Outside of the regular perks of studying in the field of your choice, like learning about things that you care about and preparing for your dream job. Here are a few things that make being an education major just a little bit sweeter.

1. Your major classes are taught by professional educators.

Not only do you learn the content of the class from them, but you also learn a lot about teaching just by watching them teach you. They are up on the research about what makes for the best learning environment, and you get the benefit of having professors who are experts on their content and experts on how to get it across to you.

2. Everyone else is just as excited about school supplies as you are!

And having well-cultivated Pinterest boards and a large collection of flats and cardigans is considered admirable, not nerdy!

3. Traditional tests are few and far between.

Instead of a typical final exams, you’ll probably just have to present your lesson plan as though you are teaching it to the class while the rest of the class pretends to be second graders. Don’t worry- you’ll still spend hours preparing for it as you make sure to incorporate a variety of learning styles, give meaningful assessments, and hit those state standards!

4. Your homework often involves crayons and construction paper.

Whether it’s creating a poster about adjectives, making a math game to reinforce multiplication facts, or teaching a mock lesson about planets, you’ll need these supplies to get the job done.

5. Your professors are really nice.

They have been known to bring you Halloween candy and read inspirational picture books on the last day of class. While the independence that comes with being a college student is great, getting an occasional “you can do it!” and “I care about you as a person!” is really appreciated. File these nice things away so that you can do them for your future students, too!

6. Pretty much everything you learn in your classes is directly applicable to your future.

You never know what situations will come up in your future classrooms, so it’s best to be prepared with as much information as possible. But even when it doesn’t end up being directly applicable, most education majors don’t mind since we like learning just to learn.