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Author: |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
January 18, 2007 |
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Elementary Education and Teaching:
I have a love/hate relationship with the education provided to our future elementary teachers. I found the academic curriculum not rigorous enough to provide a solid foundation, particularly for students that don't quite remember those high school history classes. I would like to see education major be required to pass basic competency exams. On the other hand, the methods courses were fantastic! The assignments were valuable, not only in learning various teaching methods, but any materials made for the classes were easily incorporated into my classroom after I graduated. My overall opinion of the major, alone, is quite high.
But, the big question remains, would I do it again?
You can only know my true answer if you can visualize Simon Cowell rejecting a pop-singer wanna be. No, no, no, no, and NO! There's too much disconnect between what happens in the college courses and the actual elementary classroom. The colleges made teachers into what they should be, but the principals, curriculum committees, and school boards tie teachers' hands behind their backs. Teachers are bound to the textbooks, even if the textbooks make the subject matter more confusing for the student. There's nothing like trying to teach addition, but forced to use the new experimental math program.
Furthermore, I believe there is very little respect for the teachers. Everyone has heard the jokes about getting the summers and holidays off. It's a myth. Ask teachers what they did over the summer, and I guarantee you they spent their time and money taking classes to keep up their certification. What about the cushy hours teachers work? Also a myth. For part of my teaching career, I taught middle school English. I was required to assign a daily journal to my seven classes of 25 students each. This was on top of regular classroom assignments and special writing projects. I had 175 journal entries to read on a daily basis. Let's say I spend just ONE minute on each paper, and I've already spent three hours grading. But I hadn't yet graded the regular classroom assignment, nor prepared lessons for the following day.
If you have a true desire to educate children, look for a specialist-type degree. You get to work one on one with children, and you have much more flexibility when working with a "labeled" child. |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
January 16, 2007 |
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Special Education and Teaching, General:
I really enjoyed studying special education. The students and teachers I worked with in my practicum experiences were amazing. There was a lot of medical information to learn, which can be difficult, but it is important to have an understanding of all the different disorders and conditions your students may have. I also think that, as a parent, a lot of the information I learned is quite useful to have.
There are many job opportunities available with this degree. Teaching positions are plentiful in most places. Many of the people I went to college with got teaching jobs without finishing their certification. The reason for so many job openings, however, is that many teacher burn out quickly as it is a high stress job. It is not difficult to find a job, but many people become disheartened either by the paperwork and bureaucracy involved or their students' conditions. There are also job opportunities in social work, social services organizations and companies, and early intervention. |
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Author: |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
January 13, 2007 |
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Elementary Education and Teaching:
I think it is very unfortunate that our system forces us to decide what we want to do with our lives before we actually get to taste what those choices are.
I was an elementary school student. I loved the third grade. Therefore I should make teaching the third grade my career?
Be very careful choosing a career. Parents would hate this advice: If you truly don't know what to do, take a break and volunteer everywhere that interests you. Call companies and explain what your doing and request interviews and possibly a day in the life tours. Don't be a pain, just observe. What do you like, what do you loathe? You can actually do this your first year of college and those first summers. Take generic classes or maybe a class or two in fields that do interest you.
My degree is a total waste. I do not teach, I have never taught. I did my student teaching and had migraine headaches every single day! But by then, the degree was already finished.
After college, I volunteered and found that I LOVED working with animals. I worked at the humane society for a while, but without a college degree in the field, wages are pretty low, so I built a pet sitting business. Too bad I didn't get an animal related degree or a business degree to help me market and budget and things. |
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Author: |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
December 20, 2006 |
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Early Childhood Education and Teaching:
I really enjoy this major. I think it's important for you to work with children before you choose this, however. You should volunteer at a local school and see which age group you would like to work with, because Preschool is obviously very different from Third Grade, but there is even a big difference between First and Second Grades. Make sure you enjoy working with the kids, and know that there will be a lot of paperwork, planning, and organizing of the classroom once you find a job. The job market for teachers, especially elementary is kind of limited right now, and you won't get paid much starting out.
I would recommend this major to others, especially if they have a passion for working with children. You will be a huge influence in the life of a child, so make sure you're ready to set a good example for them to follow.
Pros of having this major are: working with children, working in a dynamic and engaging environment, summers off.
Cons are: difficult to find a job in some areas, low pay, lots of work that people won't recognize. |
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