If your child wants to be a teacher, is it better to go to a school with a bachelor’s in education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the bachelors in a subject! The better universities don't even offer a bachelor's degree in education. What happens if your daughter doesn't like teaching?

I should add that I was previously an HR Director at a local (well-known) independent school and we'd much rather have a teacher with a Master's in Education vs. a Bachelor's in Education. The stereotype is that someone with a Bachelor's in Education isn't that smart.

OP here. Thank you. How much does prestige matter in the BA and MA? Does it matter for neither, one of them or both?

And yes, my son is researching this topic as well.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, I don’t understand this question at all. Does your child want to be a teacher? Then why does it matter where they teach? Only people who really want to be a teacher should go into teaching. And those people should get a bachelor’s in teaching where they learn the actual craft and skills of teaching and have student teaching with a mentor teacher. Being a teacher and getting my master’s at night was much more useful because I was able to put my learning into practice while i was teaching. Plus, many school system’s will pay for some of your course costs. FWIW I had a double major in education and another unrelated subject.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd major in a subject, especially if you want to teach high school, plus the MA can mean a salary boost.

OP here. The concern is the massive cost of the 5th year (master’s).

If you are planning to become a teacher, you should not have "massive costs" associated with college. Go instate somewhere you can afford. Teachers get paid the same, no matter where they got their undergrad.

OP here. What qualifications do schools like Sidwell, Potomac, NCS and boarding schools look for?

I assume they want to teach HS if you are asking about boarding school. In that case , for the above question, they should major in the intended subject they wish to teach, but then will be expected to have a masters in education or curriculum planning, etc, so that they have teaching experience under their belt. This will help them be a better teacher as well as be more able to find a job. All of those schools mentioned do not have high school teachers with education majors as undergrads, but more likely as a masters after a subject related undergrad major.

[Anonymous]

So glad your child wants to be a teacher! Depends on what level she wants to teach.

If she wants to teach high school or middle school, she would get a bachelors in the subject with a concentration in education. For example, if she wants to teach high school chemistry, she would major in Chemistry with a concentration in education.

If she wants to teach elementary school, she should get her degree in Elementary Education.

If she wants to teach special education, she would get a degree in Special Ed.

[Anonymous]

Does your child know whether they want to teach elementary or middle or high school?

I think for an elementary school teacher either a B.A in education, or some kind of teaching fellowship is critical. You need more experience with the group management piece than you get in most stand alone master's programs.

For a secondary school teacher, subject area expertise is the most important. A bachelor's in the subject, with either a second major in teaching, or a master's degree in reading, is probably the best route.

If you are wanting to teach in a public school, than a school in the state is ideal because certification will be easier. The namebrand on the diploma is less important than being instate.

If you want to teach at an elite private school, like Sidwell, then name brand will matter, and the most prestigious degree you can get without a loan is your best bet. But know that you may not get that job right out of college/grad school. Often those schools are hiring people who have honed their skills elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Can one double major in education and another subject area--such as English, History, Math, etc.--while in undergraduate school ?

[Anonymous]

I’ll tell you one path that my son is on. He seems to have always known that he wants to teach. (He went to private school for all years except kindergarten, if that is of interest)
He is currently a junior at Vanderbilt, in their Peabody School of Education. And also double majoring in Chemistry as he thinks he might want to teach hs chem. I love that he is on this path. We will likely ultimately get at least a masters ( if not a phd) but right now he thinks he wants to teach for at least a year or two after graduation in 2024

[Anonymous]

He. Not we!! Autocorrect is a horror. I/we will pay tuition tho!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can one double major in education and another subject area--such as English, History, Math, etc.--while in undergraduate school ?

You can't teach middle or high school without a degree in the subject you are teaching, so programs for people who want to teach secondary school are designed so that you end up with both the subject major and a teaching credential.

[Anonymous]

Private schools require much fewer qualified than public schools.

[Anonymous]

Just as everyone said, education is a dumb undergrad major.
You can double major in education and another subject if you want but don’t do only an education major.
For HS teaching, you really need content specialisation to be a good teacher. I majored in chemistry + education and the education major was fluff and way easier than chemistry.

I also agree with a previous poster that it is a little weird he already has decided he wants to teach at elite private schools.
If you want to teach, you should be open to many different environments. They all have their pluses and minuses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools require much fewer qualified than public schools.

That entirely depends on the private school. I’m a former public school teacher who switched to private. My current school requires state certification. While you don’t need a masters to be hired, they fully expect that you are working towards one. Over half of the school has multiple degrees and we have 4 PhDs on staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My alma mater (University of Richmond) axed the master's in teaching program when I was a freshman. I was very annoyed, but in the end I realized that the salary increase of $1-$2k/year would have taken forever to make up for the master degree tuition and loss of one year's salary. And it's not like teaching jobs are hard to come by at the moment. You can always get the master's at night or take a year off if you want it later.

OP here. My child is interested in teaching at private schools.

Is she also interested in living at home forever? They don't pay enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My alma mater (University of Richmond) axed the master's in teaching program when I was a freshman. I was very annoyed, but in the end I realized that the salary increase of $1-$2k/year would have taken forever to make up for the master degree tuition and loss of one year's salary. And it's not like teaching jobs are hard to come by at the moment. You can always get the master's at night or take a year off if you want it later.

OP here. My child is interested in teaching at private schools.

Is she also interested in living at home forever? They don't pay enough.

Depends on where you live.

[Anonymous]

This thread surprises me. Don’t they require a masters to teach in most school districts?

The state flagship I went or had a 4 year bachelors/masters program for teachers. It was hard but everyone I knew did that. You had to start as a freshmen though.