186 academics what’s name? in a Two Searcy area wide teachers listen intently during the Smart Step Literacy Lab Project held on Oct. 10. This project was a rigorous 14-day staff development designed for teachers of students in grades 4-12. Nick Michael During an Upward Bound Tutoring Session on Nov. 1, graduate student Erik Schramm helps a high school student with homework. Upward Bound served 55 high school students in White and Woodruff Counties and met on scheduled Saturdays throughout the year. Noah Darnell Senior Tiffany Allison helps a student in Mrs. Jeannie Wilkinson’s kindergarten class at Riverside Kensett Elementary on Oct. 13. Allison was involved in the student teacher program which helped prepare students for a future career in education. Nick Michael The Construction for the Wilma Stephens Thornton Education Center began on Wednesday, July 28, 2004. This building was named after longtime educator Wilma Stephens Thornton from Sheridan, Ark. Professor Tony Finley said that she “captures the spirit and love of teaching through her 41 years of teaching and a life of learning.” Thornton retired in 1970 and has since brought many changes to the classroom, such as her current issues of school consolidation and ensuring that no child is left behind. “There is more to teaching than just getting students to remember a bunch of facts,” junior Rachel Geddie said. “It is about creating universal concepts that will be with a child for a lifetime.” This was a significant idea taught in the Department of Education. Accredited since the fifties, the teacher education program sought to equip its participants with the skills to accomplish that very thing – to go beyond teaching children facts and instead instill universal concepts. Dr. Jan Morgan, chair of Teacher Education, was responsible for aiding students both in the process of being admitted to and staying active in the program. Consisting of around 200 people, it taught students how to become teachers and gave them the tools necessary to affect the lives of their future students. Those who entered the teacher education program chose from three different teaching licensures: early childhood, middle level or secondary level. Students dedicated most of their time to being a student teacher during the last semester of the program. Student teaching was the capstone of their education and a major part of licensure. The teacher education program classes were very thorough and prepared the students. Before student teaching, the students had to observe classes and pre-student teach. Senior Courtney Napierala completed her student teaching in the fall of 2008 at Central Arkansas Christian Pleasant Valley. “I feel really good about [the] Harding program compared [to] programs with other schools,” said Napierala. “I always feel a step ahead. It’s been great.” Senior Tiffany Allison, who did her student teaching in the spring of 2009, felt confident entering the classroom. “I feel very comfortable and am really ready to do it,” she said. “The classes I’ve had are very thorough, and the professors show [the] good, bad and ugly of teaching.” Napierala also felt outfitted for her student teaching. “I had lots of practice, and the classes prepared me,” she said. “We did lots of training on how to build your own curriculum and lesson plans and how [to] teach kids what they need to know according to state standards practice.” While the program left its students feeling equipped, they still faced challenges and pressures with the job. “I was definitely nervous about teaching because I’m in charge of the kids,” Napierala said. “What I teach them or don’t teach them is what they’re going to know and not know.” In addition to the preparation and experience, many students felt that one of the great things about Harding’s program was the faculty. “The teachers here are all very passionate about what they do,” Allison said. The teachers of the program also taught from a Christian point of view, which made a considerable difference to the students. “The teachers pushed meeting [the] needs of the child first,” Napierala said. “If you can’t meet their basic needs, they’re never going to learn.” The faculty of the teacher education program felt equally grateful for the chance to work with the students in the program. “I enjoy the relationship with the students,” Morgan said. “I enjoy seeing them grow from being a student into becoming a teacher. It’s a great transformation.” Christie Cronk In the Classroom Education program prepares students for future
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