Senior year and still learning Education majors are thrown a curve ball

Education majors are feeling the effects of Cabrini's new policy regarding their certification. Shannon King's article on page 1 explains the logistics in great detail. In short, when it comes to certifying graduating students who will pursue a career in teaching, Cabrini is ranked among the lowest with competing schools.

As a result, all students must first pass the Praxis tests before they are able to do their required student teaching. In the past, students were able to do their student teaching without taking the test. Students could also graduate with a degree in education. Many seniors this year have yet to take the tests.

With this new policy in effect, many seniors will be unable to student teach next semester and will not graduate with a degree in education. They will, however, graduate with a degree in educational studies, a degree Cabrini has concocted to allow these students to graduate on time. Their student teaching and their certification will be put off until later.

Who is to blame for this confusion? Students claim that they were ill-advised by their earlier advisers to wait until their senior year to take certain sections of the tests. If that's the case, then how do you explain the seniors who have already completed and passed the tests and are ready to start their student teaching next semester?

Advantages abounded for students who took the tests early because if they failed any of the tests they would have an opportunity to take them again. Also they could space out the tests so that they wouldn't have to take all of the tests (up to seven) at once.

If Cabrini continued to allow students to graduate without certification it could lose its ability to certify students in the future. This could result in a big drop for future admissions. While Cabrini s_avesits reputation among the ranks of other colleges, what does it leave for the students? Students who will graduate with a degree in educational studies this year and do their student teaching in one of the summer. sessions w_illhave less time in front of a classroom than students who were able to teach in the spring semester. So instead of Cabrini graduating students without passing the tests, it will be sending future teachers into the working world who lack the practical experience needed to teach. It is a gray area between what the students were told and what they actually heard, but the decision on Cabrini's part is final.

In the midst of this controversy it should not be forgotten ·that Cabrini offers an excellent program for those interested in the education field. The good news is that after this year passes all of these kinks should be worked out.

The Loquitur editorial board voted for this editorial with a vote of 10 to 4 in favor of this editorial

The editorials, viewpoints, opinions and letters to the editor published in Loquitur are the views of the student editorial board and the individual writers, not the entire student body or the faculty and administration.

Geri Lynn Utter A&E editor

I remember when I was in high school, my mom told me to cherish it because my high school years "would be the best years of my life." So, when I graduated high school, I recalled my mom's words and never imagined my four years at Cabrini would be able to top "the best years of my life."

It felt like only yesterday when I was dragging an overstuffed trash bag up to the third floor of Woodcrest. Who would have thought four years of college would pass in the blink of an eye? It's funny. As a freshman, I was so eager to complete my four years of college and become a member of the "real" world.

I wanted ~at nine to five job more than anything. After all, that was why I went to college in the first place, to earn a degree and begin a promising career. I didn't want to struggle and scrape for money for the rest of my life; so I

Commentaries and letters to the editor may be submitted by the entire Cabrini campus community to Theloquitur @hotmail.com or The Loquitur 610 King of Prussia Road Radnor, Pa. 19087 figured pursuing my education would guarantee my future success.

•Requirements: Names will not be withheld from letters and a phone number must be provided.

I completed my first year of college with that frame of mind. Sophomore year came and went as well.

I was determined to be a success and decided what better way to be a part of the "real" world than to take an internship position my sophomore year.

I was ahead of the game, right? Wrong. The internship did pay well and I was gaining applicable experiencein order to build my resume and prepare myself for that nine to five job I always wanted but the internship came and went just like sophomoreyear did.

I continued to work, work, work and began to forget about myself. I could not understand how people took their education so lightly.

Did they not realize that college was designedto prepare them for the "real" world, not help them beat the new TonyHawk game for Play Statiqn?

Junior year arrived.

I walked into that year with my eyes wide shut also. I continued to work two jobs and carry a full class load. I couldn't grasp the idea that everyone was sitting back, acting as if these four years would never end.

One day it hit me. I've .been working so hard throughout the majority of my college career that I forgot to stop and look around me. I asked myself, "Why am I in such a hurry to graduate and experience the working world, when I have never given myself the opportunity to experience college life?"

For every freshmen, sophomore, junior and even first semester seniors, enjoy your time here because before you know it, you will be struggling to put the final touches on your resume I kept up with my studies and began to enjoy being a college student my junior year and it wasn't bad at all. I met a lot of people and formed new friendships.

I am now approachingthe final semester of my college career. I can almost hear that nine to five job calling me and I want nothing more then to put it on hold just one more semester.But that is not realistic. I am comfortable here. I know all my professors and I am surrounded by my friends. Cabrini is my bubble and I don't want to burst it.

However, I know when May comes, I will receive that diploma I worked so hard for and close this chapter of my life, while beginning a new one. Looking back on it all, I can honestly say, "these have been the best years of my life."

The Loquitur

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