Argghh ..why isnt this working! (degrees, public schools, credits, master's)

[historygrad]

So i decided to take the plunge and be a teacher after much debate. So i go up to the school, and i told them i would like to teach a foreign language and then i found out i cant get a degree in spanish? Seriously? Has anyone ever been told you CAN'T major in something?

Spanish was my minor and when you come back to the school, you need 30 hours so i thought 30 hours of spanish. Well come to find out the spanish dept is really small in my college and they dont have the classes to fulfill the 30 hour requirement. When i talked to the dept chair about it she said, "You would have to do independant study and i don't get paid for that" I was like really? This is my education and you are going to do this to me? Its messed up. Aren't teachers and professors supposed to care? The head of the English, Spanish and French dept. finally told me that unfortunately there was nothing that he could do and that if i wanted a degree in English or something else it would be fine but i finally had my heart set on this...

So a spanish professor stops me and she says i dont need the spanish degree, that i just need to take HER class of methodology which i had already taken the advanced conversation TOPT class and i have to take this ON TOP OF, my education classes..this sounds like a big mess..should i continue on or go back to business while i still can?

[golfgal]

Transfer to another college that has a Spanish major.

[toobusytoday]

I'm not sure I'm understanding your problem correctly. The school does not offer a Spanish major, but you want one?? I've heard of private colleges that offer design-your-own-major, but what you typically do is find another school that has the major you are interested in, and look at their required classes for it. Next you would find the classes in your current college that match up. If they truly don't offer the depth that's needed for a major, I'm not sure how you can argue that.

[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.

[passwithoutatrace]

Find a different college? Or major in education and minor in Spanish?

Most colleges will let you design your own major but you still have to find enough credits that fit the major in order for it to be legit. 30 hours doesn't seem like nearly enough for a major. I thought most majors took 180 credits on a quarter system or 120 on a semester system.

[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.

[lhpartridge]

Why not look into a study abroad program that will partner with your school? They typically offer between 6 and 9 semester hours, which should be enough to fulfill the degree requirements for a major. Many states, if not most, are more interested in how many hours you have in order to be certified. It's not always necessary to have an actual major in a subject if you have enough hours for a major. The study abroad will also help your oral proficiency and give you crucial cultural insights that make you more valuable as a Spanish teacher.

[historygrad]

It was more of a rant, sorry. As for the spanish major..it IS offered..but the department is so small that they are on a block schedule...yes a minor can be done..but it sucks that there are only three professors for the entire dept in a school of 14,000..and i keep getting told one thing and then another. I just dont want to make a mistake..

[historygrad]

The nearest college is 90 miles away btw and its very expensive ..

[historygrad]

one more thing..my friend said something about an alternative certification not through the school..through something called texas teachers or teach for texas..do these programs really work? they are WAY cheaper than the university. I just dont know if they will prepare me as much as college will.