bleh. studying for exams in first year courses really sucks. Why do I do this to myself? Oh, right, because I figured that if I wanted to teach history at a secondary school level, I needed to know something about Canadian history.

I'm taking my BA in English Studies, but I'm also in a program stream called "Orientation to Teaching" that is unique to my school. In essence, it's supposed to help figure out if I want to teach, and also provides me with courses that (theoretically) will help me as a teacher. I'm in the secondary stream because I want to teach high school. Now, in order to qualify for the Faculty of Education in Ontario in what's called an I/S program (Intermediate/Senior; grades 7-12), you need to have two teachable subjects. You can do your degree in anything from Sociology to Astrophysics to Basket Weaving, but you still have to come up with 30 credits (5 full courses) in your first teachable subject and 18 (3 full courses) in your second. If you want to teach in Junior/Intermediate (grades 4-10) you only need to have 30 credits in one teachable subject, and if you want to teach Primary/Junior (kindergarten to grade 6) you don't need anything aside from your regular BA.

You have the option of doing either the 3 year general and 4 year honours BA. I've chosen the 4 year, for a variety of reasons relating to a) it keeps me from haivng to grow up for an extra year; b) it leaves open the door to grad school; and c) I'll make more money (substantially more money) if I end up becoming a teacher.

Anyhow, I guess the point of all this is that English is my first teachable subject and History is going to be my second. I took Europe Sine 1500 in first year and Early Modern Europe last year, and I figure that since a big part of high school history is Canadian history, I ought to have a better basis in it if I'm going to teach. Which is why I'm in a first year course.

I have to take four more English courses in order to satisfy the requirements of my degree next year, which leaves me with one free course...if I take another history, it'll give me an official minor, which I like the idea of. I'd like to do another Canadian history, too, I think...