Teacher Academy students attend workshop that highlights majors in education

November 26, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 7)

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One hundred area high school students got a preview into life as a college education major during a workshop that celebrated Grand Valley's Teacher Academy direct credit partners.

Mike Eichberger, school partnership specialist, said the November 4 event drew students from Kent Career Technical Center, Northwest Education Services in Traverse City, Ottawa County's Careerline Tech Center and Zeeland Public Schools. 

Students from those four Teacher Academy programs are eligible to receive direct credit for GVSU’s Introduction to Education course. The course, EDF 115, is required for all education majors, regardless of specialty.

The high school students listened to remarks from Acting Provost Jennifer Drake; Daisy Fredricks, associate professor and director of Teacher Education; B. Donta Truss, vice president for Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach; and Amy Schelling, associate dean for the College of Education and Community Innovation.

They attended breakout sessions about education degree programs and listened to a panel discussion by Grand Valley education majors: Emmy Adam, Avery Koperski and Emma Williams.

Truss presented 21 admissions certificates to graduating seniors in the group who have been admitted to Grand Valley for next year. "We are so pleased that these students are getting a head start on their college education by participating in the Teacher Academy and receiving college credits," he said. "It shows their initiative. We will be glad to welcome them to the Laker family next fall."

Schelling shared her thoughts with the young audience on what it means to be a teacher. 

"In the program, future teachers are considering stepping into a role where they’ll have the chance to shape lives, to guide and to inspire every day," she said. “Teaching is a skillful act that requires a complex set of knowledge, skills, practice-based approaches and dispositions that must be learned, practiced and reflected upon continuously. At GVSU, this is paired with a liberal education foundation that fosters critical thinking, creative problem-solving, cultural understanding and makes for excellent preparation for the complex work the profession requires.”

Grand Valley's Teacher Academy program began in 2022. Last year, 125 students received direct credit for the education course.

The workshop was a collaborative event co-sponsored by the College of Education and Community Innovation, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Career Center and the Office of the Provost.

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