College of Education students getting hands-on urban education experience through student teaching

Fort Worth, TX

4/26/2010

By: Allison Bailiff, Schieffer School of Journalism

“Student teaching is focused on helping future teachers work in urban settings because that’s where their first jobs may be,” said Dr. Cecilia Silva, TCU College of Education professor.

Through the years the faculty has dedicated various programs to the undergraduate curriculum to further this cause. The College of Education has a Center for Urban Education on campus. All students who go through the education program take courses that incorporate English as a Second Language (ESL), special education and bilingual education.

Urban schools are defined by lower socioeconomic backgrounds, children in transition, and the lack of physical resources. According to The TCU Center for Urban Education website, these schools have a disproportionate number of students in urban schools that are “low achieving, experience discipline problems, and have high absentee and school completion.”

The College of Education introduces their students to the classroom setting in their freshman year. The students are not immersed in a classroom as full-time student teachers until their second semester senior year.

TCU senior and student teacher Annie Beré shared her experience of working in the classroom. Beré said “the kids have taught me how easy it is to genuinely care for the needs of others. Every kid in the class has different needs. Part of being a good teacher is being able to recognize the different learning techniques and differentiate instruction so that everyone in the class can benefit.”

Dr. Silva also stated that the importance of urban development is not only where graduating seniors first jobs will be, but that these are the areas that need strong educators. Silva said, “Part of our [faculty] work is to teach students how to work with the children they will be teaching.”

As a College of Education student, Beré said she thought she was fully prepared to be a teacher until she began student teaching this spring.

“I feel that you have no idea what it means to be a teacher until you are in a classroom teaching the entire day. I thought I knew, but I had no idea until I was in there doing it all by myself. Now I feel completely prepared. This experience is by far what has prepared me the most,” Beré said.

The College of Education develops the skills future teachers need to be a successful teacher and they promote hands-on experience to develop these skills. The goal is for graduating seniors to leave TCU prepared to educate the students of tomorrow. The mission statement of the College of Education is to develop effective, ethical educators with a passion for learning.