Bachelor of Education Honours Program

If the opportunity had existed for you to do an Honours program when you were doing your Bachelor of Education, would you have done it and why?

I can honestly say I would have jumped at the chance to do an Honours program in my Bachelor of Education for many reasons, some more altruistic than others. First, teachers are, by their very nature, researchers. They are constantly gathering data on student learning and using that data to inform policy and practice. I would have loved to learn some of the more formal methodologies that would have allowed me to do that better at the start of my career.

In addition, an Honours program would have allowed me to find out more about something that I really love, but it also became that something that I had to wait to learn more about through experience and eventually grad school: educational leadership. I have always viewed all teachers as leaders in the many ways they engage with their communities, and I could have explored that more deeply before entering the classroom had I the time and a program that formalized it for me.  

Lastly, and this is less altruistic, an Honours program would have set me apart from other graduates. I didn't graduate with a teachable subject area that differentiated me in any real way from others, and this would have been something I could have pointed to and talked about in interviews. Did the fact that I didn't do an Honours program prevent me from being employed? No. I did get a classroom and it all worked out just fine, but it would have been an added something that I would have loved to do, and I really believe would have made a difference to my practice, to my understanding of the theory, and to my students.

What would be your top piece of advice for someone considering the Honours program?

My top piece of advice for someone considering the Honours program is the same as my advice to all students: think about what you can reasonably accommodate well in your life and then go for it! You don't need to take on every additional opportunity out there. You can make choices that work with your life. But once you have considered what works for you, don't hesitate.