Be a Student of Teaching
The educational studies department at Ripon College has two main
goals: to promote the study of educational processes, institutions
and thought; and to prepare highly qualified teachers for elementary
and secondary classrooms. Courses and programs examine education
as an essential and complex social process that occurs in formal
and informal teaching-learning situations. While the department
is dedicated to the preparation of effective teachers, we invite
and encourage other students to take courses to develop greater
understanding of educational issues and concerns.
Teacher education programs at Ripon prepare students for licensure at the early childhood/middle childhood level (grades PK through 5), the middle childhood/early adolescence level (grades 1 through 8), and the early adolescence/adolescence level
(grades 6 through 12). The educational studies department also
offers K-12 certification programs in music, physical education and art (pending program approval).
Be a Teacher of Students
While it certainly is true that good teachers are always in demand,
it also is true that changes in the economy, government funding
for education, regional population shifts and family lifestyles
affect employment trends for teachers. Ripon graduates have
success finding teaching jobs, in part, because faculty work closely
with students to help them plan programs and conduct job searches
geared toward current employment trends.
Some Ripon graduates with teacher certification have elected to
take advantage of opportunities for work abroad in the Peace Corps.
Others are using their teaching skills in service and business
settings. An increasing number of agencies and institutions seek
teachers to staff their educational programs.
An additional career route for certified teachers is graduate
school. Master's degree-level programs enable students to add areas
of certification such as special education, early childhood education
and bilingual/bicultural education. Such specialized expertise often
opens new opportunities for securing a teaching position.
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