Calling all M. Ed's. Does the road to an education degree have to be like this?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m currently going for my masters in education so that I can combine it with my library degree. I’m in my first term, and I just have to ask if the entire process is going to be as boring of a slog as it is now.

Right now, I’m taking three courses, two of them being entirely theory, and one methods class being 75% theory with a little practice thrown in. The thing is that the theory is boring, boring, boring, and the classes are boringer, boringer, boringer. The theory I’m reading is dense and–as far as I can tell–totally unworkable in any practical situation I’ve ever experienced as a student. A lot of it just comes off as having been written by a bunch of Brainy Smurfs who have had absolutely no experience teaching in a real live classroom.

To top it all off, one of my professors is an annoying little Marxist twit. I’ve hears about these guys, but thanks to focusing on science, I never had to put up with one. It’s not that I begrudge him his political beliefs (much), and it’s not like he marks us down for disagreeing with him, but it’s annoying listening to how great communism is every class (Yes, he really does bring it up every class.), and we’ve already begun to spar over this in assigned writings. To make matters worse, it’s a required course, so I just can’t drop it and be done.

I just want my masters and maybe a cert so that I have something to fall back on, should my foray into library bib instruction be . . . less than smooth. I was a science major in college (and let me tell you, this term marks the first time I was glad I majored in a science since I graduated with my B.S.), and I got my library degree years ago right before moving to Boston, but with library school it was different. There was theory, but we concentrated much more on practice, learning to do reference searches, work databases, and create websites. Library school hooked me from the first day of the first term. Also, the theory seemed to be much more relevant toward doing your job.

I realize a lot depends on the individual program, but I’d like to hear any M.Ed’s experiences in grad school. Did you spend your entire time toward getting your degree getting through classes like these, or do they get better and more relevant? Is this a good use of my coin, or am I just fooling myself yet again in life?

Thanks for your responses.

2

And this is why I don’t have my M.Ed.

Frankly, having known any number of people with M.Ed’s, if you merely feel bored, instead of vaguely dirty for getting a master’s degree in a program with such low standards for “excellence”, you’re probably in a pretty good program.

3

Christ, that bad, huh?

See, the low standards don’t really get to me. It’s not like I walked into grad school prepared to do battle with the world and push myself to the limits of my endurance. For one thing, I’ve already got my independent research and studies; I don’t do it to get a name for myself, and I don’t need to go to school to keep myself occupied. For another thing, I’m almost 40. I’m past the age where one treats school like a gladator ring. If I get a B, I get a B. As long as I get a job.

Which brings me to my next concern: If getting a degree is like this, am I wasting my time and money? Will the M.Ed. help or not? That’s what it really comes down to for me. If there’s a quicker, easier way to get into education, that’s what I want to do. For instance, later in the year, I want to take a year out and go to Korea to teach English. Now I don’t want to stay in Korea, and thus I’m going for my second masters, but if this is just a dead end, I’d rather just do something else toward getting where I want to go (into a classroom or library bib. instruction program.)

Thanks for your input, Manda.

4

Requirements vary by state, and librarian requirements are different than classroom teachers. But in Texas we have alt cert programs that will put you in the classroom after a semester or so of classwork. Do you know where you want to live?

5

West coast. Preferably PNW.

6

Hey Linty, what grade level are you looking to teach? What subject? That, as well as where you live/move to, will come into play down the road.

A M.A.T. (masters of arts in teaching) degree doesn’t get deeply into the nuts-and-bolts of theory as much as a M.Ed. It’s generally a one-year program designed for career-changers looking for certification in a particular subject.

But yeah, theory courses are a pain in the butt. I must have dozed off during mine because, if you asked me right now about Theory X vs. Theory Y, I couldn’t tell you a damn thing other than the basics. I also found what was called “Classroom Management” useless because, really, how can you truly learn classroom management without experiencing it firsthand? And what if a situation not covered by the course arises? Then what?

As for helping you get a job…again, I think it will depend on the subject and the geographical area. The only job I could get after receiving my M.Ed. was subbing. I did manage to parlay it into a “permanent sub” position the second year, meaning that I had my own classroom and schedule in one school, but no contract. I left the school system when it became obvious that the degree overqualified me salary-wise. I left the profession entirely when I kept running into the same issue time and again.

ETA: I forgot to mention that, at the time, there were layoffs galore in my area because of budget cuts. It never really picked back up at my certification level. I wasn’t interested in relocating, which would have also meant I would have had to return to school to get recertified.

7

Silenus is a teacher in CA: he could tell you about alt-certification there. As far as the PNW goes, I really don’t know, but I would start by looking up the state board:

Certification | OSPI (Washington)

http://www.tspc.state.or.us/new/core/licensure.asp (Oregon)

Both states do seem to have some sort of “emergency” teaching certificate available, which means that whatever the official system, if you can don’t mind working in the sort of school that REALLY needs a teacher and can’t find a certified one, you can probably start working relatively quickly while finishing up your certification process.

