Appreciating and Exploring Diverse Careers in the Field of Education

Written by Theresa Schinkowitch

Photo from Note Thanun, Unsplash

What does it mean to be “in” education if you’re not a teacher?

As an undergraduate, I learned there was a certain identity that came with telling people I was a psychology major. “Psychology” was, understandably, always my answer. I’d always loved working with children, especially those with disabilities. Somehow, that passion combined with my psychology major led me to pediatric occupational therapy. After getting into the anatomy and chemistry coursework, though, it occurred to me that may not be the best match for my interests after all. From there, I didn’t know where else to turn. I knew that teaching and managing a classroom wouldn’t work well for me either, but what else was there? In my junior year, we had a phenomenal career seminar that brought in alumni from our program to share about the many paths they each took to find their dream jobs. One of these alumni, a doctoral student from my university’s school psychology program, came and gave a presentation that ultimately changed my life forever. From there, I began forging my path toward graduate school.

Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t until at least a year into my grad program that I realized the “psychology” identity I’d held for so long really didn’t fit anymore. I was now “in” education. One of the reasons it took me so long to make that connection was because I always attributed “education” to a field strictly made for teachers, which definitely isn’t me. As a future school psychologist, my skill set is not educating the bright minds of tomorrow (although I have endless respect for those that choose the teaching path). Rather, my training positions me to support student mental health and academic skill growth in addition to helping teachers adapt and improve their practices.

One way this training is critical concerns data-based decision making. As school psychologists, we are taught to approach our work through a critical lens, relying heavily upon empirical research. Implementing practices should always happen after thoroughly reviewing the available research evidence. Because of that, the field of education is teeming with active research projects seeking to evaluate the practices and programs we use and advocate for.

photo credit: Element5 Digital, Unsplash

What does research in the field of education look like?

Here at Lehigh, we have a phenomenal College of Education (COE). The students and faculty partner with local school districts and conduct research that is truly working to improve student, staff and family outcomes in schools. This can look very different depending on the particular field of research, but I’ll share a few examples from some of our current School Psychology graduate students who have begun to conduct their own independent research studies as part of their qualifying project* (QP) or dissertation.

Mariangela Perrella, a rising 5th year doctoral student, is excited to combine her love of education and her passion for dance in her upcoming dissertation by adapting a social-emotional learning curriculum using dance/movement therapy for elementary aged students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Eliza Koren, a rising 3rd year doctoral student, worked on a research collaboration with a
regional school district to examine whether their racially and ethnically minoritized students report differing senses of belonging and perceptions of school climate than their white peers.

My own research study assesses and analyzes high school general and special education teachers’ autism knowledge. Through this project, I hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what teachers know and how we can leverage that knowledge to provide more comprehensive school-based supports in this area for high school teachers.

Again, these very limited examples highlight only a fraction of the research being conducted in the COE. Stay tuned for future blog posts that will dive deeper into the phenomenal work of students in Lehigh’s COE!

What else happens in education beyond teaching? What are those jobs? What do they look like?

While it’s not possible to fully describe every career and their potential responsibilities here, there are a number of careers within the world of education. Each of these professionals receives graduate-level training that contextualizes their work specifically to the school setting. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, however these are some of the most common professionals seen regularly in schools.

Educational leadership includes principals and other district-level staff persons who oversee a building, program or department and perform many administrative responsibilities. Typically, these individuals have first been trained as an educator, psychologist, or counselor and have worked in schools for many years before transitioning to these roles.

Paraprofessionals primarily work in general education classrooms and provide
additional, individualized supports to students with disabilities who have complex
behavioral and/or health needs. They may work 1:1 with a student, or provide supports to smaller groups of students with disabilities within or outside of the general education classroom.

Occupational therapists (OTs) use “meaningful activities” to help students acquire the skills needed for them to succeed in their occupation, which for children is being a student. OTs are knowledgeable in human anatomy and physiology, and many of the skills they teach are related to motor movements and difficulties. Examples might include supporting difficulties with holding a writing utensil or teaching a child to independently tie their shoes.

School counselors provide high-quality counseling services to individual and small groups of students during the school day. Often, these individuals are also involved in their school’s universal screening practices to identify students that don’t receive supports but may be in need. Additionally, they may participate in IEP and 504 team meetings. The training they receive focuses heavily on the school setting and contextualizes counseling services to schools.

School nurses use their expertise to help connect health care to education, often
providing annual vision and hearing screenings, managing student medication needs, evaluating in-the-moment health concerns and helping to coordinate care for students receiving services within and outside of their school.

School psychologists are experts in mental health, learning and behavior. They are trained to make data-based decisions that support students and staff. Most traditionally, school psychologists are responsible for conducting evaluations that determine students’ eligibility for special and gifted education services. They also support staff through consultation and professional development, and work collaboratively with all school professionals to ensure students can thrive.

Speech-language pathologists are communication experts. Their services help students
to learn and effectively produce correct speech sounds, engage in social communication, improve speech fluency, and even help with difficulties eating and swallowing. Most often, these services are provided in 1:1 and small group settings outside of the students’ traditional classroom setting.

photo credit: Ben Mullins, Unsplash

Hopefully this summary has helped provide some insight into the vast opportunities within the field of education. As I discussed early in this post, I discovered school psychology and my broader passion for education relatively later in my college path. I can confirm that many school-based professionals also recall stumbling upon their chosen careers later on in college, if not after they graduated all together. Whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student (or even if you’re already a working professional) it’s never too late to discover and pursue the career that aligns best with your passions and skills.
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*In the COE, doctoral students are expected to complete both a QP and dissertation as part of their graduate training. QPs are more widely referred to as a (master’s) thesis in many other departments and universities.