NACCTEP Now

In this episode we meet Dr. Andrianna Smyrniotis who was able to adapt Illinois Central College's stackable early childhood certificates and degree program during the pandemic both through having a Children's Center on campus to use as a learning lab as well as through The Tank's Remote Field Experiences: Observations and Videos on the ACCESS website - www.accessece.org. You can contact ACCESS at [email protected] Illinois Central College has three levels to their early childhood program, a Basic certificate which is their most popular program, an Advanced certificate which builds on the Basic certificate, and an Associate of Applied Science which builds on the Advanced certificate and is transferable to Bachelor degree programs in the state. Her wish is that all college and university programs align their educator preparation to NAEYC's Power to the Profession or something similar.

Dr. Smyrniotis recommends a couple of books for educators. The first is by Alfie Kohn, Punished by Rewards: The trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes which speaks to how teachers can improve their classroom skills and reactions. The second book is a guide to help educators take care of themselves which is such a critical thing to continuing to be a quality educator, Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators by Julie Nicholson, Priya Driscoll, Julie Kurtz, Domenica Marquez, and LaWanda Wesley.

In this episode of Voices from the Field we meet Melissa Rees who led the charge to create coursework for educators on autism. The coursework she created and that is taught through a partnership with ACES for Autism provides current and future educators with the hours of instruction and experience to qualify for the National Behavioral Specialist exam to become an certified technician. The curriculum is also available as a 16-hour certificate for existing educators.

Ms. Rees also discusses the book American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins about an immigrant family from Mexico and the struggles that they and their children experience. She recommends this book as a good source for educators, both in the P-12 and the higher education realms, to better understand their students. 

In this episode we hear from Dr. Erin Crisp, Executive Director of the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center for the University of Tennessee system.  The recently formed center works with the first apprenticeship program approved by the US Department of Education in response to the teacher shortage in Tennessee.  Dr. Crisp discusses the three key stakeholders the center interacts with across 141 school districts and 9 educator preparation programs in the state's 95 counties.  Building on a history of 65 localized grow your own programs in the state, the center seeks to mitigate and strengthen the partnerships between the EPPs and districts to streamline the pathway for potential teachers to enter the classroom as confident, successful educators.

For anyone interested in learning more about the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center for the University of Tennessee System please visit GrowYourOwn.tennessee.edu or contact the center via email at [email protected].  Dr. Erin Crisp can be reached via email at [email protected]. 

In this episode from our Voices in the Field series we hear from Julie Powers, Department Chair of Social Sciences and Program Coordinator for Early Childhood Education at the University of Hawai'i - Maui College.  She discusses some of the challenges unique to teacher preparation in the Hawaiian islands as well as innovations that were born out of the pandemic.  She also extends an invitation for listeners to consider working in the University of Hawai'i system.

Dr. Allison Landy, an Associate Dean for Educator Preparation at Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, Arizona discusses not only the challenges and innovations born of the pandemic, but also the ever-present challenges of working with a student population in the remote areas of the Four Corners tribal lands.  Dr. Landy also expounds on the importance of working with tribal and indigenous students, especially in the early childhood education realm.  She also shares her wish for teachers to be leaders who are unafraid to speak up when faced with bad policies or practices.

Meet Heather Merrill, a Residential Faculty member and  Assistant Chair of Social Sciences Leading the Teacher Education Program at Glendale Community College in the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona. Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is one of the nation's largest community college systems, with 10 regionally accredited colleges across Maricopa County serving over 100,000 students each year. The district received accreditation approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Special Education, which will be the first community college in the state. Heather has been an integral part of the development of the Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, and Special Education which includes three of colleges; Glendale, Paradise Valley, and Rio Salado College. Listen to the following NACCTEP Now Podcast to hear more about how Heather is positively impacting the teacher shortage. 

Join NACCTEP's Executive Director, Julie Ferin as she speaks with Emma McCallie, a Senior Director in the Grow Your Own Tennessee Department of Education. The Tennessee Department of Education is the first state in the country to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own Model between local K-12 school districts and Educator Preparation Programs. Listen to Emma describe how the Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship program came to be, and the struggles, triumphs, and takeaways that have positively impacted their teacher shortages. 

NACCTEP held a Spring panel discussion with four Educational Professionals about what new practices (post-Covid) have proven to be beneficial and positively impacted their current work in preparing quality teachers. Come hear from a professor from Community College of Baltimore County, Theresa Robinson to see what updates she shares from her college. 

NACCTEP held a Spring panel discussion with four Educational Professionals about what new practices (post-Covid) have proven to be beneficial and positively impacted their current work in preparing quality teachers. Come hear from Dr. Lewis "Andrea" Brownlee, South Mountain Community College, Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona to see what updates he has since the spring panel discussion. 

Meet NACCTEP's new Education Partner, Hand2Mind who is committed to supporting teachers, inspiring students, and engaging parents through learning by doing.  Listeners will learn about the tools and resources that Hand2Mind offers, and hear about current initiatives, videos, webinars, and lessons. Check out their high-quality resources at https://www.hand2mind.com.