WCPS recognizes student teachers
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 27, 2016 1:45 AM
Wayne County Public Schools has long aspired to "grow your own" educators.
At a time when teacher shortages have created the need to travel to college campuses and other states, as well as recruiting from other countries, the possibility of finding teachers interested in returning to their home county has sometimes eluded them.
So when this year's pool of student teachers wrapped up their stint in the local classrooms, it just made sense to acknowledge their contribution. And hopefully, officials said, lead to their becoming a permanent hire.
A reception was held Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the completion of this year's experience for 14 student teachers. But beyond the cake and punch, it also provided an opportunity for networking between principals and the pool of teachers-to-be.
"This is the first annual recognition of our student teachers for WCPS," said Yvette Smith, assistant superintendent of human resources and professional development. "We're honored because we really feel like you're one of our own and we would like to have an opportunity to keep you here in Wayne County and talk to you about opportunities as well as support you as you grow into teachers."
From the clinical teacher experience to their upcoming walk across the stage to make it official, the "early release" option means that by mid-April some can begin substitute teaching or be eligible for hire.
"Right now we have about five students who are taking advantage of that opportunity," Ms. Smith said. "Hopefully all of you will. You're certified teachers and our children deserve to have a certified teacher in front of them every day."
Brittany Sasser is among those who already have a job lined up.
The Charles B. Aycock High School graduate, who interned as an exceptional children's teacher at Norwayne Middle School with Ronda Elmore, has been hired to work at Rosewood High School. She starts April 13.
She has completed her educational studies through the Partnership East program at ECU so was able to do a lot of her coursework online, she said.
Her experience student teaching was most beneficial, she said.
"It definitely prepared me," she said. "Mrs. Elmore was great."
Wendy Thomas, an exceptional children, or EC, teacher at Greenwood Middle School, also raved about the program and the student teacher assigned to her, Amanda Dail.
"It's great to get a chance to learn as much from them as they learn from you and also from a different point of view," she said.
Whitli Thornton, a Southern Wayne High School graduate, comes from a family of educators -- including the late Dr. John Tart and his wife, Marjorie, and her mom, Dianne Tart Thornton, retired after many years teaching at Grantham School. Whitli chose elementary education, she said, because she "loves the smaller children."
She did her student teaching at Rosewood Elementary School and will graduate in May from the Partnership East program.
"It's been great. I have gotten a lot of good advice from Sadie Simmons (her clinical teacher)," she said. "I'm looking forward to getting my own classroom."
Ms. Smith said she is pleased with the program and this year's candidates, which just enhances the human resources recruitment efforts for WCPS.
She said she is confident in the group of student teachers who spent the past few months in local classrooms, hinting that she is hopeful that the bulk of them will be hired by the district.