Any education major knows that education is not the most respected major in the U.S. However, any education major also knows that education is one of the most important jobs in the world: teaching students for the future. Here are five things that education majors are tired of hearing regarding their majors.
1. Education majors don’t make that much money. You better marry rich!
This. This is the number one comment from outsiders -- parents, friends, friends’ parents, parents’ friends, anyone. We don’t do what we do just for the money. We do what we do because we want kids to have great teachers. Plus, let’s be honest; teachers should be paid more for the amount of work and time they invest each and every day.
2. Oh good! You’ll get an easy A in college!
Um… no. Education is not easy, no matter if you’re elementary, middle level, or secondary education. You must become a master in your content area as well as in learning how to be an educator itself. Not every person can juggle the shifting course loads, and not every person can create lesson plan after lesson plan and stand in front of 50 little eyeballs watching your every move.
3. What a good gig -- summers off and paid holidays!
Well, this isn’t completely true at all. Sure, teachers get a few months off, but it’s well-deserved, considering teachers’ work doesn’t end when the students leave. Teachers have endless grading, lesson-planning and thinking to do regarding what they will do the next day or how to reach that one kid that just doesn’t care and doesn’t get it. That vacation is well-deserved. In addition, a lot of non-instructional days are used for required educational conferences and meetings. Plus, all of August is about decorating classrooms and preparing for the upcoming year to do it all over again, hopefully better and better each year!
4. Are you unsure of what to do with your life? Teaching is a good last resort.
Wow. This one. Teaching is definitely not a last resort. Teaching takes skill and endless abstract thinking. While subjects like math and physics are complex in their own ways, they are finite. Teaching utilizes numerous skills at once. In addition, putting young students’ educations in your hands is far from a“last resort. It’s a big responsibility and can be very stressful when students don’t understand or don’t care.
5. You’ll never be an individual again in your career. You’ll have to conform to the administration’s standards.
Part of this is true, but this is still hard to hear. Teaching allows for a lot more individuality than others would think. You create your own classroom decorations, classroom layout, teaching style, worksheets, tests, etc. It’s up to you to create your own lesson plans and what episodic lesson you will do to engage your students. While educators do have to abide by state standards and by what administration says, it’s like that at any job. Jobs have bosses and leaders that require certain qualifications and expect you to meet certain standards. Such is life, and teachers experience the same thing. It doesn’t take away from the true purpose of teaching.
Teaching is a difficult job. It’s not the easy way out, and if it was, that would be really bad for our future generations. Teaching takes skill and dedication, and education majors should be respected just as much as any other major. It’s equally challenging, engaging and requires more time and money outside of classes. Don’t let anyone misunderstand education and its values.
