topic

Education

The Teacher Education Program

Prepare to succeed in front of a classroom

There’s a lot more to teaching than walking into a classroom and telling students a bunch of things you know and they don’t.  According to Anne Reeves, Ph.D., head of the university's Department of Education, becoming a good teacher requires intellectual preparation and all the work it takes to become a subject matter expert. In addition, teachers have to master communication skills and the ability to reach different kinds of people and different kinds of learners. Add to that the complexities you get in any job—changing requirements, shifting resources and demanding stakeholders—and it soon becomes clear that education majors are going to be challenged.

Students in Susquehanna's education programs are making the grade. They have very high placement rates after graduation because of the training they receive. They benefit from faculty advising and mentoring that begins as soon as they arrive here and continues right up to the weekly classroom visits faculty make when student teachers are in classrooms practicing their new craft.

Every teacher lives for that moment when he or she sees the light go on in a student’s eyes, when excitement and imagination catch hold.  According to Reeves, the education faculty experiences something similar when they watch a SU student teacher succeed in front of a classroom. “Everyone makes mistakes, of course, and that’s part of the learning process. Until you’re in that situation, with all the responsibility and all the things you have to track and manage, you can’t know how difficult it is to be a good teacher.  I’m just thrilled when I see it all come together.  I’m a parent, and I’d entrust my own kids to our SU teachers. They’re going out there to be positive influences on hundreds and hundreds of lives, and that’s pretty great.”

Connections:

• Preprofessional Programs Your pathway to a profession »
• Career Preparation Make your mark in the world »