Career Opportunities
What can I do with a major in Education?
Recent graduates are currently teaching in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Kentucky and Hawaii in addition to all areas of Ohio.
Click here for information on current job openings.
Alumni Profiles
Justin Badik, ’03,
and Kristie Badik, ’04
At Heidelberg, Justin was an Adolescent to Young Adult Education and History double major; Kristie was an Early Childhood Education major with reading teacher licensure. Justin now teaches eighth grade American history at Perrysburg (Ohio) Junior High, and Kristie teaches second grade at Vine Street Elementary School in Clyde, Ohio.
Both Justin and Kristie have been teaching full time since graduating from Heidelberg. Justin has also attended school-sponsored conferences, taken one graduate course and passed the Praxis III exam. Likewise, Kristie has attended school and district-wide conferences, a behavior conference and a Lucy Calkins reading conference. She passed the Praxis III exam and received her 5-year license and plans to represent her school at technology conferences and begin a master’s program.
Justin and Kristie credit Heidelberg’s education program with preparing them well for their teaching careers. They specifically noted that field placements (from the time the program begins), preparation for Praxis III, accelerated classes, the study of Academic Content Standards/lesson planning and mock job interviews as the aspects of the program they valued most. Kristie even said, “I was fully prepared for my Praxis III assessment and knew that I would pass.”
Heidelberg’s education program also offered Justin and Kristie advantages other schools could not. As Justin explained, “Heidelberg afforded me more real-life classroom experience than other schools.” Justin found the opportunities that Heidelberg gave him to “get out in a real classroom and teach” invaluable. Kristie shared a similar sentiment: “Heidelberg by far has the best education program and really prepares students to be teachers. I am confident in my teaching skills and abilities and was not nervous at all to get my first teaching job.”
Alisa Trizna, ’04
At Heidelberg, Alisa was an Early Childhood Education major with reading teacher licensure. She graduated magna cum laude and was the 2004 recipient of the Dr. Rose Moore Award for Outstanding Early Childhood Education Major. She now teaches first grade at Moyock Elementary School in Moyock, North Carolina, where she also serves as a grade level representative.
On top of Alisa’s full-time teaching responsibilities she has continued her education by pursuing a number of professional development opportunities, including taking a Comprehension in Primary Grades master’s course at Heidelberg, attending a K-2 Writer’s Workshop and a Best Practices Conference and taking an About the Authors online course through Heinemann University. She is also taking graduate courses at Old Dominion University.
Alisa noted that her motivation to participate in these activities is a result of her Heidelberg education: “Since the education program at Heidelberg taught me so much about reaching a variety of children, it gave me the desire to continue to pursue my education and in turn improve my students’ education.”
She also praised the Education Department’s field placement, especially the fact that education majors gain field experience in their first year…experience that is built upon throughout their years at Heidelberg: “As your knowledge of teaching increases, so does the time that you are in the field. The education professors make sure that each student is involved with a variety of grade levels within your licensure area.” Such involvement gave Alisa the practical experience she needed and impressed her mentor during her first year of teaching.
In addition to Alisa’s praise of the Department’s field placement, she recognized Education Department faculty members for their care and involvement: “I always knew that if I had any questions, problems, was in need of ideas or support I could count on them for guidance. The education professors are even there for you after graduation. I have contacted my previous professors a number of times for both professional and personal reasons. They are not only your teachers but also a support system.”
Alisa found Heidelberg’s inviting and nurturing environment – within the Education Department and throughout campus – integral to her self-development. “There are countless opportunities that students can be involved in. I grew as an individual because of these valuable opportunities that were offered and attribute my success to them,” she said. “To this day, I miss the welcoming community that Heidelberg offered me and am grateful that I was lucky enough to be a part of it.”