College of Education

One in four Arizona classrooms need a teacher, and the pandemic made it worse. GCU has launched an initiative to help certify more teachers, called Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach, an alternative route to licensure. The program kicked off with hits first cohort in late December and already is having success.

Dr. Leslie Foley, Associate Professor in the College of Education, shares her love of literacy with her students and takes special joy when they have a breakthrough moment — she says she can see in her mind the light bulbs going on above their heads. Growing up, she pictured herself filling an important role in a much different profession.

Photos by Elizabeth Tinajero GCU News Bureau Graduates of the Colleges of Education, Fine Arts and Production, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Theology were honored Saturday morning at GCU Arena.   

Students expressed gratitude for GCU’s willingness to stage an in-person Commencement ceremony Saturday. They were further impressed by President Brian Mueller’s announcement that the University wants to hire them if they need a job. “I think it just demonstrates the heart that he has and GCU has for their students,” Elementary Education graduate Jade Lander said.

“I can’t even put into words the impact this will have for some of our families,” Westwood Elementary School Assistant Principal Paige Bodam said at Wednesday’s USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program distribution. It was the second of two distribution events to families in need hosted by GCU and CityServe, which partnered to deliver more than 2,000 food boxes prepared by Shamrock Farms.

Lopes Teach Up Week featured speakers and activities advocating for the profession, but the virtual event last week also served as a boost for students going into education. One student told Assistant Professor Katy Long why it came along at the perfect time.

The road to college for many students begins with Thunder Vision, a GCU student-led program designed to create a culture of college-goers. Attendees visit the campus and learn what it takes to prepare for college, from applying for scholarships to the importance of maintaining a strong GPA. But like so many other initiatives during the pandemic, Thunder Vision has gone virtual, complete with online tours and an online curriculum.

It was a scary time and place for GCU graduate Rashida Thomas. She was student teaching in China when the pandemic broke. Alone and scared, she endured with prayer and a loving community there before getting back to the U.S. Now, she’s returning to China as a college graduate, closing a circle broken by a virus.

When GCU’s College of Education makes a hire, it goes all in. In fact, its new adjunct professor — the one who gave a shout-out to GCU on social media last week after being hired — popularized those two motivational words. Gian Paul Gonzalez is the New York Giants team chaplain, and here’s how he’s bringing his passionate “all in” style to students.

Just across the freeway from GCU, a little school has grown from 75 students to 875 in just eight years. Empower College Prep has a mission to help students find purpose and do good in the world. Sound familiar? GCU teachers and staff and President Brian Mueller have played a part in mentoring, staffing and forming educational alliances with the charter school.