Being an education major, I’ve been subject to plenty of scrutiny given my major. Most of it revolving around my likeliness to get a job post-graduation. Some of it, though, revolves around how supposedly easy my major is. Of course, most of this criticism comes from people who are not, have never been, and never plan to be education majors. What exactly makes you qualified to declare that education is an easy major?

I want to make things clear, first. I don’t think education is better than any other major. I have friends from the whole spectrum of majors: nursing, business, communications, etc. Each major is hard in their own right. I wouldn’t go and willingly take A&P just like one of my nursing major friends wouldn’t go and willingly take Principles of Teaching. Just because you find your major challenging, doesn’t mean every other one is easy. So, no major bashing. Please?

Some people see being an education major as reading books to little kids and coloring in coloring books. I’m not exactly sure where this stereotype came from but I’ve seen it plenty. I can say from personal experience that, sadly, none of my classes have been easy as that. Please, if anyone knows what classes you do those in? Let me know!

This past semester in particular I took a class entitled Principles of Teaching. There is one thing this class is known for among most education majors I know: the unit plan. This unit plan consists of three lesson plans, a unit test, and more! Worth 24% of our final grade, it’s essentially make it or break it with the unit plan. And you could be thinking, “That sounds really easy, you just write some things down and turn it in.” These unit plans were 40+ pages with some crossing the 100 mark. They had to be incredibly detailed and explanatory, as well as correct. It was a lot of work; it took a lot out of me and my friends to get that done. This wasn’t the only assignment either. That was in addition to three other lesson plans…two of which were involved with sizable presentations.

Two of my friends organized an entire Pop-Up Adventure Playground for one of their education classes this past semester that I was able to help work at. They spent hours recruiting people to help them out, calling local stores for donations, making sure everything ran smoothly. They spent an entire Saturday running this event and worked through last minute difficulties. Now keep in mind, this wasn’t for a club or something they were made to do. They were given their assignment and told to decide what to do. They decided to take this on and it was a major success.

Being an education major isn’t just coloring books and little kids’ books. It takes time and it takes effort. You have several exams you must take to prove you’re qualified. If you’re in secondary education, like myself, you also have to focus on comprehensively knowing a subject and be fully prepared to teach it. So, the next time someone asks what the easiest major is, reconsider your answer before you start making claims.