Education

North Central College has a longstanding history of "educating the educators" throughout the Midwest. Our students gain hands-on experience in some of Illinois' finest school districts before they graduate. Explore the many specializations offered by our education program.

Art (K-12)
Elementary education (K-9)
English
English language learning*
Foreign language (designations in Spanish, German, or French) (K-12)
Health Education*
Mathematics
Music (K-12)
Physical education (K-12)
Science (designations in biology, chemistry, or physics)
Secondary education*
Social science (designation in history)
Special education (elementary education and secondary education)

* minor only

Melissa Guido

Elementary Education major, English Language Learning and Spanish minors

"ELL can benefit any prospective or current teacher," says Melissa, who is pairing her major in elementary education with a double minor in English language learning (ELL) and reading. "Schools today are very diverse, and every student deserves an education and an opportunity to succeed. "ELL teachers don’t need to speak a second language in order to succeed," she notes. "This minor is based on teaching strategies and communicating in universal ways. It will help me break the language barrier so that each student learns in the way that suits them best."

Amanda Chlebek

Elementary Education major

Each year, Naperville’s Beebe Elementary School welcomes more than 20 North Central students like Amanda for field experience. These teachers-in-training spend 20 weeks observing the latest methods for teaching reading and language arts, developing and teaching lesson plans and working with small groups of pupils. It’s an inspiring experience for Amanda. “I look forward to spending more time learning with the students and watching them grow with the knowledge I help provide,” she says.

Tricia O'Donnell

Art Education major

Driven by the belief that creativity is vitally important, Tricia is dedicated to helping students reach their creative potential. Her North Central experience has helped her do just that. Studio art professors have challenged her to develop her own style, which she is eager to share with her future students. The Junior/Senior Scholars program, practicums and student teaching opportunities have helped her cultivate a flexible teaching style. And campus clubs have provided a robust network of friends and colleagues. Now she’s ready to change the world, one student at a time.

Eliseo Martinez

Music Education major

Eliseo received two job offers upon graduation and he accepted a position teaching music at an Aurora elementary school where he student-taught.

His story began with North Central's professors and teaching opportunities, which he describes as second to none. "Our teachers look for potential in you, not just musical expertise, and they give you one-on-one attention and freedom to design your own individual program," he says. "I set my own goals and studied voice, piano, clarinet and conducting. I also loaded all my music education classes and ensembles into my first couple years so I could decide where I wanted to focus. At larger schools with larger classes, you don’t get the chance to customize your...

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