We have all seen the memes and the tweets about how being an education major is just cutting and gluing and making fun crafts. And although that might be true for some elementary education majors, it is far from the truth for secondary. My goal after college is to teach middle school history. And do not worry, I’ve heard all the stories and gotten the looks and the faces of when I tell anyone that this is what I want to do. But even though I want to teach on the younger side of my degree, that does not mean I am just learning how to color and how 2 plus 2 works.
The fact is, I am taking the same amount of high-level history classes that any history major would have to take to complete their degree while doing observation hours at a local school toward my education degree. I have taken 18 credits (which is 6 classes) since second semester freshman year and doing the same amount of work as any other major. Although it looks easy from the outside to “just” be a teacher, we are learning how to teach and reach our future students in our classes in multiple ways. We are learning state guidelines, objectives, learning disabilities and other tools to be able to help our students. So no, it is not just all coloring.
I have the same amount of lesson plans due as history papers, and I am sure any other education major can tell you the amount of stuff that they do in one day or all the different classes and clubs they are involved in. It is stressed to us that we have to get involved beside just doing observation hours and going to class. We should be substitute teaching, getting involved in tutoring programs, doing educational programs with kids, and anything to help us further our capabilities to be able to work and help children. Add on the normal stress and problems of just college students in general, being an education major is not all that it seems.
I am sure any major is going to be bashing another major, saying they have it so easy while I am suffering under so much work, but we are all doing our best in whatever path we are one. Education does look easy, and I won’t lie sometimes the work is coming up with a craft or an educational game, but all the work that goes into that game or craft, the learning objectives that teachers have to come up with and the research behind it showing how the game will help the students be able to learn something are all things that are not seen from another major in the library watching the education major cut out racecars for their students to color.
Being an education major is hard. It is a lot of time management because we have to do so many things in a day in order to be able to graduate on time. We are going to be in charge of teaching the future leaders and workers and that is sometime that seems to be overlooked when talking about education majors and teachers. Just like any other major, our work is hard and our work is important and it is time for people to start realizing it.