Why Study Senior High Education?
High school students are at prime ages to be challenged with new material, ready to learn specific skills in complex subjects and are developing their ideas about what they want to be and do in their futures. Be a part of this exciting time for young people as a teacher. You’ll share your expertise in a specific subject while also teaching young women and men how to think critically and communicate clearly. Do your part to prepare our future leaders.
Make a Difference. Teach.
Middle and high school teachers are vital figures in the lives of adolescents and teenagers. At this critical age, students are starting to decide where they want to go in their own lives, developing their abilities for critical thinking and reasoning, communication, and complex problem-solving. With a North Park degree in senior high education and a major in a specific content area, you will have the strong academic foundation and extensive classroom experience to make an immediate impact on the lives of young people nationwide.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. John Laukaitis
Dr. John Laukaitis is an expert in multicultural education, bringing valuable insight and experience as North Park students prepare to teach in diverse classrooms, while also encouraging future educators to develop a strong ethical and moral foundation for their professional lives.
Classroom Experience:
Student Teaching
North Park’s teachers-in-training follow an extensive clinical experience program that culminates in student teaching. For 10 to 16 weeks, you’ll assume full responsibility for a classroom: teaching a full load, attending meetings, keeping records, grading, and meeting with parents. You’ll work with a cooperating teacher and you’ll also be observed throughout the experience by ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï faculty who will offer helpful feedback, encouragement, and constructive advice.
Student teaching will follow your teacher aiding and mini-teaching modules.
Content-Area Major and Endorsements
Senior high education majors at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï must choose a second major of 36 semester hours or more in a content area in which they will be licensed to teach. Programs certified by the Illinois State Board of Education include biology, chemistry, economics, English, history, mathematics, physics, and politics and government (political science). A content area is required for state teacher licensure in senior high education. Learn more about Illinois state teacher requirements.
Students can also choose an optional endorsement in areas like bilingual education or English as a Second Language, or approval as a learning behavioral specialist.
Beyond the Classroom
Enhance your own education by getting involved with various service and extracurricular activities at ºÚÁϳԹÏ.
Opportunities include:
- Joining North Park’s Future Educators Association
- Volunteering through Urban Outreach, including at local tutoring programs
- Instructing tutoring sessions or working in the Writing Center
- Participating in Global Partnerships trips
- Studying abroad
Golden Apple Scholars Program
Golden Apple Scholars are teachers in Illinois with a passion for serving children in high-need schools. As one of the program’s partner schools, North Park education majors can apply to this competitive program, which offers college scholarships and the chance to participate in summer institutes for further training to teach in challenging school settings.