Danielle Server
Staff Writer
Every school year, students who wish to complete their degree in education have to brave the daunting task of student teaching across the state of Wyoming. Over this past fall semester, the education department opened the opportunity for elementary education majors to, once again, student teach in the fall semester.
This difference can make a huge impact when it comes to offering fall semester student teaching options. Secondary education majors, however, are out of luck if they want to finish early.
For the elementary education majors, this is a big deal because it allows them to graduate a semester early and take advantage of student teaching for a whole year.
“Our elementary [education major] students take three different methods classes and in the fall semester, we have five sections of methods. Often our faculty follows the students out to their student teaching. On the secondary side, we only have one faculty member per content area. So we don’t have the same ability to double up when we offer methods,” said Leslie Rush, associate dean for the College of Education.
This opportunity has not been around for over ten years and has added to the continuing discussion about the quality of the education department at UW. When the fall semester student teaching was discontinued, the college administrators decided they wanted to focus on placing the student teachers in a set number of districts, narrowing it down to nine until now.
There have also been questions rising about the elementary to secondary education professor ratio as students take these foundations and 3000 level classes.
Some secondary education students may feel left out due to the larger ratio of elementary education professors, even if it is in those classes where it is not as important to have their level of teaching. Rush said one of the biggest differences between the two majors is that there is three times the faculty in the elementary education program that the secondary.
“When we have an opening for faculty members, we look for the very best candidate for foundations and 3000 level courses,” said Rush. “Not necessarily looking at whether they are elementary or secondary ed background because those courses are designed to meet the needs of elementary and secondary ed majors.”
