X-post: College recommendation--teacher education? With an international twist?

[Harriet Vane]

I posted this on the high school board as well:

 

Okay, dd is only 13yo, but I'm one who enjoys planning ahead and researching. Plus I think there is wisdom in mulling the possibilities over time.

 

Dd has expressed interest in teaching. She is doing wonderfully well running a Spanish camp for younger kids this summer--planning, teaching, everything. She thinks she would like to be a teacher someday, possibly even start her own school in a place that is educationally underserved. She is really, really good at foreign languages, so it's not too much of a stretch to picture her teaching in another country.

 

Some concerns I have about teacher education:

 

--Often seems driven by the politically correct or by snazzy new theory that doesn't really hold water.

--I had two roommates who became teachers. The coursework for the roommate in elementary ed did not seem all that rigorous (she would say so as well). I'd like to see dd in something more challenging.

--Would like the program to include what is needed for administration--is that possible, or is that a master's program???

--Would like to see an international perspective somehow.

 

Any college recommendations? Thoughts in general?

 

Thanks!

[Rosie_0801]

I don't know the answer to any of your questions, but my sister told me Kenya is full of unemployed people with Masters or PhDs in Education from English and American universities. They deserve to be paid too much, so they aren't hired at all. My sister's Kenyan mamma (Rosemary)has started her own school which those in her village who can afford to pay, do, because the public schools are so dreadful. I she only has 3yo and 4yo kinder classes so far, and will be running a third class next year as the kids she has bump up. The aim is to provide a full primary school education. All her teachers are locals. They are not terribly well educated and have so-so English. I'm not sure if they finished high school or just up to year 8. She also has western volunteers, but most of them are pretty useless. For example, I sent a book on creative writing over last year but the reading level was a bit above Rosemary and still none of the volunteers have managed to read it and work out lesson plans so she can use it.

 

If your daughter could find some sort of telecommuting work (or her future hubby was) so she'd be earning $US, she could live quite comfortably in Kenya while running her school. If you want to pursue the thought experiment further, I can put you in contact with my sister.

 

Rosie

[edithcrawley]

I posted this on the high school board as well:

 

Okay, dd is only 13yo, but I'm one who enjoys planning ahead and researching. Plus I think there is wisdom in mulling the possibilities over time.

 

Dd has expressed interest in teaching. She is doing wonderfully well running a Spanish camp for younger kids this summer--planning, teaching, everything. She thinks she would like to be a teacher someday, possibly even start her own school in a place that is educationally underserved. She is really, really good at foreign languages, so it's not too much of a stretch to picture her teaching in another country.

 

Some concerns I have about teacher education:

 

--Often seems driven by the politically correct or by snazzy new theory that doesn't really hold water.

--I had two roommates who became teachers. The coursework for the roommate in elementary ed did not seem all that rigorous (she would say so as well). I'd like to see dd in something more challenging. This really depends on the univ. your daughter attends. I know that the students in the teacher's college at my univ. have to do lots of rigorous work, spending hours creating lesson plans and portfolios and all sorts of things. They also do a good job of getting them in a classroom during their first semester to observe so that they can decide if teaching really is something they want to do.

--Would like the program to include what is needed for administration--is that possible, or is that a master's program??? From what I've heard, admin is mostly covered in a master's program.

--Would like to see an international perspective somehow. Maybe she could get an ESL certification? I have a friend who went to another country to do their student teaching, maybe you could find a program that allows that.

 

Any college recommendations? Ball State Univ. is a public univ. in Indiana. It was founded in 1918 as a Teacher's College, (If you need any info on this, let me know. I have dozens of friends who are either currently in or just finished the teaching program.) Thoughts in general? She should be able to transfer her teaching license to any state after sitting for an exam. I suggest she get some sort of additional licensing (spec. ed, ESL, etc.) so she'd have a better chance of finding a job

 

Thanks!

 

 

Hope this helps!

Edited July 3, 2010 by jennifermarie

[Heather in Neverland]

PM'ed you

[ladydusk]

Would she be willing/able to read some educational philosophy books at home beforehand (thinking Charlotte Mason or Class-Ed philosophy?) There is one perspective taught in education colleges (in my experience) and that tends to be progressive ed/Dewey. If she could go in with an arsenal of other perspectives & philosophies, I think it would be helpful. JMO

[OrganicAnn]

I think that if she really wants to run a school or go into school administration, that she should take some courses in business. I would suggest one course in Accounting, Fund Accounting, Finance, Human Resources.

 

I think it would be helpful if she/you could narrow down what area of the world she would most likely to go to. Then you could concentrate on languages, dialects and cultures in that part of the world.

 

Wasn't there a new program at Harvard in education that sounded very interesting. I would also looking into the Teach for America programs. I think they provide the 'how to teach' above and beyond the person's college degree.