Argghh ..why isnt this working! (bachelors, schools, graduates, master)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by kodaka

It sounds like your school only offers a minor, not a major, in spanish. That's not them being messed up. Nearly every university on the planet has minors that they don't offer majors in. If you want to major in something that the school doesn't offer, you're going to have to complete the degree elsewhere. Simple as that.

However, if you want to teach, regardless of the subject, typically you want a degree in education.

Depends on where you live. In our state you have to have a degree in your subject area to teach middle and high school. You get a degree in Elementary Eduation for grades K-5 though. No school would hire you (middle or high school) if your "degree" was in education.

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

You can major in Education and minor in Spanish, which will make you an attractive candidate for public schools but not private schools. Moreover, most schools (public and private) prefer candidates with Master's degrees, either in Education or in the subject area. Furthermore, if you are going to teach in public schools, you need to become certified, which entails taking some core Education courses as well as passing the tests in your subject matter.

Lastly, you need to be fluent in the lang that you wish to teach. There are some schools that don't require fluency but the communicative approach is very popular right now. So, in addition to a degree and/or Ed classes, you need to cultivate fluency as well.

I would figure out what kind of school you wish to teach in (public or private) and go from there. If you can't major in Spanish at your school, you may be able to take some Ed courses that will at least enable you to become certified someday, although you do need to have a degree to teach a lang, in most schools, which means that you will need to find a school that offers a degree program. You might also consider Masters programs instead of another BA.

No, schools want NEW teachers WITHOUT a master's degree and then to go on and earn one after a few years. It is way to expensive for schools to hire teachers right out of college with a master's degree.

[bongo]

To be the required NCLB highly qualified don't you have to have a major in the subject taught?

[historygrad]

the way they explained it to me is that you need either 24 or 30 hours in the subject matter you are going to teach, for most liberal arts thats the degree itself. My degree was 30 hours in history. I don't know what state you are from golfgal but if that was the case that means people with BAAS, general studies, and interdisciplinary studies would not be able to teach. As far as I was told, you just need the certification, but i dont want the major thing to be an issue if i go to interview with a principal.

[christina0001]

Can you take a Spanish course or two elsewhere (even online) and have it count as transfer credit towards the 30 credits you need?

[Pupmom]

I am not following the entire story, but my daughter majored in Spanish - she has a BA- with certifications in elementary ed and special ed. She took all the praxis tests she needed. I am not sure of all the details, but she is qualified to teach Spanish k-12, special ed k-12, and elem ed k-6. Her school had a major in spanish (although not spanish education)- with special ed and elem ed certificiations she was able to just take the spanish praxis. We line in Penna.

[historygrad]

so what was the point of your post?

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Depends on where you live. In our state you have to have a degree in your subject area to teach middle and high school. You get a degree in Elementary Eduation for grades K-5 though. No school would hire you (middle or high school) if your "degree" was in education.



No, schools want NEW teachers WITHOUT a master's degree and then to go on and earn one after a few years. It is way to expensive for schools to hire teachers right out of college with a master's degree.

Not private schools and not schools in states that "value education" (like MA): all post job listings that specify that a Master's is preferred. Why? Because in more progressive districts as well as private schools, the schools either provide financial aid or pay outright for all professional development (which is usually the case with private schools). If a teacher has already procurred an MA on his/her own dime, so much the better.

Everything depends on the state in which one teaches as well as the type of school at which one teaches, which is why I told the OP to figure out what he/she wants before proceeding.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by historygrad

so what was the point of your post?

I think the point is that the poster is trying to illustrate the kind of education that makes one "qualified" b/c, in the end, the main thing that matters for most states is that you can pass the tests. There's no point in having a BA in a lang if you cannot pass the tests required for certification or don't qualify for teaching positions b/c you can't speak the lang.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by historygrad

so what was the point of your post?

Another rec is to study abroad, as another poster suggested. Most schools want prospective candidates to have experience living abroad and a lot of schools have placement tests that allow you to place out of classes at the uni. If your school has a study abroad program, then they should have a relationship with a school abraod that offers courses that are transferable for comparable credit at the home institution. I know that you need a certain amount of hours in residence (usually) but there is at least the possibility that you could get a lot of credits (as well as impressive study abroad experience, which will also aid your fluency) towards your degree via study abroad.

[historygrad]

well i have the 24 hours in spanish and i used to live in mexico..so i guess im covered there?