Transforming a ‘calling’ to classroom success

Classrooms are a melting pot of personalities, academic abilities and learning styles. Teachers must be able to think quickly on their feet and adjust their strategies to meet students’ needs. Combined with external factors, such as peer conflicts or at-home struggles, educators’ jobs can become even more challenging, requiring a steady dose of patience, love, mercy, and discipline.

It is no wonder why teaching is often characterized as one of the world’s “toughest” jobs. But it is also among the most rewarding and essential occupations for our state’s economic future. Every day, educators are responsible for setting the next generation up for success in school and their future careers.

As our state grapples with a continued shortage of qualified, diverse teachers, we must find a way to inspire and empower Arkansans to serve in schools. One of the most promising solutions is educator preparation programs (EPP), like at my alma mater, Southern Arkansas University (SAU), that ease future teachers’ transitions from college campus to K-12 classroom.

According to The New Teacher Project (TNTP), schools nationwide are “facing their toughest staffing challenges in recent memory—at a time when students need diverse, effective teachers more than ever” in the wake of pandemic-induced academic losses. One Million Teachers of Color (1MTOC) stated that in nearly all school districts in the U.S., “the percentage of students of color exceeds the percentage of teachers of color.” 1MTOC says, “25% of public schools do not have a single teacher of color on staff.”

The lack of racial diversity in our current teacher workforce is concerning. But, as I’ve experienced firsthand, so is the gender disparity. The Brookings Institution reports, “The difference in gender representation—75% female teachers for a student body that is evenly split by gender—is nearly as large as the gap in race and ethnicity.” Yet, evidence points to the long-lasting benefits of students having female and male teachers, such as greater behavior regulation and a stronger sense of belonging.

While pursuing my degree at SAU, I have encountered only a handful of fellow male teacher candidates. I come from a long line of teachers. But I understand the challenges that my fellow students, particularly Black males, may confront when deciding whether they can—or should—turn their interest in teaching into long-term careers.

Fortunately, colleges like SAU are reshaping the teacher-candidate experience to help bridge the gap from calling to the classroom. With grant funding and technical assistance from Forward Arkansas’s EPP Design Collaborative, SAU is piloting a paid year-long teacher residency program. Candidates who choose to participate can put into practice our SAU curriculum while receiving guidance from seasoned mentor teachers. By fully integrating into the classroom, we learn how to identify and support students through various challenges, academic or otherwise.

As I have heard from many of my classmates at SAU, the desire to teach is there, but without adequate support or guidance, many students may opt for another degree or career field. EPPs’ transformative efforts can give candidates the necessary training and real-world experience to lead a classroom effectively. With the help of our EPPs, Arkansas is primed and ready to build the quantity, quality and diversity of our teacher workforce.

Editor’s note: Jeremiah Albert is a student at Southern Arkansas University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. After graduating in May, he plans to become a full-time teacher. The opinions expressed are those of the author.