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Two students in the Teacher Education Program at Bluefield College recently completed a semester of on-the-job training as student teachers in local school systems.

Chris Shoemaker

June 29, 2010

Two students in the Teacher Education Program at Bluefield College recently completed a semester of on-the-job training as student teachers in local school systems.

	Future teachers Courtney Willard (above) and Kara Woodward (below).

Courtney Willard, a senior teacher education major from Archdale, North Carolina, and Kara Woodward, a senior teacher ed major from Bluefield, West Virginia, both spent the spring 2010 semester providing much needed assistance to local schools, while at the same time getting valuable practical experience as teachers in the classroom.

As part of the college’s mission to prepare innovative learners and transformational leaders through a liberal arts education, the student-teacher program offers BC teacher education majors vital on-the-job training as they prepare to become tomorrow’s teachers.

Often described as one of the most rewarding aspects of the teacher licensure program at Bluefield College, the student-teaching component provides “in the classroom” experiences for BC seniors, who work and learn alongside teachers who have been in an actual classroom setting for many years.

“It’s a valuable opportunity for students to practically apply various theories presented in the college classroom,” said Dr. Donna Watson, chair of BC’s Division of Education, which recently received national recognition through accreditation with the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).

Willard, the daughter of Randy and Cheri Willard of Archdale, taught at Graham Middle School and Graham High School, alongside mentors Linda Allen and Jo Ann Young. 

A graduate of Kerwin (NC) Baptist Christian School, Willard is vice president of BC’s Alpha Delta sorority and a member of the school’s Student Virginia Education Association (SVEA). A May 2010 graduate of Bluefield College, Willard plans on becoming a math teacher.

Woodward, the daughter of Tim and Judy Woodward of Bluefield, completed her student-teaching at Graham High School and Rocky Gap High School, under the instruction of Mike Lampert and Peggy Scott at Graham and Guy Boone and Margaret Harless at Rocky Gap.

A graduate of Graham High School, Woodward is a member of BC’s Alpha Chi National Honor Society, the school’s select voice ensemble, Variations, and SVEA. A May 2010 BC graduate, she plans on teaching history and social science.

Since 1977, Bluefield College has graduated highly qualified educators who serve as outstanding teachers and administrators in public and private schools in Virginia and across the nation. 

“Bluefield College is an excellent place for beginning teachers to explore the teaching world,” said alumna Bianca Adams, a Bluefield native and an eight-year veteran of the teaching profession who recently earned Teacher of the Year honors for Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina. “With great faculty and one-on-one, personalized attention, I grew in all aspects of my life. Bluefield prepared me for the types of obstacles and rewards I now encounter as a teacher.”

Also endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education and now joining the likes of Boston College, Michigan State University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Temple University, and The University of Virginia with TEAC accreditation, BC’s Teacher Education Program offers undergraduate programs for teacher licensure in elementary education, art, health and physical education, music, biology, business, chemistry, English, history, mathematics, and social sciences.

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