8

I got my Master’s through Lesley College (now University). It was an outreach program. We met at a local elementary school. The degree was technology in education and we used their computer lab. It was project based and we didn’t have to write a thesis. We were with the same people the whole time and I really enjoyed it. The classes were one weekend a month. Friday night, all-day Saturday and all-day Sunday. Two months = one completed course.

9

I have two friends who got their M. Ed’s from good universities (USC and Loyola Marymount) and they both frequently complained what bullshit wastes of time their classes were.

10

Thanks for all the feedback. In answer to some questions:

I have one of two career goals. My first choice–and dream job–is to work in a library doing user instruction and reference work. I was in contact with a couple of librarians and professors from my library school, and they noted that my best bet in this economy would be to go for a second masters, preferably in education. A small aside is that my very first career goal was education back in the day, but I let myself get sidetracked, so all these years later, part of me looks at this as a way to close that particular loop.

The thing is that I don’t think I could get hired at one of those jobs with just my MLS and experience at the circulation desk. With the economy the way it is now, I think that going to grad school for something is the way to go, and as the prof’s recommended the M. Ed., well, here I am.

If the bib instruction thing doesn’t work out–and the way my brick and mortar library is going, I’m beginning to consider this as a definite possibility, the second thing I’d like to try is a job helping adult immigrants learn English (I’m currently on the ESL track at my school.). It’s one of the reasons I’m planning on going back to Korea as a civilian to teach. Or . . . I wouldn’t mind a job as a corporate trainer at all.

I am not dead set against teaching high school to make ends meet until finding something, but high school isn’t something I really want to do for the rest of my life. I would consider it a way to make ends meet until I find one of the above jobs.

Sigh . . . I realize that what I’ve typed is a bit weird, but that’s how it is. When all is said and done, I’d probably be happy with any professional teaching job, as long as I can work, but I do have my heart set on one of the three teaching categories I listed above. Listening to my professors and fellow librarians describe it, I thought it was a good idea at the time, but now I’m not so sure.

Again, thank you for the feedback, and please feel free to be brutally honest. I’m at the stage now where I need it.

11

I’m just surprised you sat through an MLS degree and didn’t get your fill of a waste of time instructional experience.

12

Actually, I loved my library studies, and I believe they helped me out immensely. I built contacts and got to examine libraries in detail. I also learned a lot about data retrieval. I don’t think it was a waste of time at all, really.

I’m not against graduate studies in and of themselves. I just want to make sure that what I’m learning is going to lead to something better someday.

13

My sole experience was when, already having my BA, I decided to go back to school to get my teaching certificate. I figured it made sense to try for an MA Ed, given my bachelor’s, and the school’s recruitment brochure said that on the successful completion of the MA Ed program you’d be recommended for a teaching certificate, so I thought Awesome.

But then I actually talked to the head of the department, and it turns out you have to have a teaching certificate in order to qualify. They were apparently unaware (seriously, I asked) that the program brochure mentioned getting a certificate at the end.

So I went to one school that offered me a second bachelor’s–and then transferred to another school that didn’t even offer that, but let me go to school fulltime for two years just to get the certificate.

I was less than impressed.

Still, I’ll go to get my Ma Ed eventually. There’ll probably be something useful somewhere in the program–and at the end of it there’s a 15% pay increase.

14

Hmmm . . . Thanks for the input. Sounds like you got a raw deal.

One thing is starting to come through: I need to get a plan and start looking at other options. I’m going to find our career center and start doing serious research. Maybe contact some of my professors again and get clarification.

15

Darn, I thought this was a thread about Mr. Ed.

16

Willlllbuuuuurrrrr!

17

I also enjoyed library school very much–just about all of it was very practical, interesting stuff. OK, the cataloging course wasn’t exactly a thrill a minute, but it was useful and all. I think the basic business course we were all required to take was the least useful and interesting, but I wouldn’t say it was stupid or anything.

I’m really hoping I never need to get a teaching credential, though, because–having known many people who went through it–it seems to me like a lot of pointless hoops to jump through and so on. I say this as someone interested in education, who reads a lot of books on the subject.

18

I’d say that if you’re already where you want to be in libraries, you probably won’t need the second masters. I’m getting it to break into the field. Although reading these responses, I’m starting to suspect that (a)I was right to be skeptical about this and (b)The M. Ed. isn’t going to help that much as far as actual teaching goes. Maybe I need to come up with another plan.

19

I was thinking more about having to change jobs. Right now my public library system (in California) is having a serious budget crisis; I’ve been laid off along with quite a few of my co-workers. If, for example, I wanted to work as a librarian in the public schools and get paid more than clerk wages, I’d have to get a teaching credential since the MLIS counts for nothing. This is pretty unlikely actually, since the school librarians have been losing ground for the past 10 years, but it could happen…maybe…

If I wanted to work at the university and get a second master’s for that, I’d go for something like history.:cool:

20

Ditto.