Recently, I have been asked a least a couple times, "what is your major?" I reply with, "Elementary education," and the other party almost always replies with an "Awhhhh..." or "How cute!" I know that these are the natural responses we use towards children, but before these experiences, I didn't know that it was considered "cute" to be studying education. Or maybe they were just referring to my small paycheck I will be receiving in the next couple years...but hey! I'm getting ahead of myself.
The following questions refer to my major:
1. In the education program, students learn how to help others learn effectively. For example, some education majors are specializing in deaf studies, special needs or the L3 major (Literacy, Language, and Learning) which focuses primarily on reading and writing. These are all drawn from the same program, the College of Education.
2. Most people end up finding a job in a public school system rather quickly. Some go on to graduate school, to pursue a higher position in the education field, but most students have recently found teacher positions easily, right after receiving their undergraduate diploma.
3. I was always intrigued by the thought of becoming a teacher growing up, and I think it was because I had some amazing elementary school teachers. In my senior year of high school, I got a job at a school and I worked closely with elementary-aged students, and I became even more aware of my desire to become a teacher.
4. I have many different role models in my field. Some are my parents' friends who have been teachers for over 30 years, who I know personally, and others are teachers who work in intercity schools and in poorer neighborhoods, none of which I can name. On a broader scale, I find those who educate people outside of the classroom even more exciting. They might serve as tutors, or childcare staff, but they are fundamentally doing the same thing as a licensed teacher.
5. The leading academic/scholarly journals for the education field are:
- Review of Educational Research
- Educational Researcher
- Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics
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| Herald Post. "Angelica Jordan Named Top DODEA Teacher." 11/08/2010 via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License. |
The weird thing is, that will be me someday soon.
--Jenny Bello
REFLECTION:
After reading two other classmates' blogs, Rachel's and Addie's, I discovered a few new things. Rachel is studying molecular and cellular biology, Addie is studying journalism and I am studying education. All three majors are so different, yet very similar. All offer a variety of jobs in the field, and prior to reading their posts, I was not aware of the many career paths they each could take. However, all three majors specialize in unique topics and "worlds," so to speak. The science world, the public relations and media world and the education world could not be more different. But, I realize that they are all interconnected, as they build off each other. The educators teach the scientists, the scientists create technology, the technology experts develop media sources and websites, and the cycle repeats itself. Basically, I could be teaching the next generation of MCB majors someday! Overall, I realized that as we each choose our individual subjects or disciplines, one student's is not that far off from another's.
REFLECTION:
After reading two other classmates' blogs, Rachel's and Addie's, I discovered a few new things. Rachel is studying molecular and cellular biology, Addie is studying journalism and I am studying education. All three majors are so different, yet very similar. All offer a variety of jobs in the field, and prior to reading their posts, I was not aware of the many career paths they each could take. However, all three majors specialize in unique topics and "worlds," so to speak. The science world, the public relations and media world and the education world could not be more different. But, I realize that they are all interconnected, as they build off each other. The educators teach the scientists, the scientists create technology, the technology experts develop media sources and websites, and the cycle repeats itself. Basically, I could be teaching the next generation of MCB majors someday! Overall, I realized that as we each choose our individual subjects or disciplines, one student's is not that far off from another's.
I really enjoyed reading your post because I contemplated majoring in education for a long time. Two of my cousins are elementary school teachers as well as several family friends. I also love how passionate you are about the field of education, seeing as you were able to work at an elementary school during your senior year. I too have worked closely with my major throughout high school and think that it has given me a good foundation for the next few years!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post because I could tell how passionate you are about becoming a teacher. I think being excited about the field you are going into is one of the most important things. While my field is completely different, we are similar in a sense because we both love what we do. I think its amazing that you have already had so much experience in a classroom and working hands-on with kids. I hope to gain this kind of hands-on experience by volunteering at labs at UA.
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