Which would be a better choice for an associate's degree: Sign Language Interpreting or Elem Ed.?

Question

My five year goal is to be a special education teacher for the deaf and a private interpreter on the side. The associates is just to start me off but i know that I will need by bachelors and certification to be a teacher in GA.

Answer 1

Well, if your ultimate goal is teacher, then I would go for the elem Ed...if you goal is more private interpreter, there is good money to be made in that (I had a lady i used to babysit for, she worked for a student in my school, just to attend class with him all day, and she made more than the school principal did) so then i would go with the Sign Language.

Answer 2

I live in Utah.  Here we have a program for that "special education: hearing impairments".  You could get it all done in one shot.  Special education and elementary education are two completely different things. I'm not sure about GA though, i would look into it.

Answer 3

Get your prilimary education classes out of the way and then specialize in special education.  When you specialize, you should then take sign language interpretation classes for that Interpretation Major.  The education classes will be easier to transfer to a four year school than sign language interpretation classes.  Just practice sign language on the side so that you can make money under the table.

Flagler College is a good 4 year school for Special Education and especially good for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education.  The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is less than 1 mile from Flagler.  The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is the largest school for the Deaf and Blind in the US.

Answer 4

I would go for the sign language interpreting because really, the elementary ed stuff can be taken at the university level. Meanwhile, your interpreting skills can help you earn money to get through college.

You really want to be a good signer if you are going to teach deaf children and this AA will help you. It will introduce you to deaf culture and you will be very fluent by the time you start your upper level degree classes. This will give you a distinct advantage over folks who are just starting to sign.

Answer 5

Yeap get the Associates Degree