Grace College growing Transition to Teaching program
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Grace College is expanding an online teacher licensure program geared toward nontraditional candidates with bachelor’s degrees in other fields who are interested in joining the profession.
The Grace College School of Education launched its Transition to Teaching elementary education program last summer, the college said in a news release. The expansion will include a secondary-education option beginning this summer to anyone who holds a bachelor’s degree in any subject. The coursework to obtain a secondary-education teacher’s license will take 12 months.
“We are thrilled to expand the transition to teaching program to benefit middle schools and high schools as well,” School of Education Dean Cheryl Bremer said. “Our first cohort of students for the Transition to Elementary Education program are now in the classroom, and we have received wonderful feedback from their administrators. We are seeing this initiative make an impact, and now we are excited for that impact to grow.”
Nine out of 10 students in the elementary program are now in schools teaching through Indiana’s Transition to Teaching permit or providing support to staff, program director Courtney Thrasher said in the news release. The immediate integration into the classroom benefits the participants in the program as well as the schools, she said.
“This program has been a blessing,” Cheri Sleighter, principal of Washington STEM Academy in Warsaw, said. “Not only did we gain three dedicated individuals pursuing their teaching degrees at Grace College, but we now have one in the classroom, another leading our Innovation Lab and a third serving as a paraprofessional and valuable substitute teacher. It’s a win-win—students get real-world experience while enriching our school community.”
To learn more about the program, click here or contact Thrasher at thrashce@grace.edu.