<p>Hi there, I'm a junior, and I'm thinking of majoring in Elementary Education in college (though not at all 100% certain, yet). Right now, I'm looking for schools that are known for having great elementary education programs.</p>
<p>I live in Wisconsin, so UW Madison seems like the smart choice money wise, it's hard to justify paying out of state/private tutiton if I'm going to become a teacher, I guess.</p>
<p>However, I also feel like I want to explore all my other options and not just limit myself like that.</p>
<p>So, thanks for any help you can give!</p>
<p>P.S. If it helps, I just got my ACT score back, and I got a 31. At the end of sophmore year, I was third in my class, but I'm not sure where I am as of now.</p>
<p>EDIT- Sorry, I just realized this should probably go into the College Search forum, I did not even notice that until now. Feel free to move!</p>
<p>My daughter is also looking at schools with ed major. Do you want to stay in state? Vanderbilt has one of the best departments. Do you want a small or large school? What type of campus? Urban or rural? Frats, sports?</p>
<p>As someone married to a teacher and having many friends to teach, I can offer this. It is definitely not necessary to go to an expensive college for an Education degree. They suggest that you make sure any college you attend meet the state requirements for where your want to teach.</p>
<p>cmbmom brings up a good point that has not been discussed yet - </p>
<p>In which state(s) do you wish to teach? All states have different certification requirements, which other states' universities/colleges may not cover. Certain states have reciprocal certification agreements with other states. Think about the region in which you wish to teach and work from there. Don't spend a fortune on elem ed - your state university is usually the best bet.</p>
<p>i also urge anyone considering teaching not to limit their college choice based solely on that factor -- MANY college students end up changing their career paths and intended major. realize that in hs, your exposure to other fields and interests has probably been limited -- its what college is for -- so why not choose a school that while offering the option of pursuing certification, also has a lot else to offer? and i also can't help but think that future teachers and their students benefit by the breadth and depth of their education beyond just the certification courses they need.</p>
<p>Unbeliev - good info. I'm a certified teacher, but haven't taught in schools for ~ 7 years. Obviously things have changed in certification. </p>
<p>To expand on your second post, the OP may wish to explore programs like the University of Pittsburgh's (an example I'm familiar with). Pitt's program runs 5 years - at the end you receive an M.A. Pitt requires students to major in an academic subject for 4 years and then take pedagogy classes in the 5th year. It opens different options if you choose to leave teaching.</p>
<p>Unbelievablem, I agree with you. My daughter might change her mind. What about smaller schools with ed departments? State U's are usually very large. I don't mean to hijack this thread but an education major is not talked about that much on here. I wish it was a more respected major. I would love to see more top students become teachers.</p>
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I wish it was a more respected major. I would love to see more top students become teachers.
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<p>AMEN!!! Too often people assume that those at the top of their class are heading to law school or med school! I can't tell you the number of times my d's expressed desire to teach was met with a "oh, that's all?" reaction! who do these people want teaching their children!</p>
<p>yet many really excellent schools have teacher certification programs and if you speak with people in those departments you can really get a sense of what they have to offer a prospective teacher. and personally, i think that at some schools, a expressed desire to teach, especially if backed by ec's demonstrating sincerity of that interest, can help a top student stand out from all the pre-law and pre-med applicants a top school gets.</p>
<p>there are an enormous amount of choices for people who want to pursue elem ed undergrad -- big universities with separate schools of education (eg. Boston Univ), small liberal arts schools with ed depts (eg. Vassar, Smith), state universities (nothing per se wrong with them - they can offer other opportunities and be a bargain as well) (eg. U of Md, U of Delaware). there are even schools that don't offer certif themselves, but have arrangements with other nearby schools to allow their students to obtain certification. (eg. Trinity College in CT, Williams College) (can you tell i'm from the northeast by my examples?). and of course there are five year programs, such as premature mentioned (i'll just throw in another interesting one there -- Clark U - if you're interested in urban ed especially -- i don't think they require 5 years, BUT, if you maintain a certain gpa, you can attend for a fifth year for FREE and get your masters)</p>
<p>the cost/benefit analysis for a prospective teacher is of course relevant -- just like it is for ANY student -- private schools cost A LOT -- how many prospective careers in and of themselves really justify that cost? so i think the issue of potential debt burden is something for a future teacher to consider - just as it is for a future journalist, or future social worker, or future "undecided." i just think anyone considering education should explore the wide range of options available -- meet with people from the dept -- ask about their approach to meeting the certification requirements, ask where their grads end up, see how it fits with the rest of the school, see how you fit with them.</p>
<p>Many schools have certification programs but require your major to be in a specific academic area. Check out Vassar, University of Rochester, Muhlenberg, University of Richmond. In Wisconsin, take a look at Beloit College if you want a smaller atmosphere.</p>
<p>While I agree that you don't "need" to go to any level of school to become certified as a teacher, I believe that it's important to get a good general education in the subject matter(s) you want to teach. How can you teach what you don't know?</p>
<p>Oh, one more thing - University of Rochester has a 3-2 education program. You get your master's at the end of the fifth year. And that program comes with an automatic merit scholarship of 1/4 tuition, in addition to any other merit you might receive.</p>
<p>I'm a teacher and I've mentored a lot of new teachers. First if you know what state you want to teach in, then try to go to school in that state. Every state has their own curriculum and their own tests. Colleges tend to teach their education courses the way things are done in their state. Also when you student teach you will be getting experience with the curriculum that you will be teaching when you get your first job. Second the quality of the teacher education program varies greatly from college to college. I have seen new teachers very well prepared by their college and I have seen new teachers that act like no one ever showed them a pacing guide, gave any clues on how to manage a class, etc. Next think about the area you want to teach in and what kind of area the college is in. Most likely you will student teach near your college. I have been working with a teacher this year that went to a small college in a small town. She interned in a 2nd grade class with 12 students. The school itself only had 200 students. Our school has over 1000 students. She has 26 2nd graders. She has really struggled. Yet her recommendations were excellent. She just had never experienced teaching 26 students. Talk to teachers in the area where you want to teach. They can tell you where the best teachers are coming from.</p>
<p>Also I would strongly consider one of the colleges that offer the five year plan with a masters. You going to need your Masters eventually so I think this is a great way to do it.</p>
<p>To follow up on Maryland's post - I mentioned a 5 year program at Pitt. Some people balk at an extra year of school and an extra year's tuition, but in our region, the pay differential between B.S. and M.A/M.S. will return the additional tuition within 3 years.</p>
<p>What are the best education programs in the South? Can anyone give info on schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida? My daughter is looking for a smaller school, under 6,000. So far, we will be visiting Elon, Flagler, College of Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Queens University, Furman and Rollins. Any info on these schools would be great.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help everyone, I didn't expect such a quick response!</p>
<p>Does anyone know specifically about the University of Wisconsin-Madison? It was ranked very high in one list I saw, but of course, rankings don't always mean much. It's in-state, so I could get a much cheaper tuition and hopefully still have other good options if I didn't want to do education anymore.</p>
<p>However, I don't know that I plan on staying in Wisconsin after college. Is it that hard to transfer a degree from one state to another?</p>
<p>I'll have to look into all the other reccomendations too!</p>