Recruitment, Retention
and Professional Development
Voices from the Field
Meet Mollie McAllister
Meet Brandon Cook
Meet Kyra Seaver
Meet Stephanie Wallace
Meet Jennifer Hardin
UNCG Graduate, 2006
BS in Education
Secondary Subject-Area Licensure in Studio Art
3rd Grade Teacher, Brooklyn, NY 2006-2008
Graduate Student, Teachers College Columbia University
UNCG Voices from the Field- October 2008
A UNCG Elementary Education Graduate Tells About Her Teaching Experience with the New York Public Schools
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UNCG Graduate, 2004
BS in Education
Secondary Subject-Area Licensure in English
Teaching English I Academic and Honors (9th grade)
Yearbook I and II (10th-12th grades)
Coach Boys Basketball
FCA/FCS adviser
East Surry High School, Pilot Mountain, NC
UNCG Voices from the Field- October 2008
Brandon Cook Shares the Benefit of Teaching and Coaching at a High School in His Hometown of Surry County
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UNCG Graduate, 1992, BS Elementary Education
Guilford County Schools
Teacher Cadet Teacher
Page High School and Western Guilford High School
I am the Teacher Cadet Teacher at Western Guilford High School and Page High School. It is an honor to be an integral part of such an outstanding program and at two of the finest High Schools in Guilford County. I love my profession because I have the grand opportunity to provide my Cadets with "hands on" experience in education.
Kyra Seaver is pictured between
Debbie Johns and Stephanie Wallace.
The North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program is designed to introduce our Teacher Cadets to the field of education through fun and informative lessons, projects, fieldwork experience, and class seminars.
At Western and Page we are proud to offer a rich curriculum that will hopefully enlighten our students about the JOY of Teaching. This course is designed for High School Juniors and Seniors who are interested in the field of education (whether the students decide to become a teacher or not) and have followed the College University Preparatory Curriculum. As a Teacher Cadet Teacher I always look forward and welcome interested students who have the desire and passion to learn more about Teaching as a Profession.
Mrs. Ginger Parnell, the Director of Recruitment, Retention and Professional Development for the School of Education at UNCG developed a Teacher Cadet/College Partnership with both Western and Page along with other GCS High Schools. This partnership was designed to enhance our curriculum and provide insight about teaching as a profession. This partnership enables out Teacher Cadets to engage in class seminars with College Professors, Campus Events such as the Children's Festival, Be Inspired! A Teacher's Story, Senior Day, Team Quest, and of course our wonderful Speakers Bureau.
Every highlight - every experience - and every field trip these students are afforded bring them one step closer to the rewards of teaching. "Teaching is the Profession that creates all others." I truly wish for each and every student who experience this program realize what a difference they have made in the life of a child. My goal is to see these bright, young talented students return to Guilford County Schools and TEACH!
Stephanie Wallace pictured with
East Forsyth High School students
UNCG Graduate, 2000, BS in Education, Secondary Subject-Area Licensure in English
NC Teaching Fellow
National Board Certified Teacher
East Forsyth High School
English Department
FCAE Executive Board
NC Teacher Cadet Cadre
Teaching. Wow. I am always dismayed when asked, “Why do you teach?” because I cannot sum up within the limits of the English language all the reasons why I walk into that classroom everyday. I teach because I love to impart knowledge to open, malleable minds. I teach high school because I love the quick wit and challenging spirits of teens. I teach English because I love the language, both in written and spoken forms. These are the reasons most people who pose that question expect to hear. See, most posing that question really mean, “I know you get your summer off, but really -why in the world do you subject yourself to other people’s children all day in a system about which everyone complains?” No, not what was said, but usually what the tone of voice indicates and these answers satisfy that curiosity. Let me really tell you why.
I teach because students enter my door everyday for whom I will be the only positive influence. Natasha comes in to bring me flowers and sing to me because in her ten years of running track I am the only person who came to specifically watch her run. I teach because everyday students enter my room seeking solitude in the chaos. Nick makes me cry in front of the class when he announces they should listen because I listen to them – and that’s why he didn’t drop out. I teach because students need a constant in their ever-changing worlds. Jeremy and Meredith hang out in my room after school to work on homework because I let them talk about their parents’ divorces without passing judgment.
Yes, I love Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Wiesel, but they have already found their way in life. I have the opportunity everyday to help mold students into responsible, caring, well-educated members and leaders of the society in which my own children will grow. Yes, people complain about low test scores, non-existent funding, drop outs, and illiteracy. I teach because I am part of the solution.
Teaching Fellow 2000-2004
UNCG Graduate, 2004, BS in Middle Grades Social Studies and Math
Guilford Middle School, 7th grade math teacher
2005 Guilford County Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year
UNCG Graduate, 2006, M.Ed. in Middle Grades Mathematics
UNCG SOE Early Career Award 2006
SOE Master Teacher in Residence 2008-2009
Normally, I am a 7th grade math teacher at Guilford Middle School in Greensboro. Most people question why in the world I would work with middle schoolers. The answer; because no one else wants to. That was the sole reason I decided to be a middle grades major in college. I wanted to be part of something challenging and meaningful. I had no idea just how challenging and meaningful my journey as a teacher was really going to be.
Jennifer Hardin
It is challenging because most students walk into a math classroom already hating the subject area. I want to change that. I want them to love their math classroom and to feel successful in their work. I absolutely love the time that I get to spend with my students getting to know them and their interests. It is challenging because I never do the same thing from year to year, because my students are different than those that I previously had. I love being possibly one of the few people in their lives that genuinely invests in them. My job is meaningful because I never feel like it is a job. I often wonder how it can be a job if I absolutely love what I do and I get to hang out with students all day long.
This school year, I am working at UNCG on a one year appointment with the School of Education. Even as I am at UNCG during the day, I can’t stay away from my school. I continue to be the faculty sponsor for our campus life club and the coach of both the girls and boys soccer teams. Although I am learning a great deal and I am getting the opportunity to get others excited about being a teacher, I miss the classroom. I miss my 7th graders, but I am thankful that I miss them. It is in the longing to be in the classroom that I realize how important it is to me to be able to be someone who makes school and learning enjoyable. I love what I do—I am a teacher.