Education Department
The Education Major at Alaska Pacific University
Education as Social Change
Many students at Alaska Pacific are passionately devoted to changing the world for the better. Those who graduate with an Education degree in Kindergarten through 8th grade are equipped to do just that. Here are some of the ways that becoming a certified teacher through the APU Education department gives people the tools to improve the world and make a good, fulfilling life for themselves:
- The world of education needs certified teachers who understand Active Learning. The Active Learning classroom in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade helps young people keep their curiosity alive. Student-centered education, such as Alaska Pacific University practices, makes school a fun place to attend, inspires students, and makes a difference in people’s lives during their most important formative years.
Think back upon your own early years in education. Which were the teachers that you really liked, the ones who really taught you something, the ones you remember as helping to shape your life? You can do the same for others.
- Alaska Pacific University has strong programs in Outdoor Studies, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for Teacher Certification, students at Alaska Pacific can also gain the skills of Environmental Education:
- outdoor skills
- the knowledge of nature and science
- the ability to lead groups
- an informed love of the natural world
Nothing is more important to the future of our world and society than conveying this respect and understanding of nature to successive generations of young people, especially urbanized youth.
- Alaska Pacific University can be your gateway to a teaching position in rural Alaska’s schools and Alaska Native communities. The communities of rural, or “Bush” Alaska are like nothing you have ever experienced—communities that have maintained their Native cultures and sustainable ways of life for thousands of years. These communities also desperately need teachers who understand and appreciate Native ways of life and are willing to teach young people who want cultural integrity as well as the skill necessary for success in our rapidly evolving society.
Alaska Pacific University has contacts with school districts all over rural Alaska. The university can place its education students in rural situations as early as the sophomore year. APU can prepare you to attain a relatively high-paying certified teaching position in rural Alaska, where you can help others while yourself taking part in societies that few experience.
- Placement Rates for APU Education (K-8) graduates are extremely high. Alaska Pacific University’s Education Department is praised and respected by the school districts of Alaska because our graduates have had so much experience in the classroom already, are creative teachers, and are highly qualified academically.
- The Education Department at Alaska Pacific wants to see you in real classrooms throughout your time at the University. Nothing exemplifies Active Learning better that the education department’s insistence that students must spend as much time as possible in real classrooms. Students learn the very best practices in Kindergarten through 8th grade education, and then consistently go into real world situations to practice those skills.
- Close personal attention in small classes means that you will always have faculty who know you personally and are helping you to grow and succeed. Nothing will prepare you better in becoming a great teacher (who cares for and helps the students in your charge) than the APU education faculty (who will care for you and help you in your quest to be a great teacher).
- If you want to make a contribution to the world and its young people while following a rewarding career as a certified teacher—anywhere in the world—then Alaska Pacific University will open up a world of adventure and promise that is unmatchable.
