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Student Reflections

They took EDUC classes.

Where are they now?

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NACCTEP Coffee Chat

Sarah Bigham, Ed.D. Frederick Community College

April 16, 2021

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Note: Selected slides of preliminary data from unpublished work

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Positive Themes

EDUC training = valuable

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Importance of diversity and representation

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Appreciate their community college experience

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Love children/young people and want to help

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Challenging Themes

Teachers are struggling

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Pay

Not feeling heard/supported

Parents

Career choice

Mental health

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Most helpful parts of teacher training

  • Observations
  • Actively contributing in schools
  • EDUC faculty
  • Teaching classmates
  • Connections with others
  • Lesson planning/delivery

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What do you wish had been covered during your teacher training?

  • More on special education
  • How to teach reading
  • More re: diversity/equity
  • Interacting with parents
  • Working with other adults
  • Time/stress management and organization
  • Classroom management
  • Politics/government behind education
  • Handling behavioral and motivation issues
  • Working with high need students

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The “Changers”

All planned to be teachers or were considering it

Why change?

  • Related helping careers of more interest
  • Money/family needs

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Teacher Training in a Pandemic

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  • Stressful
  • Pushed to side
  • Lack of in-person experience = worrisome
  • Is this really for me?

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Tell me about teaching in a pandemic

Strong feelings

  • Anger
  • Hypocrisy of politicians
  • Concern for students
  • Constant plan changes
  • Innovative ideas became burdensome under some admin

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Silver linings

  • Flexibility
  • Shorter IEP meetings
  • No commute
  • Happy with longer teaching blocks

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How to recruit and retain teachers

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  • Listen to them
  • Support them + increase social value of teachers
  • Reduce class size and workload
  • Ensure better admin
  • Make college affordable + grants/scholarships for teachers
  • Provide non-admin advancement opportunities
  • $ for their choice of supplies
  • Pay someone to delete the trolls online
  • Reconfigure teacher evaluation
  • Less testing, more creativity

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We must all

support teachers