If you’re considering a major in education, you already know there’s a whole lot more to learning to teach than making bulletin boards and coloring. The first step is deciding which education track you want to be on.

The education program is broken down into three areas based on grade level. Early childhood education covers Pre-K through fourth grades, middle level is grades four through eight, and special education for grades Pre-K through eighth can be added to either track.

If you’re interested in teaching a specific content area, secondary education and K-12 would be for you. This program pairs up education with a focus area, which could include biology, mathematics, social studies, English and Spanish.
Opportunities for education majors at GU include:

Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society for Education
-Gannon University’s Society for Exceptional Children
Student Pennsylvania State Education Association
-Future Educators’ Society
-State and national education conference

Gannon students get extensive classroom experience by the time they graduate. Education programs include a 14-week student teaching period for seniors, and practicums – classroom observations – that begin freshman year. Though the program, students are also prepared to pass the Praxis I and II exams that are required for a teaching certificate.

The outlook for Gannon’s education graduates is good — 95 percent of the class of 2009 is currently employed as a teacher or continuing their degrees, and the starting salary in Pennsylvania is nearly $36,000. A teaching certificate from Pennsylvania is valid in 45 other states without needing more classes or exams. Because of this, Gannon graduates are currently teaching in almost 20 states.

Senior English/ secondary education major Mitch Meighen said he appreciates the assistance the faculty in the education department offers their students.

“They are helpful with applications and answer questions about first-year teaching issues,” he said. “I just like that they’re so supportive.”

Learn all about Gannon’s School of Education here.

Interested in reading about the day-to-day life of an education major? Check out David Reichard’s blog, Learn to Teach.