Across the United States, schools are feeling an impact from the teacher shortage. As a post-secondary institution which provides a bachelor’s in education, professors at Mount Marty University receive inquiries about their students often to help fill the need, but this latest inquiry was a little more unique.
Director of Graduate Teacher Education and Professor, Deborah McCuin, Ph.D., recounted the day she received a call from Chris Stein, the principal of Alliance High School in Alliance, Neb. Stein was being proactive with the teacher shortage and inquiring about a graduating engaged couple after hearing from a previous alumni that they would be graduating in May 2024 with their bachelor’s degrees in education. The school has been making strides, and “There’s just a lot of momentum to have this great stuff continue,” said McCuin. “And so, he’s searching for a couple of students who could come as new graduates.” These graduates were Noah Cagle and Kiah Trainor.
The couple mentioned from the first interview that they had a good feeling about Alliance. They felt that the administration was not only invested in choosing the correct teachers for their students, but also for their community. Trainor explained, “I also felt comfortable being myself and who I would be as a teacher.” The couple proceeded through the hiring process and decided to accept the offer with Alliance High School where Cagle plans to teach history and Trainor will teach English and journalism. “We are excited to be starting at Alliance as they change and grow and to become a part of a school system with so much hope and ambition for the future and their kids.”
During this time, McCuin was encouraging her senior education students to attend the South Dakota Teacher Career Fair. It was at the fair that another graduating education couple met Stein: Heston ’24 and Andrea Williams ’24. The couple was impressed by their conversation with Stein and the opportunity to live in a rural community. Through the interview process, Heston Williams would accept a head softball coach position and teach physical education and health at Alliance High School, while Andrea Williams would find a home in Alliance Grandview Elementary school teaching fifth grade students.
“We are really excited for all four to come and experience something a little different,” explained Stein. “Young people have young people energy, and that is what we have been looking for. We want new ideas and people that aren’t afraid to try new things.”
Each couple felt they were well prepared to enter their first year of teaching. Trainor said, “They gave us every opportunity to be in local classrooms and chances to get comfortable as a leader of a classroom rather than just a learner.” McCuin mentioned Mount Marty students are taught all their methods courses their junior year so they can proceed into their fall student teaching prepared. This is not found at every post-secondary institution. Andrea Williams explained her experience with the education program similarly but added that, “By the time the job search came around, I felt extremely prepared and confident in my teaching abilities. Our senior seminar class with Dr. Debbi was also very helpful as it involved resume making, mock interviews and a lot of self-reflection.”
McCuin teaches a seminar class for senior education majors where they look at professionalism, short and long-term goals, case studies about real life scenarios and interview skills. She also educates the students on what resources are available to them their first year of teaching, including all the education professors at Mount Marty. Cagle said, “The Mount Marty University Education department as a whole is a great resource to use during my first year of teaching. They understand that as a first year teacher that I am going to need support from mentors and professors that understand what we are going through. But they also understand that there are times where we must be able to figure out solutions to possible problems on our own whether it is curriculum or classroom management.”
Stein also understands the trials that may come with being a first year teacher, and as an institution, “we plan to pay attention and make sure our new hires get on the right foot to be successful.”
Something else that is specific to Mount Marty graduates is the impact of the core values which are guiding each of these couples. Cagle, Trainor, and the Williamses remarked the importance of life-long learning not only with their students but also with themselves. Heston Williams said, “Lifelong learning is a big thing in this career. We have to constantly be searching for a way to be better for ourselves, our students, and the school.”
He went on to explain the importance of another core value that helped his wife and him decide to say yes to Alliance. “Community was a huge factor in the job hunting process. My wife and I wanted to find a community to work and live in that was welcoming and supportive. We wanted a place that we felt like we fit right in and that we would be happy to raise our daughter in. I believe we found that in Alliance.”