To be an elementary school teacher do I major in Early Childhood Education or Liberal Arts?

I've wanted to be an elementary school teacher for a very long time, and thought that to do that I should major in Early Childhood Education. No one corrected me even after I visited a private college and expressed my wish. Then last fall when I decided to sign up for classes at a community college. I spoke to a counselor and she said that I needed to do Liberal Arts instead. I'm not convinced and would like to know other opinions. Please include whether you are a student, teacher, or just where you got your information. Thank you and God Bless.

Anonymous2015-06-12T10:27:39Z

Favorite Answer

It depends entirely on your state's requirements for teacher licensure. Go to the state Department of Education website and find out. Typically, to teach in elementary school, you major in Elementary Ed or Early Childhood (which can be up to grade 3). Liberal Arts is almost certainly wrong.

J-Dawn2015-06-11T20:42:00Z

You would major in Elementary Education. Early Childhood Education would be for preschool or kindergarten. At community college you take your gen eds and then transfer the credits to a real college and start taking courses toward your major. A degree in Liberal Arts isn't worth the paper it's written on.

drip2015-06-11T12:30:52Z

At the university you major in elementary education.
At the CC you want to ONLY take general education classes for transfer.

An Associate degree in General Studies for transfer