Dr. Kimberly LaPrade

College of Education students from Grand Canyon University are taking advantage of an innovative pre-service resident teaching program that enables them to create and implement lesson plans and work directly with students on an accelerated basis. These benefits are evident at Westwood Elementary, where GCU students are putting educational theory into practice.

GCU’s Academic Excellence Site (AES) partnership with Westwood Elementary is multi-faceted, from a pre-service resident teaching program to the Learning Lounge, Canyon Professional Development, Leadership Coaching and Parent View. Among the many positive results: Westwood students are building skills, gaining momentum and developing a vision for higher education.

Four flights and a four-hour taxi ride, covering more than 9,000 miles to reach her student-teaching assignment, proved to be a minor inconvenience for Ashley Olander, whose desire to experience a different culture led her to a remote mountaintop in southern India where she led seventh grade physical education classes. Olander is one of nine Grand Canyon University students who have embraced international student-teaching. “It is a beautiful opportunity to learn about our world, but most importantly that they see God’s hand at work in our children, no matter if it is in a classroom in America or India or Japan,” said Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, Dean of the College of Education.

What makes a great teacher? It starts with a great education, and Aimee Frank, Victoria Monk and Jessica Gajewski all spoke highly of their experience at Grand Canyon University. They were three of the College of Education graduates Friday in winter commencement.

The December 2018 graduates of the College of Education celebrated the end of their student-teaching experiences on Monday night, reflected on what they learned and expressed their appreciation for the COE faculty who thoroughly prepared them to teach. “I knew teachers did a lot and I knew how much I loved and appreciated them, but you don’t really, truly understand how much you love teachers until you have to be in the position to teach,’’ said elementary education aspiring teacher Sarah Schalick.

It was a serendipitous moment when Jerry Colangelo dialed Nathan Johnson’s number, granting his wish for $5,000 in physical education equipment for his students at Westwood Elementary. Colangelo is connected to GCU as a benefactor whose name graces the Colangelo College of Business, and Johnson is a GCU alumnus. The Lopes were also involved in the Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers initiative as sponsors and as wish granters, and Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, the Dean of the College of Education, selected the names of three lucky teachers from the large red plastic apple.