Spanish Education

[katie_h17]

Hi everyone! I would like someone's input from the Humanities.

I am currently a Spanish Education major, but a lot of my professors are pressing grad school on me because they think I'd be successful there. I also think that learning more about Spanish and teaching it in a college setting would be fascinating! One of my professors is trying to convince me to drop my Education major and just major in Spanish, while minoring in Latin American Studies or another language (like French). Education is pretty intensive and the last whole year is dedicated to observation and student teaching, so I wouldn't be able to take a lot of classes.However, even with the Ed major, I do have some extra room in my schedule for some classes, like basic French and a Latin American history class.

My concern is that if I drop Education, it will be a lot harder to get a job, because I won't have a teaching license. While this lets me take more courses, I don't know if it is worth it or not. My one professor acts like having an Education degree is not going to help me at all regarding getting into grad school. Is it more likely that a grad school would accept me if I have a Spanish degree and a minor (with no Education major?). I'm not sure yet if I would like to teach in high school or college, but I would probably prefer college.

I just want to maximize my chances of getting into grad school and getting financial assistance (probably from Hispanic Culture and Literature), but at the same time, I don't want to cut my future job opportunities. I currently have a full ride scholarship so I get four years of schooling free (I feel very lucky). I am also part of the Scholar class and have 4.0.

What do you all think? Should I stick with Ed or drop it to take on more classes from other areas, like other languages and Latin American studies?

[ktwho]

Hi, Katie H. from another Katie H.!

As an undergrad., I double majored in Spanish and International Studies. There is no disadvantage in the long run for you keeping your Ed major. I ended up teaching a lot and going back to school for a MA in ESL from a teacher's college but would still love to have certification. If anything, it's another job possibility for you later, even if you go all the way for a PhD. You'll end up in the classroom at some point, so if you could manage to do both majors now, you'd be in a good position for grad schools or jobs. You could always add a language through study abroad, which is also what I did when I'd finished all my Spanish major requirements--I went to Brazil and studied Portugese my senior year.

Best of luck!

[imonedaful]

Education major will not hurt you. However, you really do not need one if you want to go to graduate school and teach at the college level. The reality is that you need an education major to teach at the elementary and middle school level. You can get a teaching certificate without an education major in whatever subject area you majored in to teach at the high school level (this can vary county to county state to state, but I know where I live, you don't need it). You can get a teaching certificate with a bachelor's degree for high school. If you want to teach in college, it is not required. That being said, you have to decide what career path you want to choose. In my opinion, you don't need to keep doing an education major for what you want to do. A masters degree (or PHD, whichever you are considering) in Spanish will allow you to teach in college and you will make considerably more money. It also gives you the option of teaching at the high school level if you wanted. All you would have to do is take a teaching certificate test. Having a graduate degree will also make your payrate higher. I hope that helps

[ktwho]

Salaries vary greatly from state-to-state. If you know where you will live, I would also compare higher ed pay with primary/secondary pay. In Northern CA, for example, if you get a full-time position in higher ed, you will absolutely make more money. If you end up as a visiting lecturer or adjunct (part-timer) then you will make considerably less than K-12 teachers.

Of course, when it's all said and done, you should pursue something that you love, and if it doesn't work out, well....then explore different options.