News release
Public Information Office
SLU 10880 Hammond,
LA 70402 phone:
985-549-2341 fax:
985-549-2061publicinfo@selu.edu
www.selu.edu/news
Contact: Christina Chapple
Date: 9/12/03
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NEW TEACHER SCHOLAR (ST. TAMMANY) – Casey Quinn Gleason, Link Teacher for St. Tammany Parish schools in Southeastern Louisiana University’s Teacher Scholar Program, pins a name badge on Teacher Scholar Amanda Walent, who is teaching at Woodlake Elementary School, at an official welcome ceremony for the 2003-2004 participants in the Southeastern program, which targets retention of first year teachers.  NEW
TEACHER SCHOLAR (TANGIPAHOA) – Rosemary Wilson, Link Teacher for Tangipahoa
Parish schools in Southeastern Louisiana University’s Teacher Scholar Program,
pins a name badge on Teacher Scholar Amy E. Lee, who is teaching at Hammond
Westside Upper Elementary School, at an official welcome ceremony for the
2003-2004 participants in the Southeastern program, which targets retention
of first year teachers.
 NEW
TEACHER SCHOLAR (LIVINGSTON) – Jennine Newsom, on of the Link Teachers
for Livingston Parish schools in Southeastern Louisiana University’s Teacher
Scholar Program, pins a name badge on Teacher Scholar Leslie Ward, who
is teaching at Live Oak Lower Elementary School, at an official welcome
ceremony for the 2003-2004 participants in the Southeastern program, which
targets retention of first year teachers.
SOUTHEASTERN PROGRAM AIMS TO BEAT THE TEACHER RETENTION ODDS HAMMOND -- Thirteen women, all recent college graduates, have embarked on one of the most important years of their lives -- a year that could make or break them in their chosen profession. That profession is teaching, and -- as brand new educators -- they are at risk. According to National Education Association statistics, three of the 13 -- 20 percent -- will not last more than a couple of years in the classroom. NEA’s statistic is conservative; some place the novice teacher dropout rate as high as 50 percent. Since more than a million veteran teachers are nearing retirement and two million new educators will be needed in the next decade, it is crucial that every first year teacher stays the course. Southeastern Louisiana University’s Teacher Scholar Program is designed to beat the new teacher drop out odds. In six years, the program has mentored 58 first year teachers in four southeast Louisiana parishes. Ninety-five percent -- 55 teachers -- are still in the classroom. The dozen Southeastern teacher education graduates and one alumnus of Dillard University make up the Teacher Scholar Program’s seventh cohort. The Teacher Scholar program enrolls first year teachers who have been identified as prospective leaders in their profession. The university pays the salaries of the novice educators, who are placed in classrooms in participating local school districts -- currently Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Tammany parishes. In exchange, the school systems release teachers to serve as "Link Teachers," who provide support for the Teacher Scholars and share their real world teaching expertise with students in Southeastern’s teacher preparation program. These experienced Link Teachers help orient their newest peers on school district rules, regulations and expectations, give them tips on discipline and working with parents, and offer ideas on planning lessons and organizing the school day. And they listen, providing a strong and sympathetic shoulder on which the new teachers can lean. Recently, the newest Teacher Scholars gathered on campus with their families and friends, Link Teachers, principals, and the Southeastern education professors who head the Teacher Scholar Program. Elizabeth Evans, director of Southeastern’s Center for Education Services and Research, and Sonya Carr, coordinator of the Teacher Scholars Program, told the new Teachers Scholars that they would be pushed hard over the upcoming months. In addition to their teaching work week, they are enrolled in a 15-month, fast track Master of Education graduate program. “Teaching is a profession that we’re really proud of,” Carr said. “We began this program because we were concerned about the best and the brightest leaving the profession. We want these teachers to do more than survive. We want them to learn to be leaders.” She said feedback from the participating school systems indicates that the teachers who complete the program are providing that leadership spark. “They are writing grants, integrating technology, providing in-service training, and representing their school districts at state and national conferences,” she said. “Every year, I try to hire them all,” said Hammond West Side Upper Elementary Principal Brenda Johnson. “They bring so many good ideas. They are creative, flexible, innovative, and they are really doing a lot for our children.” “They are a breath of fresh air in our faculty,” agreed Dawn Rush, principal of Live Oak Lower Elementary School in Denham Springs. “It’s exciting to see their professional growth, but it is also a two-way street. They give as much as they receive.” One Teacher Scholar who was subsequently hired by her school is Raychelle Roe-Field, a 1999 Teacher Scholar and first grade teacher at Hammond West Side Lower Elementary. “I enjoyed and benefitted from the program,” she told the newest Teacher Scholars. “It was a lot of work, but in the long run I got so much out of it. There is so much that is overwhelming in the classroom.” The 2003-2004 Teacher Scholars and their schools are Livingston Parish: Melissa Elam, Nicole Fitzpatrick and Leslie Ward, Live Oak Lower Elementary School; Melissa DeRamus, Live Oak Middle School; Brooke Evans, Dawn Hunter, Miesha Williams, Live Oak Upper Elementary School. St. Tammany Parish: Kayce Wood, Abita Springs Middle School and Mandeville Middle School; Candice O’Meallie, Magnolia Trace Elementary School; Amanda Walent, Woodlake Elementary School. Tangipahoa Parish: Tonya Hardy, Champ Cooper Elementary School; Amy E. Lee and Carey Worley, Hammond Westside Upper Elementary. Link Teachers are Jennine Newsom and Deborah Ledet, Livingston Parish; Casey Quinn Gleason, St. Tammany Parish; and Rosemary Wilson, Tangipahoa Parish. For additional information about the Teacher Scholar Program, contact Evans or Carr at 985-549-5019. |
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