern Illinois University or another local university and live at home to save money, but will I miss out on opportunities because NIU isn’t as well known or ranked as highly as the other colleges I mentioned.
Another thing to bear in mind is that I am still somewhat undecided on what to major in. Education is one of the things I am leaning towards but I am still trying to figure it out, so that is something I am trying to keep in mind while making this decision. I started college as an English major and I already have 56 credits completed. (Mostly gen eds) I would love some advice or personal experiences if anyone has gone through something like this before. I am trying to make a decision soon because for NIU and the local university there is an August 1st fall transfer deadline.
Any accredited university that has an elementary education program will look fine on a resume. And I’m sure that any local school district is familiar with NIU and the rest of the local schools.
But here’s the “BUT” you knew was coming:
Some programs do a better job of preparing potential teachers. Some things I would suggest you consider:
How early do they get you into classrooms for observations? You’ll be a Junior; I would be looking for a program where you’ll be doing observations this semester if possible. There’s no way to determine whether or not you’ll enjoy teaching without at least doing those observations-- right now you have no idea what the career entails.
-How’s their career placement office? The job market for Elementary Education is brutal in almost all parts of the country. What’s their success rate?
You're currently an English major. (You want elementary ed, not secondary English, right??) Is there any way you can use those English credits to get a minor that could plump up your resume? Could they apply towards a minor in literacy or something of the sort? (Sorry, I'm secondary math, not sure of the options I should be guiding you towards here. But spend an hour or two on Google today to find them!!) The more you can bring to an interview in two years, the better the odds of landing a job.
Above all, you need to get moving on this!!! You have 8 days before that transfer deadline, and your current school may need a few of those days to get the paperwork done.
Thank you for the response. At my former school we did observations and taught some lessons about economics for children as part of an intro to education class. I have also worked as a teacher’s assistant/camp counselor for summer school in my city. I know those experience don’t truly encapsulate what it is like to be a teacher, but they have given some idea of what it is like to work with children, and I did enjoy both of those experiences. I know the job market is tough for everyone, including Elementary Education, so I will definitely look into the career placement success of the schools I’m looking at
I was an English major with a secondary education minor, now thinking about Elementary Education major. I’ll look at possible minors that could compliment an Elementary ed major and see if any of my credits apply.
I know I need to make a decision soon, but I am still undecided. I want to be sure I am making the “right” decision and I don’t want to rush into anything. I said Elementary Education is one major I’m looking at but I’m still not completely decided on it. I will spend some time in these next few days trying to research possible majors and programs at the schools I am looking at. There are just so many options and big decisions to make and I still feel I am not ready to make such a big decision in my life.
Not sure what university you are attending now. I assume you have looked at the Illinois State Board of Education for a list of colleges/universities with approved programs in elementary ed.
In theory it should not matter where you get you degree. But bjkmom has a point about classroom observations and what else you bring to the table at a job interview or even student teaching. I know someone who recently finished at NIU in elem ed and has a job starting in the fall. This person added duel language (Spanish) to their certification. Last year I ran into a Illinois State Univ elementary ed grad. This person also added duel language (Spanish) and got a job in our local school district before they finished student teaching.
Another factor to keep in mind is affording any college, whether it is your current one or NIU or somewhere else. Elementary ed teachers don’t make much as you probably know. If you decide to go elementary ed, with your English credits you might have the option of adding a middle school language arts endorsement. OR get your English 2nd ed certification and add the middle school endorsement. Depending on the Illinois school that might be only 2-3 classes.
Illinois State Univ has it’s roots in teaching. I remember seeing on their website a program for elem ed where they have a few schools they have partnered with for student teaching for a whole year. The advantage is the college student gets to have the start to finish school year experience for setting up a classroom. So these ISU students would go 5 years but have extra experience under their belt.