Page 6 - Bella September 2015

Profile
1. Who is the most important person in your life?
Definitely God.
2. What do you feel is your greatest personal accomplishment?
Having an awesome family that loves me no matter what.
3. If you could solve one world problem, what would it be?
I would solve the problem dealing with children and self-esteem. Many kids today feel like they “aren’t good enough” to try different things. This mentality keeps student from striving in the classroom and rolls over to their attitude about the real world.
4. Out of the biggest challenge in your life thus far, what lesson did you learn?
To always keep moving forward! Your situation will always stay the same if you are not trying to make forward progress in life.
Kriqui Wisinger
6th Grade Learning Skills Teacher at Washington Middle School
Teachers: the resource students need most remains in short supply
(BPT) - The role of teachers in to- day’s society cannot be understated. Outside of a child’s parents, teachers are often the primary adult influ- encers in a young person’s life. Yet this essential role is getting harder and harder to fill as school districts across the nation face significant teacher shortages according to the U.S. Department of Education. To counteract this critical problem, recruiting new talent to the profes- sion has become a national priority. What shouldn’t be lost in the quest for teachers, however is the intrin- sic rewards of influencing and edu- cating young people. The educators of tomorrow must view teaching as a path toward improving lives, not simply as a means to meet the de- mand.
Morale remains high
The modern teacher shortage can be tied to many things - including a wave of retiring educators and national education funding chal- lenges - but teacher morale does not appear to be an issue. Research shows that 88 percent of teachers are satisfied with their choice to become a teacher, according to a re- cent University of Phoenix College of Education survey of more than 1,000 K-12 teachers. Additionally, 68 percent of teachers, who entered the field in the past 10 years, say they would recommend the pro- fession to others. Recent federal data supports these findings as well. Eighty-three percent of teachers who entered the field in 2008-2009
6 – September 2015 – BELLA
were still working in education five years later, according to the Nation- al Center for Education Statistics.
Higher education’s role in preparing the next genera-
tion of teachers
Efforts to grow the teaching ranks must focus on teacher recruitment, particularly in STEM subjects. Re- search also shows that expanding access to teacher preparation pro- grams and providing prospective teachers with experience that will help them navigate the critical first few years in the classroom is essen- tial.
Higher education institutions play a vital role in ensuring potential candidates understand the oppor- tunities that exist in education. To- day’s teacher preparation programs
must be able to accommodate mod- ern student schedules and meet unique education needs.
Teacher preparation programs that offer flexibility and relevance to the dynamics of today’s classrooms are a must for student success. In addition, the curriculum offered by higher education institutions should also provide today’s teacher candidates with real-world scenari- os that encourage critical thinking and decision-making skills. These lessons will be vital when managing their own classrooms in the years ahead.
Inspiring tomorrow’s teachers
As most teachers will attest, they did not join the profession to get rich, but rather to inspire children
and young adults to learn, set am- bitious goals and achieve them. The University of Phoenix survey found that past generations of teachers were quite successful at this. Nearly half of respondents were inspired to join the profession by a teacher they had when they were young, accord- ing to the University of Phoenix
survey.
Recruiting, retaining and sup- porting the individuals who are so critical to the future of today’s chil- dren, takes a team effort. But the efforts are worth it as the successes of today’s teachers will ultimately translate into the victories of to- morrow’s leaders.
5. If you were to meet someone for the first time, what is one piece of advice that you would give?
Follow your dreams, but have a realistic back-up plan.
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