CAPS Teacher Education Off to a Great Start!!

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CAPS Teacher Education provides a transformational environment in which education is studied as a career, as a concept, and as a vehicle for change in the future.  Besides learning attributes of quality teaching and learning environments, students participate in regular collaborative project sessions and plan events outside of the CAPS environment.

Congratulations to Ms. Hannah Spencer, CAPS Teacher Education alumni and current student at the University of Kansas who has been named the recipient of the CAPS 2019 LULA Entrepreneurship Scholarship.  The Lula CAPS Entrepreneurship scholarship is exclusive to students who have successfully completed a CAPS program. Applicants provided transcripts, letter of completion from their CAPS program, resume, and an essay on the topic, “How did the CAPS program help you?

·       Students were also to be enrolled at any 2-year or 4-year university in the Fall of 2019.

  

During the week of September 2, the CAPS Teacher Education students visited Harmony Elementary to view their progressive and flexible physical environment and to discuss how the environment impacts learning and teaching.  They also spent a day at Stanley Elementary, reading to students ranging in age from Kindergarten to fifth grade for National Read a Book Day. 

During the week of September 9, the CAPS Teacher Education students are beginning their “duty assignments” at district elementary schools and soon will be traveling to their “teaching assignments” as well.  For duty assignments, the students travel to one elementary in the distric to help with education activities and responsibilities.  Many assist with car duty, lunch duty, or classroom duties.

On October 9 and 10, Teacher Ed students and Dr. Fry will travel to Pittsburg State University to present to practicing teachers at the Greenbush Teachers Technology Conference.  The student-created presentation will be interactive and is entitled Teachers in Paradise:  A Second Chance for Innovation in Learning.  Students will be presenting twice each day to an audience of teachers and administrators from many Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma school districts.

On November 6, the students will be assisting with hosting the Educators Rising Northeastern Regional Conference at MidAmerica Nazarene University.  Students from Blue Valley CAPS Teacher Education and Olathe’s 21^st Century Future Teacher Academy have worked behind the scenes of the conference to develop theme, branding, web resources, programs, signage, and programming.  In addition, student will be presenting their conference presentation to high school students from across northeast Kansas and will also take part in competitions during the day.  These events will lead up to the Educators Rising state conference to be held at Emporia State University in February.  The logo for the conference was designed by CAPS Digital Design student Chloe Kuckelman.

CAPS Teacher Education already has many projects under way:

·      POZIKC will be selling manipulative dough again this year as a part of our CAPS Teacher Education student-run company, in conjunction with EdCorps and Real World Scholars. 

·      A plan is in the works to assist with curriculum development for autism-awareness puppet presentations for children in conjunction with ChaseKC

·      Dr. Shivers, Director of Elementary Education, Manhattan KS schools and CAPS Teacher Education students will again collaborate to build a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,Math) lesson to be taught to Manhattan 5^th graders virtually by our Teacher Education students.  This year, we will be incorporating alumni who are students in the Teacher Education program at Kansas State University.

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CAPS Teacher Education students will be involved in a research study conducted by LeanLab EDU and Indigo Project.  The study will survey students from various strands at CAPS who will take the Indigo personal assessment to measure

career readiness, self-confidence, and personal direction.  A group of CAPS students will take a 5-hour online course to determine if the content helps to better the students’ career focus, self-awareness, and personal direction.  The study will take place over the Fall semester.

·      CAPS Teacher Education student ambassadors will assist in forming an Educators Rising Club at each of our high schools for students 9-12.  This club’s purpose will be to promote the profession of teaching and to get students involved in educational activities and collaborating with educators and administrators across the district’s schools.  The clubs will be beginning initial activities during September.  http://tinyurl.com/bvedrising

We are excited about what the year will bring to our students and the start of a possible career in education!  Follow us on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/wevegotclass

In "The Changing Face of Teaching," an article in the May 2018 edition of Educational Leadership, authors Ingersoll, Merrill, and Daniel Stuckey present six trends that greatly affect the demographics of teachers today.  Trend 1 Ballooning discusses the increase in teacher hires brought on by smaller elementary class sizes as well as securing teachers in specialized areas which could cause districts financial issues.  Trend 2, Graying, and Trend 3, Greening, discuss both the increase in older teachers retiring and younger teachers entering the workforce.  With both, the trend has seen a downward spiral of teaching experience placed before our students.  The other two trends deal with diversity.  If the trend of teaching as a more female-dominated profession continues, 80% of the teaching force could be female in the near future...not good for elementary students who need male role models. And, in terms of diversity, while there are still many more minority students that minority teachers, there has been more of an increase of minority teachers than white, non-hispanic teachers in the last few years.  All in all, the demographics of the teaching profession are rapidly changing, and this needs to be at the forefront of organizational and hiring practices.