Wow--certified teach said it all! I was going to make exactly the
same points:
If you teach first and get an advanced degree later,
1) You'll be more sure about what you want to do/study if you
teach first
2) You can get financial assistance for coursework from some
school districts
3) You'll be more sure teaching is something you want to keep doing

On 8/07/09, certifiedteach wrote:
> Hi Kristen,
> My advice would be to obtain a teaching position if at all
> possible, teach for a year or so, and then begin pursuing your
> Master's degree. First off, after you have begun teaching and
> really experience what the job requires (very different from
> just student teaching!) you will have a better idea of what you
> might want to study for your Master's. ( After 3 years of
> teaching, I decided I wanted to study Curriculum Development
> but not limit myself to the k-3 arena just because those where
> the grades I had taught. I realized that I really wanted to
> teach upper elementary, and wanted to be sure my Master's in
> Curriculum would really give me a better understanding and not
> be too limited. Secondly, many school systems help teachers
> with the cost of courses through "Professional Development"
> money. This will take some of the expense off of you. I was
> lucky that my school system paid for my Master's degree!
> I also think that there is so much that you can only learn
> through actually being in the profession, that you will
> contribute more and learn more in your graduate courses if you
> are actually teaching at the same time, rather than just
> relying on what books and theory tell you are "supposed" to
> happen in the classroom. Good luck to you!
>
>
>
>
>
> On 8/05/09, Kristen wrote:
>> Hi!
>> I will be student teaching this Fall and of course look up
>> to those who already have achieved the role of being an
>> elementary education school teacher. Hence, I'm asking all
>> of you... when should I go for my masters? Should I get a
>> job teaching first and eventually go nights? Should I not
>> get a job teaching and go for my masters full time?
>> I appreciate all of your advice!
>> Thanks,
>> Kristen

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