teachers

It’s as if recent GCU graduate Weylin Pada was back at college. He watched Claire Lee’s class lesson and immediately could recall the professor who used that teaching method. Pada recently joined Lee and several other Lopes who work at neighboring Empower College Prep and have benefited from the deepening partnership with the school, which shares similar values with GCU.

Glenda Moton had her own fears as a teacher last year but wondered why no one was focusing on the kids’ anxiety during the pandemic. The GCU alum helped her Miami, Florida, students express themselves with writing, which recently became a book, “Hopes and Fears: Learning Academically in a COVID-19 Environment.” She’s earned a lot of media attention for the project in south Florida as the school year ended, but she isn’t stopping there. Next up is a curriculum guide for teachers on how to help students with writing and meditation. Moton is an example of College of Education products across the country who stepped up in a big way in a trying year.

Student Ellie Everitt needed practicum hours toward her education degree but was worried that area schools switching to online instruction during the pandemic wouldn’t need student teachers. Her problem was solved by Assistant Professor Katy Long and a host of other College of Education faculty who worked magic in helping land 513 placements in schools for GCU students so far this academic year.

To say the new Assistant Dean in the College of Education is driven may be an understatement. Emily Pottinger has taken on the leadership role while producing an education podcast, studying for her doctorate and preparing for the birth of her second child. Part of her drive comes from wanting to train teachers to love and care for students — a positive education she wants for her own children one day.

There’s a national teacher shortage, a numbers problem GCU is helping address. GCU’s K12 Educational Development hopes its webinar training on teacher certification tests adds up to a solution. Wednesday’s training was the first virtual session on a subject tough to so many across the country trying to pass the certification — math.

Hundreds of College of Education students attended commencement Saturday afternoon to accept degrees that for them mean far more than a paycheck. Their degrees let them make the world a better place one child at a time. “It’s up to us to put in their minds positive thoughts. I want to be part of that,” said Leleatha Mitchell. “Each one, teach one.”