The question of what inspires someone to become a teacher drove the conversation between Guilford County School educators, pre-service teachers, and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein. Each shared their path to teaching during a roundtable at the UNC Greensboro School of Education (SOE). It was the same building these alumni and students visited daily while they earned their degrees.
Stein made the roundtable part of his visit on Sept. 8. He came to UNCG to promote the important contributions of educators in Guilford County.
“We bring a whole range of experiences to the work,” Stein told the panel’s audience, which included Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter and several UNCG trustees.
Sawyer Wemyss, in her second year as a middle grade mathematics major, was one of the three current students who represented SOE on the panel. She was grateful to talk about how UNCG built upon her high school goals. “What makes the Spartan Education Scholars so great is that you get into the classroom early,” Wemyss said. “You not only discover if it’s right for you, but you also start learning sooner and applying what you’re learning sooner, and you have a whole cohort of students who are learning with you.”
A conversation between teachers and aspiring teachers
Stein asked each panelist why they chose education and what motivates them when they stand at the front of their own classroom.
Wemyss told him about being part of the Teacher Cadet program in high school. Grady DuPree-Issac, a senior majoring in middle grades education, told UNCG’s visitors about growing up and watching the impact his mother made as a teacher.
“I saw the power of education,” he said. “It’s a pathway, it’s a tool, that if we can harness it, we as educators can transform students’ lives.”
Andrea Pelen, another senior majoring in elementary and special education, said teaching answers her call to service. All the opportunities afforded to her at UNCG have helped her build confidence. “I’ve gotten super close to our professors,” she said. “We have such important conversations from the classroom, and I get to learn so much from my peers.”
When Stein asked each of them how North Carolina can support aspiring teachers, Wemyss told him, “I want to make sure there are opportunities to grow in my profession. I may not see myself as a principal, but maybe a department head or district leader. I want to make sure there’s a space for me, to talk to legislators or to other teachers, to make sure I can grow.”
DuPree-Issac said one of the key messages he wanted to express was investment in good technology for classrooms. “My mom talks about all the time,” he said. “In the beginning, it was just reading and fundamental skills like reading and conversation. But it’s evolving, and if we don’t keep up with technology, we’re going to leave our students behind.”
School of Education leaders show off the resources at students’ disposal
Before the panel, Dean Morgan Chitiyo, Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., and Provost Alan Boyette took Stein on a tour of the SOE Building. They showed him the American Sign Language Lab and the Michel Family Teaching Resources Center. They stopped inside the SELF Design Studio, a makerspace where education students workshop ideas for hands-on activities that make learning come alive.
It was an honor for Chitiyo to show the governor the ways UNCG makes education innovative, exciting, and accessible to its students. Before he was named dean this spring, he served as interim dean and, prior to that, as professor and chair of the SOE’s Department of Specialized Education Services.
“It was a privilege to welcome Gov. Stein to UNCG and the School of Education,” said Chitiyo. “Preparing teachers is central to UNCG’s founding mission, and it remains a vital part of who we are today. Our graduates are well-prepared to make an immediate impact in the classroom thanks to the hands-on experience and high-level instruction they receive here.”
The Spartan students and alumni told the governor about the opportunities at UNCG that made their teaching careers possible. They talked about their mentors and experiences that shaped their philosophies of teaching.
Educators talk about classroom environments and needs
Joining the students were three current teachers. Jared Shelton, who earned a master of arts in teaching from UNCG, felt teaching was another way he can raise up new generations after serving in the Navy. Shelton echoed DuPree-Issac’s thoughts on how technology is changing the classroom environment. “We need to prepare kids for what tools they’re going to use,” he said. “That was part of my pull to be a teacher. I’ve been around and done a fair amount of career work. I’ve seen what they’re going into.’”
Berthelia Jackson brought another perspective of a mid-career change. She graduated from UNCG’s Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies. Becoming a teacher at Southeast Guilford Middle School felt like a natural progression from training colleagues over previous careers. She talked at length about creating a space where children want to learn. “For me, it’s about developing those relationships with those students, and developing them with respect,” Jackson said.
Stein thanked them all for their insights. He said, “We have to recruit talented people, who are spirited and who care, and we have to retain those who get into the profession. That’s what I hope our conversation is about. How do we get great people into our classroom. What sparked you, so that we can spark other people to become teachers.”
The chance to talk to educators from all walks of life meant a lot to Dela Cruz Pelen. “The main message that I want people to get from this is to appreciate teachers,” she said. “They do a lot of work. I’m learning that now, especially going into my final year at UNCG, that teacher appreciation is something that we as a society can do more of.”
Chitiyo said, “We appreciate the governor taking the time to hear from our students and graduates about what makes UNCG exceptional, their passion for teaching, and the future of education in North Carolina. Their voices and experiences underscore the critical role UNCG continues to play in preparing the educators our state needs.”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
