Ariana Mehmeti, Staff Writer
The Association of Childhood Education, better known as ACE, is a club that caters to future educators by giving them resources to help in their teaching careers. Every club meeting discusses a different topic related to teaching. Not long ago, ACE held their second meeting of the semester which focused on Master’s Degree opportunities.
At this meeting, current Childhood Education seniors of ACE presented a slideshow. The first slide focused on the requirements for New York State teachers and within five years of completing a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education, you must get three years of teaching experience, a master’s degree, and graduate coursework content core requirement. The next slide surrounded the different Master’s Degrees available that fulfill the ‘Graduate Coursework Content Core Requirement’ that was listed before. The different Master’s Degrees students could get in Education are a Master’s degree, a Master’s degree in the initial certificate area or “related” area, and a Master’s degree in one of the pedagogical topics in the Education field.
The next segment of slides spoke about looking for jobs in school districts that offer to pay for Master’s programs. The slides also showcased multiple quotes from teachers advising students interested in receiving their Childhood Education Master’s Degree. One quote belonging to fourth-grade teacher Tara Musa said,“When deciding on a program, think about the positions that could open up for you.” It’s important for students to understand that their Master’s Degree would increase their ability to get jobs in the field they desire, but also think long and hard about the field of education that students want to be in.
Another slide that was showcased was the Graduate and Master’s programs provided here at SUNY Oneonta. These programs included M.S.Ed in Literacy Education, M.S.Ed in Educational Technology Specialist K-12, M.S.Ed in School Counseling K-12, M.S.Ed in Special Education: Early Childhood (B-2), and M.S.Ed in Special Education Childhood (1-6).
ACE also discussed programs relating to full-time students in the summer semester. If interested you can apply as a paid graduate assistant. Which is a great opportunity because you gain experience and GAs can cover tuition for the fall and spring semesters if you decide to stay on. However, be wary that it doesn’t cover your summer tuition. This is not a set-in-stone program, but it is still a great opportunity for graduate students.
“I really want to get my Master’s degree in Educational Technology because I have always really loved technology and it has always been fun for me,” said Mackenzie Eggleston, the co-president of ACE. Eggleston hopes to use her passion for technology to help make technology accessible and easy for students. “It’s hard for children to navigate in online spaces in a safe way and I thought I could help with that!”
ACE is a great program for future teachers to get the resources they need and to gain volunteer hours as well. ACE puts a lot of thought into helping future educators who need direction in their careers. If you are interested in ACE, meetings are every Wednesday at 8:00 pm in Lecture Hall #1 in Hodgdon IRC.
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