(2) later, I don’t
really believe that it wont screw up my “path to a degree,” if that
makes sense? Wouldn’t that put me a solid year behind? And while I am nearly a
year ahead in courses, I do not want to end up taking a lot of classes that I
don’t need, that may not benefit me. How do I know if I’m making the entirely
wrong choice for what level I should teach at? I have a teacher who inspired me
greatly, and everything she tells me makes me want to lean towards secondary
ed. (3) However, I’m afraid that if I choose secondary ed it will only be
because of the teachers that inspired me, and because it is now what I am more
familiar with. The adviser had said that if I have a passion for a subject I
should teach secondary, if its a passion for little kids I should teach elementary.
But while I love teaching toddlers, I also love tutoring my peers, and have the
emotional skills that are very good for secondary teaching. How do I know what
to do?
The only person who can
answer this question is you. You need to
do some soul-searching, some reflecting to personally decide what is best for
you. You are the only individual who has
to live with your decisions, so the decisions need to be YOURS.
Try out some of these
courses and take ones that you might not need in the long run. You are YOUNG! There is no specific time required to earn a
degree and start your career. So what if
you get a year behind? Yes, it costs
money, but will it be worth it to finish a degree and realize you don’t want to
work with any of what you learned? Then
you’d have to start all over again anyway! Even if you decide one route is best right now, it
might not be better four years from now.
People change all the time, and you shouldn’t be stuck with
something. Always be willing to change
and adapt, and try new things.
Volunteer in schools,
after-school programs, camps, etc, and see what you like best.
Your education seems very different
from where I’m from, since the education degree comes after the first
degree. I am qualified to teach two
divisions, Intermediate and Senior (grades 7-12), which were part of my
education degree, but I could still take extra courses right now to teach
Primary (K-3) and Junior (4-6). So you
should also look into how teaching licences work where you’re from and if you
can take extra courses after graduation.
Listen to yourself and
trust yourself. Good luck.
Teaching In Real Life 