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 secondary ed majors 
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Do any of you Secondary Ed majors ever struggle with the college of ed? Recently I have found myself wondering if the college of ed could do more for secondary majors and not so much for elementary majors. Don't get me wrong, I think that elementary ed is extremely important and is very difficult, but often I find myself, as a future secondary teacher, struggling with the balance between instruction on how to teach younger students and not much instruction on how to educate secondary students. Does anyone else every feel this way?

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Matt Cobb


Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:10 pm
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YES!!!!!! They are all former elementary school teachers who look at you funny when you ask how you can possibly apply what they are teaching to a high school classroom. I think all our education classes should be separate from elementary education majors- even educational psychology. I guarentee you, I have learned more about teaching 3rd grade in the college of ed. than anyone wants to know... and I'm hoping to teach high school.

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Leah Brown


Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:16 pm
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I totally agree, as secondary ed majors we are expected to spend most of our time studying our concentration and just a minimal amount learning about education. Its a shame but i think one of the problems is that there arent enough secondary ed majors to make classes specific to us that would work with everyones schedule. I am glad that we dont have to deal with blocks though.

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Diana Zong


Sun Apr 15, 2007 4:35 pm
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I've been feeling that way for awhile now. I wish more classes were offered focused on teaching at a secondary level!

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Katie Stephens


Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:55 pm
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Definitely. I have felt for a long time that most majors other than elementary education slip through the cracks in the college of education (like health and PE majors, music majors, special ed majors, etc.)

I wish the curriculum was catered towards a more broad range of content areas, rather than just the elementary school level. I find that most secondary ed classes are only offered certain semesters and in only one or two sections. It is definitely frustrating....

Also, I think the advising system for non- elementary ed majors is a touch situation. For me personally, I am an English, Secondary Education major, and my advisor is in the English Department. However, he has absolutely no communication with the college of ed, and has no idea what I need from that course of study to graduate. Grrrrrr.....

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-Allison Sawicki


Mon Apr 16, 2007 1:45 pm
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As a music major (and a non-teaching fellow) I have not had to interact much with the college of ed. Music majors take a few classes in the college of ed but most of our study comes from the school of music. But I can definitely see where you are coming from since I have a couple friends who are secondary ed majors. In my opinion, a lot of aspects of teaching have to change between the elementary and secondary levels. I think there should be equal emphasis for all students on both areas, that way you are prepared for whatever jobs you may be offered when you graduate. I don't know how it works for non-music majors, but theoretically, we are supposed to be prepared to teach music from K-12.


Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:32 am
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i have to agree with all of you on this topic. my advisor is not in the education department so becuase of that the department itself has not be very easy to work with. Most of the staff doesnt even know my program as a technology education major even exist here at app. That said there are many in my major that wont be able to student teach because simply they didnt know the deadline. they havent had classes in that building this semester or they have just transfered in.

i told a friend of mine that i hate our college of ed and they told me that they tohught we were suppose to have a very good one. i told them the same things that you all are saying, that they are geared toward elementary, and that that is what most of the professors taught.


Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:43 pm
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I definitely agree. I am an Elementary Ed major and I can only imagine that it is hard to learn about teaching middle school children when most of the focus in mixed classes are on Elementary Education. It seems to me Elementary Education majors greatly out number Middle Grades Education at Appalachian and that causes the majority in mixed classes to be Elementary Ed, therefore most of the discussions are dominated by this majority.

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Sarah Concra


Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:57 pm
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Like Scott, being a music education major means that we have certain classes within our own building that are geared towards teaching music. So essentially, when we come into the college of ed we are just getting the basics and listening to alot of material that may or may not even relate to our subject area. This is why i am constantly asking in our groups in class, How can this apply to music? I really want to teach high school but the teaching concepts that we are given in the music building are constructed so that they give us teaching tools that can work for a wide range of ages and developmental stages of students.

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Dustin Hull


Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:34 am
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