question for you teachers out there

dande2129

When you graduated college, did you go directly FOR education, or did you have a major that was something like, I don't know, history and then a minor with education? I know that different states have different regulations for teaching certificates, but just trying to gain some insight here.

Rdomb1107

My major was education with a minor in English, so when I graduated college I was certified in English 7-12. 

purplepeanut6

depends what age you want to teach. For elementary school you need to have a degree in education or be certified. with high school you need to major in the subject then have  a  teaching certificate in that specific subject area

cwm11985

I took 3 semesters worth of education at my university and then decided I hated the program.  I switched to English and Creative Writing (I still wanted to teach but wasn't willing to transfer schools) since I love reading and writing.  My first year out of college I got a job working with 3rd and 5th graders who have mental, social, and behavioral disabilities (I have  A LOT of experience with kids throughout life so I guess thats why I got the job despite not having the appropriate degree). Then, after that year I spent 1.5 years in grad school and earned a Master's of Teaching and have been teaching elementary ever since.  

And actually to better answer your question: in my state education HAS to be the minor.  You can major in anything (English, history, math, psychology, interdisciplinary liberal arts, etc) and minor in education. 

Stellarpuppy

In NY I got a major in Math Education.  It's a math major along with education courses.  I believe the same for CT too (my certification transferred when I moved) HTH

goofyteacher

It will vary on what it is you want to teach as well.  I have a degree specifically in education because I teach elementary.  It's also a state mandate that you hold a teacher certificate in Iowa, which requires a degree in education. 

Valeriam

In CA you neet a multiple subject credential but could get a supplemental in any subject that will let you teach Jr high otherwise its jst for elementary. If you want to teach hs then you get a credential on whatever subject you want to teach in.

Justinlove

Both my BS and MEd are in EC/elementary education.  I am certified to teach PreK-8th.

Soxgirl07

I transferred schools, so I'll tell you about both. In PA, you couldn't major in education, even though it was the same amount of work. So I minored in Education, majored in History. 

When I transferred to a school in MA, I double majored in Education and History. 

kramerjess

I graduated with a biology major, chem minor, and concentration in education.  I was certified to teach 7-12 science but only biology and chemistry 9-12.  I then when on to get a middle school and math endorsement so that I could teach 5-8 math and science which is what I do now.

meggylake

I majored in art education. The program was already set for me with art classes along with education classes and some specific art ed classes. I think it kind of depends on the university and what you are wanting to major in.

mkanderson85

I graduated with a degree in English and then received my Master's in Secondary Education.

vhorizon81

In Maine I had to get my major in Education (mine was Elementary Education K-8) and then I had to pick a "concentration" (I chose Social Sciences).  Basically, I could teach Social Studies in Middle School (I'm all set teaching second grade though!!) It's interesting to see how different each state is!

AmieVan

At the time, in NJ, one could not actually major in Education.  My BA is in Sociology.  But, I did not graduate until I had completed my 33 credits in Elementary Education.  So, when I graduated, I had a Certificate of Eligibility to teach.  After a year of teaching, my Standard license was issued.  After I started teaching, I earned a Master of Ed. in Language Arts.  I would look on your state's DOE site.  It's usually fairly clear what you need to do.  Hope this helps!  

watermellens

I teach Kindergarten in NYS. I snuck in under the old program where I'm certified in PreK-6th grade (now you have to choose birth-grade 2 OR grade 1-grade 6).

I graduated with my undergrad degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in history (you had to pick a concentration in something). 

I went immediately to grad school where I majored in Teacher Education (which was a generic program designed for people that had their undergrad in education, but needed a masters to teach). It took a year.

dande2129

So many great responses! Thank you all! 

My current major is English. I'd like to teach 9-12, so it looks like I need to figure out how to go about it in my state. I've read some things that have been conflicting, and if I'm going to make a plan, I want to be on the right track rather than something I just Googled.

Where would I start with that? The Department of Education advisor at my university?  

Justinlove

Your advisor should know the requirements for your state.  You could also contact your state's professional standards/licensing commission.

 

dande2129

Justinlove:

Your advisor should know the requirements for your state.  You could also contact your state's professional standards/licensing commission.

 

Thank you!

KMAXON

I got my undergraduate degree in Childhood Education with an English concentrate.   Then I got my masters degree in Elementary Special Education.   I am a special ed teacher, but certified to teach classroom 1-6 or special ed 1-6. 

spring_time

dande2129:

So many great responses! Thank you all! 

My current major is English. I'd like to teach 9-12, so it looks like I need to figure out how to go about it in my state. I've read some things that have been conflicting, and if I'm going to make a plan, I want to be on the right track rather than something I just Googled.

Where would I start with that? The Department of Education advisor at my university?  

Just a little bit of friendly advice. Please make sure you check out the job market in your state.  In Michigan, the system is flooded with teachers.  I have four friends who are stay at home moms because they could not find teaching jobs.  I have several friends who finally gave up and switched to another profession.  I also have friends still teaching in charter schools, and making $40,000 after 10 years and a Masters degree.   English is a common major which makes getting a job even more difficult.  DO NOT trust the advisors in the education department, universities are a business and the more students they have, the more funding they get.  Find some people in the education field and talk to them.

When I graduated, Elementary Education was a triple minor which translated into a major.  You had to minor in Elementary Education, Math and Science, and one specialization.  You could also add a fourth minor of Early Childhood Education, which did not count as the specialization.  I ended up bumping my specialization minor (Spanish) up to a major, and taking on the Early Childhood Endorsement.  Hope that makes sense because it was confusing back then, too.

aimeecasey

Technically my degree is called "interdisciplinary studies with a teaching certificate" but essentially if was an education degree. In Texas the department is called "Texas education agency" that certifies all teachers through a university of post grad. 

Drea926

Just wanted to say good luck to you!! I teach 6th grade English in MA and I absolutely love it. Hope everything works out!

GrowingFamily2012

I had an elementary teaching major and a minor in English which made me able to teach any k-5 classes and 6-8 English courses.

IsaiahGirl

My degree was English Ed, so I was already certified with my bachelors degree.  However, there are certain programs (I know UGA has one) where you get your bachelors in the field and immediately go into a masters program to get certified.  It's a 5 yr program, so it's a fast track to get both degrees and certification.

In this market, GET CERTIFIED.  There are very few jobs, and they go to the candidates with full certification first.  Yes, there are programs like Teach America where you can get certified after a bachelors in a field, but I haven't seen a teacher hired that way in 7 years in our school.

SandiaPinaMama

My degree is in English Teaching.  I basically took 45 credits of Ed courses and 45 credits of English courses. I graduated endorsed to teach English grades 4-12.

LexieS

I have a degree in social studies education. I am from Louisiana. You can have a degree in history (for example), but you have to become certified and possibly take education classes and do an internship before you can have your own classroom.