From Alabama to Michigan: Two programs help new teacher thrive in classroom

Keeping 30 third graders focused in class is not always an easy task.

New teacher Charles Ball ’26 uses a call-and-response system. "Capiche," he recently called out and his students at Challenger Elementary in Kentwood responded, "Caposh." Sometimes, he said, "Waterfall." The response was "Shhhh."

Ball, who earned a master's degree in education in May, said he is proud of his classroom management skills, adding he learned a lot as a co-teacher last year at Explorer Elementary, also within Kentwood Public Schools. 

There are more reasons for Ball to be proud.

"I like being a male role model here," Ball said. "During our open house in August, I had parents from Challenger come up to me, saying they were hoping I’d be their teacher and parents expressing how happy they are that I’m their child’s teacher this year.

"It’s moments like those that remind me why I love teaching."

Now in his own room at Challenger Elementary (four Kentwood elementaries have space-themed names), Ball said he is thankful for connections and resources from Grand Valley's HBCU/HSI Consortium and the West Michigan Teacher Collaborative.

HBCU/HSI Consortium

He earned a bachelor's degree in childhood development from Talladega College in Alabama in 2024. The college is one of 10 partners in the Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Consortium, a pipeline designed for students to pursue graduate education and to bolster West Michigan's workforce.

"I walked across the stage in 2024 to get my bachelor's degree and started graduate school the next day," Ball said, noting he started taking virtual classes through the College of Education and Community Innovation's Graduate Teacher Certification program before arriving in Grand Rapids later that summer. 

His journey to Grand Valley began with a prospective student tour for students from Talladega and other HBCUs. During that tour, he listened to his peers discuss their transition from colleges largely in the South to Grand Valley. In mid-October, he was one of those panelists who answered questions from a new group of prospective students.

"They wanted to know the same questions my group did: How is graduate school different from your undergraduate school? What resources are available?" Ball said.

And they wanted to know about his transition from Alabama to Michigan.

"It was a challenge coming here, a culture shock," he said. "But in the end, there are lots of people willing to help me."

Ball joins 23 other HBCU/HSI Consortium students who have graduated from GVSU since the program began in 2021. There are 17 consortium students enrolled this year, including a large cohort of 11 who joined in the fall semester.

B. Donta Truss, vice president for Enrollment Development and College Futures, said the consortium does more than create pathways to graduate education.

"We are building connections between academic opportunity, career preparation and the workforce needs of West Michigan," Truss said. "Charles’ story reflects our commitment to helping talented graduates pursue advanced degrees, establish meaningful careers and contribute to the communities they now call home.”

West Michigan Teacher Collaborative

An initiative among GVSU and the Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon intermediate school districts, the West Michigan Teacher Collaborative recruits, develops and retains teachers in the area. A state grant covers tuition and fees for WMTC residents and offers them a stipend up to $20,000. Ball was in WMTC's inaugural cohort and completed the residency program last winter. 

WMTC residents are placed in a mentoring program with experienced teachers. Ball said he and his mentor at Explorer Elementary, Ivelise Hamlett, "really clicked" and he quickly adapted to her classroom routine.

Since the collaborative was established in 2023, 140 people have completed the program and earned teaching certificates. Amy Schelling, professor of special education and program director for Graduate Special Education, said collaborating on WMTC was a natural extension of the meaningful partnerships CECI had already established with PK-12 partners.

"What excites us about this partnership most is being able to collaborate to meet the unique needs of our local and regional partners and that the WMTC approach does not seek a short-term solution to the teacher shortage," Schelling said.

Jamie Gordon, executive director of Human Resources for Kentwood Public Schools, agreed and said the WMTC has opened the door to careers for people who are interested in teaching but who lack a pathway. 

"We benefit because we have firsthand knowledge of the employees, their ability to work with kids, eagerness to learn, how they receive feedback and their overall willingness to grow as a professional," she said. "Hands-on, real-life experiences in the classroom cannot be replaced.  This partnership provides for that."

Ball said he is grateful for the connections he made through WMTC, especially as his HBCU/HSI Consortium cohort included only one other education major. 

"They definitely supported me along the way, through the good and bad times. We were all in it together," Ball said. "I knew I wanted to pour back into the community."