Keep Calm & Teach On

Dawn Knight, Virginia Tech

Young adults who are considering teaching as a profession can sometimes get discouraged by current events and well-meaning others who may not understand or support their choice of career. At larger universities, education can be overshadowed by more ‘glamorous’ or novel majors. It can be especially difficult at colleges and universities where all of the teacher education happens at the graduate level. They ask, "What am I supposed to do for four years while I wait to get into a graduate program?" The Keep Calm & Teach On Info Expo was designed to show future education students the multiple opportunities, in and out of the classroom, that help prepare future educators while also providing some encouragement from successful professionals in the field. By making it easier to access and integrate all of the opportunities that pre-education students might encounter, we hope to develop more highly-qualified teachers who feel better connected and stay in the profession longer, lessening some of what has led to the current teacher shortage.

There is no reason for educator preparation programs to reinvent the wheel; we are not in this alone. The concept of localities “growing their own” teachers has been gaining momentum over the past several years as more and more states face increasing teacher shortages. Programs like Educators Rising¹ and Teachers for Tomorrow² are engaging high-school students with opportunities and experiences in the field of education, allowing them to explore interests and develop educator skills and dispositions. Coincidentally, our campus chapter of the Student Virginia Education Association (SVEA) had been looking for a way to connect with high-school students to keep them engaged and offer advice for next steps. Keep Calm & Teach On was born.

The idea of the information expo started out as a way to provide future students with information about what our university has to offer in terms of undergraduate and graduate opportunities for preservice teachers. During the planning, it quickly grew into more of a celebration of teaching and learning. We requested contact information from the state Department of Education and invited all Virginia high schools with teacher preparation curricula, as well as community colleges that provide teacher education coursework, to the expo. The event was also open to SVEA members across the state and current Virginia Tech Pre-Education Advising Program students. Our pilot event included almost 30 participants from Virginia Tech and two area high schools. Based on the feedback we received, we made some significant changes to the event, and our second attempt included more than 60 participants from five high schools and two community colleges, in addition to the Virginia Tech student attendees. Looking forward, we are hoping to make this an annual event that will be organized with the following lessons in mind.

Make it easy. Originally, the invitations, registration, and general information were shared in three unconnected formats. Because of security features on school email accounts, many teachers never received the first invitation. In the spring we consolidated everything a participant would need into a Google site and used Google forms, sheets, and maps for communication. We wanted the event to be free and, fortunately, we were able to partner with the School of Education and secure Student Budget Board funding on behalf of the SVEA. Because of the funding available, we were able to provide lunch, tote bags, and a bus from fleet services to move participants around our large campus. Parking is a struggle on our campus, especially during the week, so we created maps on the Google site outlining the easiest parking for individual vehicles and procedures for school buses.

Respect their time. We were mindful of the event’s start and end times to accommodate those traveling from farther away. Most school systems will not pay for an overnight field trip, and we didn’t want students to be on the road at 4am or getting home after 11pm, so we planned for a later start and earlier finish than other workshops. Also, for this event to be sustainable, the high school teachers needed to see it as a valuable learning opportunity. We were intentional in not making this a day-long advertisement for our program. Instead, we focused on promoting the profession and allowed interest in our program to develop organically through the event. By offering hands-on workshops for participants, we provided a hint of teacher education and a glimpse of their future classrooms. We chose to use high-impact School of Education spaces, like the Training & Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) and the STEM Collaboratory, for our workshops and provided them lunch in one of our award-winning dining centers. There was time at the end of the event for participants to ask questions to School of Education advisors and an Undergraduate Admissions representative to ensure that everyone left with the most accurate information possible.

Maximize peer involvement. There is nothing cooler to a kid than a slightly older kid, and this event would not have been possible without our SVEA President. We involved the college students in all planning aspects because they are much more likely to know what information is most desirable and how to best engage the younger students. Our SVEA members act as ambassadors at several points throughout the school year by visiting area high schools and mentoring future education students. Through these interactions, the high school students may realize, “That could be me in a couple years!” During the Q&A session exploring different education careers and paths, we invited current students to participate as panel members, alongside program faculty, to share their experiences. Finally, we recruited Hokie Ambassadors, the student-led campus tour guides, as walkers that guided participants to and from activities. Not only did it keep our guests from getting lost, it provided an opportunity for campus trivia and more candid conversations about student life.

