As an elementary education major among many, I'm sure we've all heard at least one of these things when we tell people we want to be an educator after we graduate. It's not an easy task refraining from screaming in their face, but as all education majors know, yelling is not the appropriate way to handle such a situation! Just smile and walk away, smile and walk away...
1. "Must be an easy major, huh?"
Being an elementary education major means a lot more than easy classes in college, just ask the Starbucks employees who stayed up with me until 12 AM while I wrote my English paper. We have to figure out how to educate children, while simultaneously keeping them from eating glue.
2. "Are you committed to making no money?"
All education majors know going into college they will end up not making as much as some other majors. We do it because it's what we're passionate about.
3. "I could never do it."
So allow me.
4. "You did this so you could get summers off, right?"
Yes, a three month unpaid break really was the factor of choosing my lifelong career. Yes, having a long break is a lovely feeling, but many teachers have to get a second job over the summer, (and in some cases during the school year) to be able to pay their bills and keep food on the table.
5. "Those who can, do, and those who can't, teach."
My sophomore year English teacher graduated from Harvard. That is always the argument I bring up when people say teachers cannot do much. It's not because we can't do anything, it's because we are passionate about educating the youth. Teachers are the base foundation of the next generations youth. We lead children to be doctors, lawyers, and even, future educators.
6. "So you're getting paid to babysit?"
When I was 13, I don't remember having to teach my neighbors kid English, Science, History, and Math. Yes, we do have to occasionally stop children from drawing on the wall or eating glue, but we also teach them the core subjects that the state requires us to. It's not just a simple babysitting job.
To all the future educators (and current ones), thank you for putting up with these false claims. You are changing the future one lesson at a time.
