Teachers are the unseen backbone of every society. Every single person in every single field started their journey by learning. Teachers are one of the first socializing forces that kids have. Everything a child is and grows up to be comes from their teachers.
With so many methods of teaching on the vast spectrum of formal to informal learning, it can be difficult to find an exact course of study. A teacher’s job can be complicated, and a lot has to happen on the fly in addition to the planning and grading you’ll already be doing.
A teacher is also the person best suited to conquer students’ barriers to learning, some common barriers are
- Disabilities that require accommodation
- Inhibitory fear of failure
- Lack of motivation or engagement
- Lack of necessary prior knowledge
There are a lot of things for teachers to keep track of and monitor, which can make the job more complicated. Luckily, there are plenty of schools ready to help you become the best teacher you can be and shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina
Elon University is regarded as the top school for education in the country, and it makes a lot of sense. This school offers one of the most customizable and in-depth sets of teaching programs out there.
Elon’s series of education tracks really has something for everyone. You can learn the typical early-childhood content to work with preschool kids, take a set of classes specifically designed to prepare you for applying for teaching licenses, and get experience in special education. They also have more specialized programs, such as a bachelor’s in science in Outdoor Leadership and Education for schools with an outdoor or environmental learning focus, or a minor in coaching sports.
This school really has it all, and it shows, since the university boasts that 96% of 2023 Elon graduates are currently employed, miles ahead of most universities.
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Up in the beautifully historic states of New England rest one of the country’s oldest universities, Brown. Brown University is famous for pioneering the build-a-major program that many colleges now offer, so if you enjoy teaching, but want to take a more specific educational concentration you can’t find elsewhere, you may want to consider Brown as a place to build that course of study.
For those looking for a master’s degree in education, Brown also offers a 5 year teaching program for you to complete undergrad and grad school that specifically prepares you to be the best secondary education teacher possible.
Plus, with an emphasis on flat green patches throughout campus, you can tell this school is focused on providing study spaces.
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Dartmouth college, which is also up in the beautiful American Northeast, is home to many of the country's top programs. Unlike other schools whose primary educational pads, tend to fall towards engineering, computer, science or psychological science, you're mostly fine Dartmouth students studying social sciences, as that group of majors accounted for 31% of Dartmouth graduates in 2023.
Also unlike many of the schools on this list, Dartmouth doesn’t have a dedicated education major, nor do they have a specific school of education. Where Dartmouth shines is its focus on an interdisciplinary education. The school prides itself on its top notch programs in a wide array of the humanities. If you were looking to go after a masters degree in education after your undergraduate studies, Dartmouth is a great place to build your resume of different subjects for graduate school applications.
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Boston College is a top level Jesuit school up, once again, in the northeastern land of amazing education. Boston College's education program is famous for not locking you in a single course of study. Even if you want to focus on science education, you can always also give some focus to the humanities. Boston College is a great mix of all the best qualities of a small, liberal arts, college, and a large, private university. You can aim towards several courses of study at once in an environment with some of the nation's top professors.
Being an education graduate at Boston College in particular could be great for your resume if you plan on applying to Catholic schools. Private schools with a Catholic focus are a large part of primary and secondary education in the US. Boston College is ranked as the top Catholic institution of higher education the country has to offer, so graduating from the college can give you an instant leg up in job applications to a large portion of American schools—and it’s still one of the top schools for education, so those applications would be a double-whammy.
Those are the best colleges for teaching
Now you know how to start your career in teaching off right. No matter what field of education you want to go into, one of these colleges has a specific track for you. Good luck with your applications!
