Majoring in Education?

I have recently been admitted to a college as undeclared. I’ve been scoping out different kinds of majors and found one of my interests in elementary education. What am I to expect when majoring in elementary education?

Depending on your state the requirements will be,different.

I was early elementary and childhood education but my state also requires a 30 credit concentration, so there was zero wiggle room and 2 winter courses required with 18 credits a semester.

My experience as a secondary math major was entrance into a career I’ve loved and cherished for decades.

BUT the elementary education job market is brutal in many parts of the country. (Hint: don’t believe what the colleges say; they’re in the business of graduating teachers. Ask other teachers, look at the job postings where you live.)

One thing that can help you tremendously is a minor in literacy or special ed or ESL— anything that will distinguish you from all the other grads. If you can become that math specialist, that literacy specialist— anything along those lines, you’ll find that doors might open that otherwise might be closed.

Take full advantage of any opportunity you have to observe. Observe what goes right and what goes wrong. How does the teacher handle bathroom requests? Kids who don’t have homework? A kid who puts his head down? What does she do to signal the end of lunch and the start of class? How does she handle transitions-- from math to English or Gym to science? How does she handle a bee in the room (Hint: you turn off the lights and open the windows and blinds-- the bee will be attracted to the light.)

Treat every one of those observations as a chance to network. Dress as a professional, not as a college kid. Write a thank you to the teacher and the principal for the opportunity, and mention something you learned. A, because they deserve it-- it IS disruptive to have an observer in a class; the kids don’t ever behave as themselves. And B, because it’s the polite thing to do. And C, because that good will you engender may help you down the road.

Again, I teach high school-- seniors for the past few years. So I can’t speak with any authority about teaching younger kids. But there’s something so magical in those “Aha!!” moments when they occur. When a kid suddenly finds success in your class when in the past it has eluded him. When a parent thanks you for making a difference. When a kid comes back and thanks you for the difference you’ve made in his life.

Yes, there’s a lot wrong with education today; I won’t give you the list. But in its most basic form, there’s something so very special about being able to teach, if you find that it’s the right career for you.

@bjkmom Thank you so much for all of your insight! I was actually thinking about minoring in literacy, so thank you for confirming that it will be a good idea!

@Jazzii Thanks for the input!!