Fall semester is already approaching on the horizon, which means that summer break is almost finished. If you're like me, the idea of going back to college can fill you with both dread and excitement. Maybe just dread for some of you. When you're an education major, there are tons of things to look forward to and hate when going back to college. Here are eight pros and cons of going back to college for education majors.
Pro: Reuniting with your friends in your major
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One good thing about going back to college is that you get to see some of the friends you made from your major again! I found out recently that when you're an education major, you most of the time see the same students in a lot of your courses. This makes you get to know the people in your major and become closer to them. Even if you haven't met any friends yet, you will most likely make new friends after taking a few education courses.
Con: Welcome back to feeling stressed every day
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Just like any other major, you will always be stressed. A lot of people think that education classes are easy. Though the material in the education classes isn't too difficult, the classes will still contain a lot of busy work. You will often be writing 10-page lesson plans or an 8-page paper daily.
And if you're like me and are trying to become a math teacher, you get to enjoy stressing out over completing hard math problems or being able to understand different methods of teaching math that may differ from your own method. So, trust me, students majoring in education still undergo feeling stressed every day just like any other college student.
Pro: Looking forward to doing field experience
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On a more positive note, you get to go into field experience! Even if this coming semester is your first year as an education major, you will most likely be given some type of field experience. This is where you get to go to other schools and observe what it's like to be a teacher.
In addition, you get to work with students in the grade level you're assigned to, which gives you a broader idea of what grade level you want to teach. Depending on what host teacher and school you're assigned to, field experience can either be very rewarding or very challenging. However, it's something that almost all students that major in education look forward to!
Con: Having to get up early and drive for field experience
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Every student who's an education major understands this struggle. When you're an education major, you will get assigned to a school to do your field experience. Sometimes, the school you get assigned to is far away from your campus, which means that you will have to drive a lot. Sometimes you also have to get up early in order to go to the school. On top of that, sometimes you'll have to go to class afterward. This can make going back to college sound less appealing.
Pro: Taking interesting education classes
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Some of the education courses can be interesting and sometimes even fun, especially when you get into your method courses. There are courses that will, for example, discuss teaching philosophies or information about the student's behavior in the grade that you will be teaching. You will even get to do some fun projects in a few classes. Education courses aren't always lectures, and any student who's an education major will tell you that there are some classes that you will take that will get you excited about coming back to school!
Con: Having to attend morning or evening courses
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Just like any other major, you will most likely have at least one morning or evening class. And if you're used to sleeping in over the summer, this can fill you with dread. It's more likely that you'll have a morning or evening course when you start taking your methods courses. Method courses often do not have that many options for when to take the course, so you often get stuck with one option. In other words, coffee becomes your best friend when you're going back to college as an education major.
Pro: Attending courses with interesting education professors
You will meet a lot of interesting professors in your education class! There are a lot of education professors who will give you really good advice about teaching. There are some professors who are also really fun to have in your education classes. It's one thing to look forward to when going back to college!
Con: Writing 10-page lesson plans
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As mentioned previously, when you go back to college as an education major, you get to enjoy writing 10-page lesson plans. Sounds like fun, right? Most of the time, you also will be required to follow a specific format for the lesson plans, which can sometimes be stressful.
However, most students will tell you that writing a lesson plan isn't too bad once you've gotten the hang of it. Even a lengthy lesson plan can take up less time than you would think. Still, writing lesson plans when you get back can still make going back to college sound unappealing.
Going back to college as an education major is just like going back to college for any other major. You can dread it or feel excited to go back. However, every student who's an education major knows that even if they dread starting classes again, they can always look forward to doing field experience where they are able to interact with students from other schools and start getting their first experience with teaching. Being able to impact other students and take interesting courses can make going back to college feel worth it.
