<p>Please stop loling. It's making me uncomfortable. Education isn't THAT easy, ok?? I had to make a poster during summer session for my final class project and it was REALLY hard. You have no idea how difficult it is to coordinate bright, sparkly puff paints with matte stickers. I mean hello? Can we say "clashing"?</p>
<p>So, yeah. I'm not as intimidated as I could be if I had different majors.</p>
<p>I actually do not want to look at that website this semester because my courses are pretty much set in stone for fall. I am afraid I will see something that scares me. "worst teacher ever" comments, or "you will fail this course". Nothin' to it but to do it for the rest of 2006. :(</p>
<p>pizzelle, I have seen too many kids think that think they can do anything in college. Many of them cloister themselves in their dorm rooms while the rest are zombies. Then I read in many different forums (and boards here) about kids who want to do 35 credit hours just because they spent that much time in high school classes. I just makes me mad and worried about some of these kids. However, in your case, it's just crazy to me to take more than six courses even if those six included pilates, vcr programming, and underwater basket-weaving. Six classes just seem plenty to me.</p>
<p>Don't throw your semester away, man!</p>
<p>If I don't take seven now I'll have to take eight later. I'd like to enroll in summer session but it's about $1000 a course. Also taking into account how expensive grad school is, and if I can cut THAT expense short I will ultimately save myself a lot of money.</p>
<p>I will have a couple of weeks to feel out the schedule. If I get in way over my head I can just drop. I'm the kind of person who would much rather try and fail than never try and never fail.</p>
<p>Plus I think zombies are awesome. The idea of cloistering myself away AS a zombie is incredibly appealing. (I am also very stubborn, if that hasn't already been made clear)</p>
<p>If you are not going to heed my warning, then at least choose to be cloistered or a zombie. Cloistered zombies are no fun.</p>
<p>After I ruin my life I will be headed straight for you. Somehow I will make it all your fault, now that you've entered my line of vision. SCAPEGOAT! Thanks :)</p>
<p>Why not get a job as a teacher first and then get the school to pay for you to go to George Mason or whatever? Pedigree isn't so important in education...</p>
<p>In order for me to give my students the best possible education I must obtain the best education for myself. Students who go to "whatever" colleges and get "whatever" educations become "whatever" teachers. UVA's education graduate and undergraduate programs are consistently, by and large, the best in the state and of the best in the country. Their elementary program is ranked 8th nationally. Where I come from the county uses programs developed by Curry directly to teach their students. You can't beat the school board away with a stick. Plus, UVA's BA/MT program is awesome. I can graduate with my MT and BA in 2.5 years after transferring in? Yes please.</p>
<p>Plus, do you have any idea how much easier it would be to not have to work full time in a classroom AND pursue graduate school? Far more difficult than taking an extra course per semester, I can tell you that much. And to get them to agree to pay for your education you typically have to agree to work in the schools no one else wants to work in for a few years longer than your education will last. So once I have my degree, after attending a university I really didn't want to attend, I have to live where they tell me to live until they tell me I can leave. No thanks.</p>
<p>I hope you're kidding. The master's degree in teaching is a joke.</p>
<p>A "joke"? How in the world is it a joke? Are you not physically capable of expressing something without being offensive?</p>
<p>Get an MA in an academic discipline. Your students will see the difference.</p>
<p>Considering that no college in Virginia offers undergraduate work in education for a BA, and on top of that you would ask them to not even pursue graduate-level work in education because their degree is a "joke", when WOULD you like for teachers in Virginia to obtain some education in their intended field? Because, honestly, I like my teachers to have some experience and education in teaching.</p>
<p>I'd rather have a math teacher with extensive background in math, or a history teacher with extensive background in history. But that's just me.</p>
<p>With ZERO pedagogical knowledge? Are you serious? You need far more than that. Book smarts do not a good teacher make. Just because you know a lot about math doesn't mean you can teach it, especially not to children. In fact, that could not be further from the truth.</p>
<p>Then take a class or three. Come on now.</p>
<p>cav, i think you're being a little unfair here. a person with a ba in teaching from uva in math has more than enough background to to teach algebra, or geometry, or calculus to a bunch of 15, 16, and 17 year olds. however, the mental maturity of them is generally far below the physical maturity of them. its not like she'll be teaching a class full of CC'ers heh. a background in teaching techniques and styles will most likely be of greater use than being able to do advanced theoretical algebra</p>
<p>My original suggestion stands. It's probably better to land a job teaching first and THEN get the MA in education, if not in a real subject.</p>
<p>Now I can't tell if you're kidding or not. How can I take a "class or two" when I haven't applied to Curry's program because you told me it was a "joke"? You can't take courses in a teacher education program without first being in the program.</p>
<p>You are presenting a false dichotomy. You are saying either someone is educated in teaching or educated in a content area, as though one could not be educated in both. Do you not realize that a proper teacher education program focuses on both? Do you know ANYTHING about Curry's programs? A student who is enrolled in Curry's BA/MT for mathematics must major in BOTH teaching AND mathematics and graduates with a BA in mathematics. In other words-- future math teachers take a lot of math classes and teaching courses, proving it's possible to do both...and Curry accomplishes this annually. You sound very confused.</p>
<p>well cav, while i can't speak for every state, i know in new jersey and new york you need a masters to teach in public schools.</p>
<p>I never said that there was anything wrong with taking classes in education or in being in the Curry program. Don't put words in my mouth. Your plan to stay an extra year will cost you over $50,000.</p>
<p>You aren't getting it. Unless I take graduate level courses in Virginia, in a state-approved licensure program, I will not be able to take courses in education. I can't take those courses unless I apply to a program like Curry's which includes MANDATORY graduate work. You can't take a "couple courses" without being in a program, and I cannot apply for licensure until I am in the graduate program for teaching. You say you want your teachers to have content area knowledge and I just told you that they can, and they very easily do. How is a BA of mathematics at UVA not good enough for a math teacher? Why do you NOT want your teachers to combine that content knowledge with pedagogical knowledge?</p>
<p>And I'm not staying an extra year, as I said, because Curry's flexibility allows me to graduate a semester early for a grand total of $6,000 including textbooks. I don't see the problem.</p>