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Here’s why.

What makes the ����Թ� School of Education awesome? Future teachers Sara (Wott) Heindel and Ayako Hampton have some pretty strong opinions about that.

Sarah and Ayako, both seniors, say it’s all about the faculty and how they push students to be their best possible selves in their coursework and their field observation and student teaching.

“Our professors are so accessible. They’re really helpful and they care about us a lot,” says Sarah, who’s studying to be a language arts teacher in the Adolescent/Young Adult track.

Ayako added, “Here at ����Թ�, it’s easy to get one-on-one time with professors if we need it. They’re always there … always just an email away. They view us as future teachers and build us up to be the best teachers we can be.”

Across the board, the students also appreciate the opportunity to be in the classroom – for field observation early in their freshman year and every semester after that, progressing to student teaching their senior year.

“That’s been so beneficial for me to see if I really want to do this,” says Ayako, an early childhood major. “Getting to have that one-on-one from freshman year, you can really begin to feel the impact you can have on a child’s life.”

Both Ayako and Sarah are awaiting their student teaching placements for the spring semester. “Through the experience of being in the classroom, we really get to see if we have the natural talent and love for teaching,” Sarah says. “����Թ� is great at getting you in the classroom right away. From my junior block on, I realized there are challenges but I’m ready to face them. I feel really well prepared.”

Outside professional education associations have taken note of what 164 education majors and a talented group of faculty already know about ����Թ�’s School of Education. Dr. Karen Jones, the new associate dean of the school, received notice this summer that every one its programs is now nationally recognized. These include Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescent/Young Adult (social studies, English/language arts, math and science), Intervention Specialist and Multi-age Physical Education and Health.

This means that our students are well-prepared to teach in the fields in which they are licensed.

And that’s absolutely awesome!