A few months ago, I visited the Met museum in New York, and while looking at artifacts from Ancient Greece, I came across a placard that explained the origins of the word school.  It turns out that school is derived from the Greek word schole, which translates to leisure in English.  In ancient times, leisure was connected to uninterrupted time to think and learn.  People in Ancient Greece aspired to this ideal and adopted a system of education called paideia.  The curriculum included subjects like music, rhetoric, philosophy and poetry.  Ancient philosophers believed that by studying these subjects, students would develop virtue and happiness.  

Much like the curriculum of paideia, I believe the curriculum I currently have at Santa Clara University for becoming an elementary school teacher spans a wide breadth of subjects mixed with forums of reflection and philosophical debate.  There are three types of classes in my Masters of Arts in Teaching program for an Elementary School teaching credential:

1. Teaching Methods classes: Unlike middle school and high school teachers, elementary school teachers spend the entire day with one class of students and teach them all subjects.  An elementary school teacher candidate first needs to demonstrate subject matter competence across all of these disciplines in a series of tests called the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET).  That is what I call the “what” of teaching.  The teaching methods classes shown below go over the “how” of teaching.  These methods classes include:
   • Teaching Reading in Elementary Schools
   • Teaching Language Arts
   • Elementary Math Methods
   • Elementary Methods in Social Studies and Visual Arts
   • Elementary Methods in Science, Health and PE
2. Education classes: The next set of classes are centered around the educational system and how a teacher creates a classroom environment where all students can learn.  Teachers get a crash course on the history of education in the United States along with important political movements that have shaped the educational landscape.
   • Ethics, Diversity and Reflection in Teaching
   • Effective Teaching for Students with Disabilities
   • Technology for Elementary Teachers
   • Social Foundations of Education
   • Educational Psychology
   • Developing Positive Classroom Cultures
   • English Language Development in Elementary Schools (to teach English language learners across all subjects)
   • Assessing Elementary Student Learning
3. Practicum classes: These classes in my program are nicknamed our “Teacher Therapy Sessions.”  When a teaching candidate starts their student teaching or internship assignment, they have this set of companion classes which provide a forum for discussion and problem solving for situations and dilemmas that arise in the classroom.

The ancient leisurely pursuit of knowledge eventually gave way to the urgent need for skilled labor as well as an educated citizen of a fledgling democracy in the United States. In order to educate a much broader audience, educators sought more comprehensive training to meet the diverse needs of students.  These classes described above make up almost 60 class units, with the vast majority of these classes taking place in the evenings from 5pm-8pm.  This allows for teacher candidates to work during the day and take classes at night.  Teacher candidates typically complete this coursework in one to two years. 

With this time commitment, this coursework is an investment I am happy to make in myself towards my journey to becoming a teacher.  Going back to the Met museum, when I walk through the galleries in a museum, I can recognize the depiction of Greek and Roman myths in many works of art. I credit that recognition, along with a deeper appreciation for art from an intense art history class I took in high school.  Like seeing art through a new lens, my coursework in education has given me a much richer perspective in appreciation and understanding of childhood education.