As an elementary education major at Grace, you will have the opportunity to make meaningful relationships with students and be equipped to provide quality instruction, engaging lesson plans, and differentiation to meet the specific needs of your students.
Grace College’s School of Education is founded on the ideology of “Teacher as a moral practitioner.” We are deeply committed to instilling the principles of character, competence, and service in our future teachers. This comes from Micah 6:8, which states, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Ultimately, we look to Jesus, the greatest teacher, as our guide.
The first half of the elementary education degree focuses heavily on pedagogy and core educational principles. These classes dive deep into the importance of relationships, student engagement, and classroom environment. Later courses are rich in evidence-based practices for teaching language arts, math, science, and social studies.
The elementary education degree pathway includes a three-course literacy sequence designed to teach students how to teach a child to read and write. You will also complete a methods block to acquire the practices and skills necessary for student teaching.
Effective teaching techniques are modeled in the college classroom. These courses often involve projects rich in collaboration, hands-on and engaging activities, and lots of feedback. You will also spend time dissecting textbooks and curricula that you may use in your future classroom.
Education courses also provide a lot of real-world experience. In your very first teaching class, you will get the opportunity to observe and assist in an elementary classroom for 20 hours. From there, you will continue to accumulate experience in the local schools by completing observations and teaching one-on-one, small-group, and whole-class lessons. Before student teaching, you will have completed more than 200 hours of classroom experience!
After earning your bachelor’s degree in elementary education, you will be able to pursue a teaching license for kindergarten through sixth grade. Ultimately, our desire is for you to love your students well and truly make an impact on lives in whichever school setting God leads you to.
Ed.D.
Professor of Education; Chair, Elementary Education; Executive Director of Center for Literacy + Learning
Ed.D.
Dean School of Education; Chair, Special Education; Professor of Education
Choosing a teacher preparation program is one of the most consequential decisions you will make — not just for your career, but for the hundreds of children you will teach. The ratings below are independently validated through the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and Teacher Preparation Inspection USA (TPI-US) and are evidence that Grace’s program will prepare you in the most critical area of early childhood education: teaching children to read.
You will start with a variety of introductory classes that will prepare you for the education program. Your core elementary education courses will follow, with a focus on math, science, reading, writing, and social studies. The last section of the major will focus on courses and experiences to prepare for student teaching.
Your elementary education degree ensures that you are qualified to teach, but each state will have different rules and regulations for teaching. You may need additional certifications, depending on state laws. Our licensing director will work with you to help navigate the licensure process in other states. You can also read our blog, What Degree Do You Need to Be a Teacher in Indiana?
Applying for your teaching license requires completion of your bachelor’s as well as any other state requirements. Grace College ensures that everything you do in the classroom and practicum leads to receiving your teaching license.
During your time in the elementary education program, you will participate in over 165 hours of field experience before you . You should be prepared to jump into the classroom from your freshman year. Responsibilities can look like grading, lesson planning, helping students, and even leading the classroom lessons. Your student teaching experience will take place the last semester of your program. You will be placed within an elementary classroom with a mentor teacher and a college supervisor.
Whether you choose to teach in a public school or Christian school, you will have the opportunity to teach from a kingdom perspective, showing God’s love to your students every day. Being encouraging, compassionate, and serving those around you every day shows your faith in so many subtle ways. Showing these traits and teaching your students these is integrating faith into your classroom just as much as lessons can.
Aspiring teachers at Grace get the opportunity to get into the classroom early and often. With over 165 hours of field experience in K-6 classrooms, you will be able to find exactly the right spot for you. However, experience goes beyond the classroom with tutoring, after-school clubs, mentoring programs, part-time employment, and more. As an elementary education major, you’ll get hands-on experience in our Center for Literacy & Learning. As you learn about the Science of Reading in your classes, you’ll also apply those skills by tutoring local elementary students who need a little extra help with their reading.
NCTQ rating & Best in the Nation" from TPI-US
hours of early field experience
of Grace completers were rated effective or highly effective by Indiana principals
Our faculty and staff are expertly skilled in their fields and they care about your goals, future, and well being.
Meet Our School of Education FacultyAt the heart of a Grace education are academically challenging courses that are specifically designed to foster a thirst for character, competence, and service within the hearts and minds of our students.
Learn More About Our Values“The education classes here at Grace are eye-opening,” Abigail Holmes, a graduate of Grace College, said. “They made me realize that there is so much more to being a teacher than I thought, but they have also helped me learn how to handle these things.”
Abigail Holmes
Grace College Alumni
