When people hear education major, they instantly think it is a blow off easy major. However, secondary and middle school education majors do not receive the credit they deserve.

Think about it, not only do these pre-service teachers carry a full course load in their major, but they also spend their time in classes devoted to learning teaching techniques, how to make their subjects come alive with the youth of tomorrow and how to keep a classroom under control.

As if this weren't enough, these pre-service teachers also spend numerous hours in a high school or middle school classroom putting all the things that they have learned together while actually teaching students and learning from experienced cooperating teachers.

While this all seems clean cut and possibly just time consuming, let me assure you it is also a challenge to live up to the standards that the Saint Mary's education department places on their students. For instance, when the pre-service teacher is expected to teach it cannot be a lecture, even though that is what we are all used to. But rather a "hands on, minds on" activity that provides a big idea for the students to strive to achieve. What does this mean for the pre-service teacher? A lot of planning and tweaking of unique unit plans to ensure the students are receiving all they can possibly get out of an individual unit.

Now when I'm talking unit, I'm not talking about a day-by-day lesson plan. I'm talking about what activities the students will be working on for several weeks, and what is the ultimate assignment to test the students of their understanding without using a traditional test. For the pre-service teacher, this entails reading all the material prior to assigning it, working out the activities, figuring out a way to grab the student's attention and keep it for the length of the unit and keep the students in order and dealing with behavioral problems, all the while completing their own class work for their major.

For example, if pre-service teachers are in their content classroom twice a week chances are they are also planning lessons and grading papers at least twice a week as well and going to school activities and getting their foot in the door attending professional developments. For pre-service teachers who also work this becomes quite a balancing act for them to deal with. Therefore, when someone says he's an education major, think twice before making the "coloring is easy" cracks about the major, it's all not like that.

• Give education majors respect