You enjoy working with children. You want to help impact and shape the lives of young people while helping them learn. Pursuing a teaching degree in Elementary Education may be the right fit for you!

•  Preparation. Students interested in pursuing an Education degree will need to complete the General Education requirements as well as the prerequisites for the Education program before applying to the Education program.

Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. It is preceded by pre-school or nursery education and is followed by secondary education. In North America this stage of education is usually known as elementary education. In most countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education, though in many jurisdictions it is permissible for parents to provide it. The transition to secondary school or high school is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some educational systems have separate middle schools with the transition to the final stage of education taking place at around the age of fourteen.

The Elementary Education major learns how to preside over what is essentially a one-room schoolhouse. In the early grades, teachers are responsible for giving instruction in all the basic subjects (reading, writing, arithmetic—plus science, social studies, and the basics of health and physical education), as well as overseeing the general development of each of his or her charges. It’s a challenging and very rewarding field.

Clinical experience in schools is a cornerstone of the education major at Temple. Students observe and gain initial experience in schools in Philadelphia and throughout the region. Students gain deeper knowledge of schools and school communities in their practicum and student teaching experiences in our network of cooperating schools.

The Elementary Education Program, working in partnership with schools, communities, and state organizations, prepares exemplary teachers, teacher educators, and scholars who work for the continual betterment of society through education. As community members, teachers, and scholars, students, and faculty actively generate, apply, and disseminate knowledge about teaching and learning that will enable all people to become citizens who successfully participate in the global community of the twenty-first century.