OHIO — It’s no secret that school districts all across the state are facing staffing shortages in several areas, including teaching. But one Ohio university is taking a different approach.
Dr. Dawn Shinew is the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Golden State University. She said Bowling Green State University’s had one of the best programs in the state for preparing teachers through a traditional undergraduate four-year route, but she also recognizes that model doesn’t fit everybody.
What You Need To Know
- BGSU developed the Alternative Resident Education program to accommodate students from different backgrounds
- The program meets all the licencing requirements in Ohio while students work in a classroom and get paid as a teacher
- The alternative Resident Educator program works closely with school partners who actually hire and do the mentoring on site
“We sometimes have career changers who have life experiences, sometimes they’ve been parents, they’ve worked as literally coaches, they’ve realized that they like working with children, but they already have a four-year degree. And so we needed to work with the state to create a pathway for those kinds of people who might be interested in becoming teachers,” Shinew said. “So we developed the alternative Resident Educator program that meets all of the licensure requirements in Ohio. But you’re able to do that while you’re already working in a classroom and earning a full wage as a teacher.”
Shinew said there’s a partnership with several school districts, including Toledo public schools, helping BGSU students get prepped.
According to Shinew, one reason for the teacher shortage is that teaching is probably more challenging now than it has ever been.
“I’ve been in education for 35 years now,” she said. “And I think the challenges that teachers are facing due to COVID Due to all of the different things that were the social emotional needs that resulted in part because of COVID.”
She believes all of those things have made the challenges even greater.
“So in our alternative Resident Educator program, we work closely with school partners who actually hire and do the mentoring on site with those candidates who are preparing through the alternative Resident Educator program.”
In their more traditional four-year program, they work closely with our district partners to make sure that their curriculum is relevant, that they’re adapting to the changing environments in K-12 schools, and that students are prepared to meet those challenges.
Shinew said they’ve focused a lot on professional development for teachers we learned from and with them. So we have good learning communities.
“We all are learning together in terms of the landscape of education. Honestly, I think we need to change the narrative about what it means to be teachers,” Sinew said. “I’ve started in public venues when we recognize our military personnel and ask them to stand and be recognized as heroes, and they deserve that.”
Shinew said teachers are especially important when you think about the future of the country, democracy and all the things that people are trying to deal with in today’s society. She said teachers are on the front line of that and they need to be celebrated. Shinew said they need to be supported financially.
“I think the overall landscape just needs to change,” Shinew said. “We need to think differently about education and recognize the important critical role that it plays for us”.