Build a sense of community. High levels of student engagement have been found to be associated with higher rates of student retention, success, and achievement. We wanted to let potential students know ways that they could connect with both each other and professionals in the field as undergraduates across multiple programs, so we invited relevant student organizations and community agencies to provide information about teaching-related service opportunities for college students. Since our teacher preparation program is a graduate-only program, we also wanted to share education-related courses that undergraduates can take, which helps students realize that they can be involved in teacher preparation prior to the formal educator preparation program.

Mythbusting. Giving students facts about the profession allows them to make truly informed decisions and resist some of the misinformation that is out there. Many students think that teaching is the only thing you can do with a degree in education, so we made sure to include information about other careers that are related to curriculum development, teacher development, and educational research and psychology. Another common offender is the idea that only people with no other options become teachers, implying an inherent lack of rigor. We have all heard the phrase, “Those who can do, …” There is nothing easy about becoming a teacher, whether it’s the additional coursework, the testing, student teaching, or writing 50 pages of lesson plans for a 20-minute lesson. We help them see that it takes brains and determination to be a successful educator. Finally, the biggest complaint about the profession is the money, or lack thereof. While teacher salaries can be low in comparison to many other professions, pay scales are related to the degree earned, years worked, school system, and include benefits that are not a part of salaries from all careers.

Calling all superheroes! Teaching has an image problem, and if we are going to retain the best and the brightest, we need to counter the bad press. The media is full of examples of the negative aspects of teaching; from criminal teacher behaviors to failing public policies and unimaginable teaching conditions. While there is plenty of room for improvement, there are teachers out there who are having an impact. We knew we needed a speaker who could empower future educators to defend their career choices. We looked for someone to inspire students to not walk away, but to march forward and make a difference through teaching. In my role as an academic advisor, I hear so many students say they have always thought about teaching, but for whatever reason, thought they should do something else. I was that student once. I resisted teaching for years until I read Taylor Mali’s poem, “What Teachers Make.” I was empowered; teaching mattered. I was good at it, it was important, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. There are teachers out there making a difference and education hopefuls need to hear their stories. Successful educators can share struggles as well as successes and provide first-hand accounts of what the profession is really like. We were fortunate to have the 2018 Virginia Region 6 Teacher of the Year and the 2017 Level Up Village's U.S. Teacher of the Year (STEM) as our keynote speakers. A simple Google search will turn up educators in your area that have been honored for their contributions and are eager to reach out to the next generation.

Students who are exploring the teaching profession need factual information and hands-on experiences so that they can make career decisions for themselves. They need to know that they are not alone. They need assurances that they are doing the right thing and have the flexibility to change their plans. As a pre-education advisor I support students who want to be teachers, and those just considering their options. At the same time, I share the realities about the field and guide students toward other paths if the classroom is not right for them. I also believe it is important to let others know that teaching is a legitimate career with pros and cons just like any other. Keep Calm & Teach On was a wonderful opportunity to spread a positive message for teachers and I look forward to finding more ways to reach out to future educators.

Dawn Knight is the Pre-Education Advising Program Coordinator and an instructor in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. She is also a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Curriculum Development and Teacher Education. She serves as the faculty advisor for the Student Virginia Education Association at Virginia Tech and is the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Education Majors Advising Community Chair.

(Endnotes)

¹ Educators Rising is national program that cultivates highly skilled educators by guiding young people on a path to becoming accomplished teachers, beginning in high school and extending through college and into the profession. https://www.educatorsrising.org/

² The Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum is part of a is a long-term recruitment strategy to increase the pool of candidates who will be able to fill critical shortage vacancies, increase the diversity of teacher applicants, and promote the hiring of local candidates who are more likely to remain within their school divisions. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/educator_preparation/teachers_for_tomorrow/

Disclaimer – The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.