DePauw students and alumni now have extra encouragement to improve the education system.
Beginning in the fall of 2012, student and alumni in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have the opportunity to participate in the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship.
According to the program's website, teachingfellowship.org, the fellowship "seeks to recruit, prepare and retain effective teachers for the students and schools who need them most." Those accepted into the fellowship will receive a stipend of $30,000 to complete a specially designed master's program.
In return, the fellowship member must then commit to teaching for three years at a high-need, low-income secondary school. DePauw and the secondary school where they will teach will mentor fellows during the three year period.
Currently, three DePauw alumni are involved with the program. Laura Cummings ‘89 is now teaching ninth grade chemistry at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School. Andrew Bever ‘08 teaches Integrated Chemistry and Physics, Physics and AP Physics at Logansport High School. And Kaley Robbins ‘10 is now teaching ninth grade Algebra I at Pike High School.
Cummings first read about the program in a newspaper article.
"I've always known I wanted to teach and this was the right time for it," Cummings said.
Cummings calls the program an "extremely challenging, but phenomenal experience," and said she "would do it again in a heartbeat."
"You don't know what goes into teaching until you have your own class," Cummings said. "Teaching is not just giving a presentation. It's creating a community of learners."
Cummings added that she is "always learning."
Despite the challenges of teaching, Cummings calls the profession and the program "very rewarding." She credits this fulfillment to getting to see her students' personal growth.
"I spend 50 percent of the time teaching chemistry and 50 percent of the time helping kids mature," Cummings said.
Before the program, Bever worked a summer camp for kids suffering from diabetes. There, he realized just how much he loved working with kids. And for the first time, he really began to consider teaching. Soon after, Bever discovered the fellowship.
Bever praises the program, calling it "very gracious." With an undergraduate degree in physics, Bever went into the program with no teaching experience. At Purdue University, where Bever received his masters, he gained all teaching knowledge he needed. He even credits the program for his current job. Bever states this is due to the program's "well drawn curriculum plans" and the very helpful and experienced individuals in charge of the program.
In addition to gaining knowledge and experience, Bever gained a community that prepared him for the classroom environment. Bever said that was important, because "in the end, the only thing that will matter is people."