lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

I am really thinking of going to school for a teaching degree in elementary education. I have little children though so I want to see if I can do this slowly and take a course here or there at night possibly online would be the best.
I do have an Associates degree in Business so I am hoping several of those courses will be able to transfer over.
When my children are a bit older in a few years and all in school, I want to take several courses and finish up.
Anyone know any schools on Long Island that are AFFORDABLE and have courses available in the evenings for someone who can only handle this part time right now?
Any info would be helpful.

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

in terms of affordability, i would go SUNY. To my knowledge, SUNY Old Westubry has a program as I'm sure Stoneybrook and Farmingdale may have it as well... though not sure. CUNY schools such as Queens, Hunter or Baruch have great programs and would still be cheaper than private schools. Hofstra, Adelphi, Molloy, St. Joseph's, C.W. Post and Dowling all have programs but they're private and not cheap.

to get a teaching degree, you must have a bachelor's so i am thinking since you have the asscoiates already, you should be able to finish in 2 years... although you may have to take some prerequisites if they were not already met in your associates degree.

most schools have classes in the evenings as many people take on education as a Masters degree and work during the day. I would also look into getting a Masters at the same time because to teach in NY state, you need a Masters within 5 years of gettting your teaching certficiate, so maybe you could bang it out now... 2 years for bachelor's plus a year or so for the Masters?

Also, i would talk with someone at a University that is well-versed in the requirements from the state. if it's going to take you several years (i.e. more than 5) to complete the degree, you may want to wait. the state often changes the requirements for certification, so it would suck if you did all this work and then needed to do MORE to meet any new guidelines for when you graduate... hope that makes sense.

Also, i highly encourage you to look into dual certification programs.. ie. elementary education AND special education or elem. ed. AND reading, etc. etc. it's a tight market on LI for just elem. ed. jobs. i am dually certified and not ONE of my many interviews a few years back were for regular ed. jobs. they were all for special ed.

GOOD LUCK!

FM if you need anything!

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

first of all- good luck with all the decisions!!
i just wanted to give another suggestion- i'm a speech therapist at an elementary school and i really love it! i have the school schedule with only 2-3 kids to deal with at a time instead of a whole classroom full i work with kids who have trouble pronouncing differnent sounds ( like the "S" or "R"), BUT i also work with kids who have language delays on things like new vocabulary, reading comprehension, phonics, making more complete sentences, recalling and following directions, etc. so its not just making the "S" sound at kids all day- LOL its really becoming a lot like a special ed teacher, and i work closely with them.
you need to get yoru masters degree, so it will take you a little bit longer, but the job market is A LOT better than it is for classroom teachers right now. i have a full time job, and i still get phone calls offering me other jobs its a very in-demand feild right now. its also nice because if you get tired of working in a school, you can work with older people who have had strokes, or you can work with preschool aged kids in early intervention and go out to people houses and stuff. either of those you can do part time and still make a decent salary. you can even open up a private practice.
just thought i'd give you something else to look into, too. again, GOOD LUCK!!!

Message edited 12/31/2007 4:56:20 PM.

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

Thank you for all your help. I truly appreciate it.

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

Sue, I know your intentions are not to go into the field just yet but please know that the elementary education field is SATURATED right now. If you are really set in doing elementary please try to do a dual major and get 2 certifications (special edu, speech therapy, and elementary education). I wish you luck in what you decide to do.

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

for my undergrad degree, I attended SUNY Stony Brook and got my BA in lingusitics and TESOL, which granted me a K-12 certification to teach ESL. It is the best of both worlds, where I can do elementary or HS. I am not currently teaching ESL now, but when I was I loved it. Also, there is a need for ESL teachers with the increasing population of immigrants entering our country. It is also such a satisfying and fulfilling career choice! Good Luck!

Re: lots of questions about going to school for teaching degree.

Not sure how far out on the island you live, but I like the CUNY schools immensely for ed degrees.