<p>I know that I want to teach French, I just don't know how to go about doing it. I just sent in my applications, so hopefully that stuff works out. Do I major in French and minor in education? Is there some kind of certificate I need? Do I need to get a master's?</p>
<p>Basically, what do I do in order to be able to teach in four years?</p>
<p>Your college should have informatipon about that on their website. This one if for Oregon:</p>
<p>Students interested in licensure as an Oregon middle or secondary teacher with a French or Spanish endorsement may obtain information from the UO College of Education</p>
<p>Or contact Prof. Patricia Rounds, Coordinator in the Middle/Secondary Teacher Education Program (<a href=“mailto:plrounds@uoregon.edu”>plrounds@uoregon.edu</a>), 541/346-1056.</p>
<p>Application for admission to the College of Education Middle/Secondary program is usually carried out in the final year of a four-year B.A. program. An excellent preparation for the fifth-year M/S program would be a major in Spanish or French and a minor in a related area (history, geography, another language, etc.).</p>
<p>Students should also consider the interdisciplinary certificate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT). The SLAT program entails about the same number of credits as an undergraduate minor and provides excellent preparation for any teacher certification program.</p>
<p>Requirements for teachers vary by state, so think about where you might want to teach and find out what their requirements are. Majoring in French with a minor in education sounds like a pretty good plan; many states require a masters (either in order to become certified initially or within a certain amount of time of starting to teach) so grad school is probably in the cards.</p>
<p>You also might want to consider trying to get enough credits (and knowledge) to be able to teach a subject other than French, since you’ll be much more marketable if you can teach other classes as well.</p>
<p>So grad school is probably going to be necessary?
Blah. I’m going to need six jobs… I don’t think my parents will pay for grad school.</p>
<p>Anyone know anything specifically about Massachusetts?</p>
<p>A Bachelor’s degree with certification will get you a job, but you’ll need a Master’s eventually.</p>
<p>As it happens, I do know something about Massachusetts specifically! LOL. My girlfriend got her MEd at UMass and taught high school chem for a year in the Boston area before moving to NY. She’d know a lot more than I would, but she’s asleep already (damn teacher schedule!)</p>
<p>You can get preliminary certification with only a bachelors as long as you pass the MTEL tests, which I think gives you 5 years to get a masters. There are also non-masters teacher preparation programs that will make you eligible for a higher level of initial certification, but I think in those cases you still need to obtain graduate credits to maintain your licensure. If you can get a job with just your BA, districts will usually help you pay for grad courses… it’s just that it can be hard (depending on the subject) to get a job.</p>
<p>The MA DOE has specific info at <a href=“https://www4.doemass.org/elar/licensurehelp/LicenseRequirementsCriteriaPageControl.ser[/url]”>https://www4.doemass.org/elar/licensurehelp/LicenseRequirementsCriteriaPageControl.ser</a></p>
<p>Also, definitely check out the 180 Days in Springfield program if you do decide to get a masters soon after undergrad: [180</a> Days in Springfield](<a href=“http://www.umass.edu/education/180Days/]180”>http://www.umass.edu/education/180Days/) It works on an immersion model, so you get way more teaching experience than normal student teaching gives you, and my girlfriend thought the profs and mentors were great.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I really didn’t like not knowing what I was going to have to do.</p>
<p>No problem. The education department at your school will probably be able to help you out too, so you don’t need to worry yet.</p>