Student Experience: Applying to the Department of Education
As a sophomore elementary and special education major, Izzy Sprunger completed the application process required to officially enter Huntington University’s Department of Education. Here, she describes that experience and the steps required for future educators to be ready for their sophomore practicum in a local K-12 classroom.
For those who are interested in HU’s Department of Education, a part of being an education major is applying to the department. It is part of the process of earning your education degree. There are four components of applying to the department: You will need to complete an online application, complete a background check, pass the Praxis exam, and have an interview with the professors in the Teacher Education Committee.
The first step in applying is completing the online application. This application will ask you different questions about your experience with teaching and why you want to become a teacher. Once you’ve completed the online application, you will need to get a background check and take the Praxis test. The background check is for safety purposes because you will be going into schools and classrooms for practicums. The Praxis test is to ensure you know the subject area you are teaching. You will have to take tests like this to get your teaching license, so the Praxis acts as a practice test for future ones. It also confirms that you know the knowledge you will be covering in your practicums.
Once you have completed everything mentioned above, you will schedule an interview with the Teacher Education Committee. It’s just like interviewing for a job. In fact, everything in the application process acts as practice for when you apply for a teaching job in the future.
Once you have begun the process of applying to the department, you will begin your Sophomore Practicum in the spring semester of your sophomore year. Your placement will be in Huntington County or a nearby school. The practicum lasts for 20 hours spread out over the course of the semester and consists of mostly observations. You will get specific things to observe during your time, such as classroom management, student/teacher interaction, the curriculum used, and many more. As an education major, sophomore practicum is quite exciting. You are in the classroom!
If you are considering Huntington University and education as a major, then the HU Department of Education would love to have you and help you become the teacher you want to be. All the education professors have had experience in the field and love to equip future teachers. They will welcome you with open arms and make you feel at home.
