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Do social studies if it is your passion. But also get an extension or minor in Special Education or English Language Learning.
In this current market for teachers, NO ONE should be spending any time preparing to be a teacher without also getting certified for Special Ed or ELL.
Other than those, science and math are also in demand, depending on where you live.
Why teaching? There is so much more youy can do with your education...
What a great thought. I wonder what we can do to make sure only stupid people are allowed to teach our children so smart people can do better things with their lives?
The reason why I want to be a teacher is too help young people money is not the goal here for me. If I want to make money I would be doing culinary instead.
If you're called to teaching, don't let anyone talk you out of it. Life's too short not to do what you're passionate about.
However, you want to make sure that you're a prime candidate to get hired. If subjects like social studies and health interest you, it's perfectly fine to study those fields. But it wouldn't hurt to pick up some credentials in ESL or Special Ed along the way - all the extra credentials you can get will help you stand out when it comes time to apply for jobs.
Are you already in college? If not (or if you're willing to transfer), you may want to look at schools that have job placement for teachers (the Concordia schools come to mind).
1. Social Studies/History teachers are a dime a dozen. If you want to persue this course of study
be prepared to look high and low for a job. Be prepared to move to get one.
2. PE/Health, in my experience in teaching in 4 states, are combined into one position. These
positions are also difficult to find, especially with many states making cuts in youth sports to
keep budgets in line.
Both are great areas of study and great to teach, but it won't be easy to succeed in these areas.
Also, in consideration of NCLB laws science and social studies are of little value because they do not
count in terms of testing. These classes are usually overcrowded and dumping grounds for putting the students with behavior problems in mass.
If there is any way you can afford the time/tuition to be dual certified, you'll have a slightly better chance. Pick one or two sports and take as much course work as possible so you'll be a prime candidate for coaching positions. Also, look to get the certification in adaptive PE, SPED, or ELL. Our most recent applicant pool for a Social Sciences position was 200 candidates..none of whom knocked our socks off, so we went with a long term sub for one year.
Education is a volatile field right now~more necessary than ever, but highly competitive and very demanding. Only the toughest will survive.
Concordia's job placement for teachers is a fairly unique system; since they are the official higher ed institution for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, they train teachers specifically for synod schools, then place them within the synod schools through a system similar to that of calling synod pastors to a congregation. A teacher gets a "call" and can choose to reject or accept.
So unless the OP is LCMS, that might not be applicable, so he should not expect to find placement services like that at a school of Education.
What a good school of Education DOES provide is career development and services that include counseling, resume and cover letter review, career fairs, networking with a wide range of employers, and regular job postings. But in most instances, ultimately the application and placement falls to the prospective teacher; they do not get placed in teaching positions by their university.
Which is why having that extra credential for Special Ed to stick out from the crowd is so important. And check to make sure any university you attend has solid career services specifically for education.
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