Majors and Minors - Making the Decision

As soon as you've decided to pursue a teaching career, you should begin thinking about which subjects you would like to teach.

Because of the No Child Left Behind legislation , public schools and most private schools will only allow you to teach the subjects on your teaching certificate. It's wise to choose a group major or minor such as social studies or integrated science because these endorsements certify the holder to teach several different subject areas.

Take some time to make this important decision! Here are some tips that might be helpful:

• Pray for guidance and pay attention to what God created you to do.
  
  
• Talk to people who know you well – which subject area do they imagine might be a good fit with your personality and skills?
  
  
•  Look through the Calvin Catalog and the Education Majors and Minors.
  
  
• What are your interests? What are you passionate about?
  
  
• Visit the Career Development Office and take advantage of the resources available! Career counseling, books, personality tests…
  
  
• Take one course in an area of interest before making a decision.
  
  
• Consider fields that are currently in demand: special education, mathematics, physics, chemistry, bilingual Spanish, Spanish, English as a second language, earth/space science, biology, and integrated science.
  
  
• Try a service-learning opportunity related to an area of interest.
  
  
• Meet with professors – they are here to help you. Make an appointment!