Elementary and Secondary Education

Vision and Mission

Gustavus' Education Department positions teacher candidates to be adaptive, culturally responsive, service-oriented change agents through its exceptional team of professors, small class sizes, multiple field experiences locally and abroad, plus all that a liberal arts education can offer educators-to-be.

The program is committed to the preparation of the 21st-century teachers who understand the complexities of learning and teaching that encompass inclusion, equity, and justice. It vigorously prepares candidates to implement “principled practice”-- reflective, student-centered, democratic, inclusive, equitable, and authentic teaching and learning.

Facilitated by the strong liberal arts and professional preparation of the candidates, the Education major at Gustavus is strongly enhanced by a liberal arts foundation that encourages breadth of knowledge, interdisciplinary and international perspectives, engages inquiry, and intellectual curiosity. All while focusing on the principled practice and Minnesota PELSB standards which equips teacher candidates to engage students in meaningful teaching and learning experiences and to articulate the “why” behind learning.

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Program Features

  • Elementary Education Program (Grades K-6).
  • Middle Level Endorsement Programs (Grades 5-8).
  • Secondary Education Programs (5-12, 9-12, K-12).
  • An innovative Global Educators Program which places student teachers in locations where they experience teaching and living environments different from their home communities.
  • Leadership opportunities through Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) and Student Educators Association (SEA).
  • Education candidates are able to view teaching as a journey of learning.
  • Graduates of the education program articulate well-developed teaching beliefs and participate in decision-making as positive agents of change.
  • On average, over 90% of Education major graduates are hired for teaching positions within the first year. We also have graduates admitted to grad school, accepted into the Peace Corps, or work abroad following graduation.