Teacher Features

Showcasing Events of the Union College Education Program

To teach the Bible is one of the most sacred duties of a teacher. In a Seventh-day Adventist classroom, teachers have the privilege to open the truths and stories without hindrance or any type of prohibition. It is an opportunity to lead young lives to the feet of Jesus each and every day. We run the longest evangelistic series which starts every fall and ends 180 days later – an entire school year. Before a teacher can help students recognize and deal with tht truths and lessons of the Bible, they themselves must be consecrated and committed to those concepts and have a relationship with the Truth Giver. The work of a Seventh-day Adventist educator is one with eternal rewards.

The Bible Methods course is designed for elementary or secondary teachers to strengthen their walk with Christ, gain insigts on the importance of Bible lessons, develop Bible lessons that inform and inspire, search the Web for resources to enhance Bible lessons, develop a Unit of Study, and challenge them to lead their students to Christ.

This course can be ordered by requesting an application form from the Education Department at Union College.

Today is the end of the first week of summer school for the education professors. This summer we are offering the following courses for practicing teachers.

There are also two ESL courses for graduates and undergraduates toward an endorsement in ESL Education.

Week of June 4-8

EDUC 342 – Human Relations
EDUC 360 – General Elementary Methods
(and 10 specific endorsements)
EDUC 477 – Secondary Reading Methods

Week of June 11-15

ENGL 303 – Second Language Acquisition (undergraduate)
MATH 487-01 – Mathematical Connections for Elementary and Secondary Teachers

Week of June 18-22

EDUC 301 – ESL Teaching & Curriculum (undergraduate)
EDUC 355 – Secondary Methods

For more information about summer courses offered by the Education Program at Union College, contact us at humandev@ucollege.edu

Upon graduation from the Education Program at Union College, new teachers qualify for a Nebraska Department of Education Teacher’s Certificate, which allows them to teach in their endorsement area in the State of Nebraska and an SDA Certificate for the North American Division of the SDA church.

If a graduate takes a position in the public school system in another state, they must apply to the department of education in that state for a certificate since each state has their own Rules & Regulations. Most states expect that a graduate will obtain a certificate from the state in which they graduated. Therefore, each teacher who graduate with an Education degree from Union College is encouraged to apply during the last semester of teacher training.

For further information, visit the website of The Nebraska Department of Education and The Mid-America Union Conference Education Department

As part of the New Teacher Induction Plan, each new teacher is given the opportunity to fill out a survey that allows them to express how well prepared they were for their first year of teaching.

Surveys are sent both to the new teacher and to their supervisor. These surveys are carefully studied and many times changes are made in the program to enhance the effectiveness of it for future education majors.

Some of the best suggestions come from the new teachers who are experiencing the challenges and rewards of being new to the profession. Their fresh new outlook and input helps keep the program on the cutting edge.

The surveys were sent out during the last week of March enabling the teachers and supervisors enough time before the end of the semester to carefully and thoughtfully provide answers and suggestions.

As a part of the New Teacher’s Induction Plan at Union College, the professors from the Education Department visit the teachers in their new classrooms and meet the children. This visit is an encouragement and connection with graduates that helps maintain a strong interaction between alumni of the program and the college.

The professors work these visits into their schedules and take pictures to share.

Each Fall and Spring the Education faculty sets up a conference call for the New Teachers who are in their first year of teaching.

This conference call allows the new teachers to talk to the UC Education Faculty and each other, ask questions, tell about their experiences and find out where everyone else is teaching.

The new teachers who have called during previous conference calls, report that it is a very uplifting experience and they appreciate the opportunity to chat with each other.

The Spring 2007 conference call was scheduled for April 22, 2007 at 1:00 CDT. This allowed everyone from California at 11:00 PDT to Denver at 12:00 – to New York at 2:00 ADT to call in during the middle of the day and still have the afternoon to do their Sunday activities. Postcards, email and phone calls were sent to notify the New Teachers of 2007 what phone number to call.

This is part of the New Teacher Induction Plan that Union College does for their Education graduates.

During the first month of teaching, Union College Education graduates and their mentors receive a book from the Education Program at the college by the name of “101 Answers for New Teachers and Their Mentors”, by Annette Breaux and published by Eye On Education.

This book has pertinent information for the new teachers as they take charge of their own classroom full of students.

This is part of the first step in the New Teacher Induction Plan of the Education Program. It occurs after the teachers have been assigned a mentor by the principal or education superintendent in the conference or school district where they are teaching.

The mentoring program is essential to new teachers as they put together their lesson plans and begin teaching. A mentor can help a new teacher through things that they may not be prepared for by giving them advise and support.

The Education staff at Union College believes that the strong New Teacher Induction Plan is one reason that there is such a low drop out rate among their graduates.

Dr. David Smith, President of Union College was the speaker. He related experiences from his own student teaching assignment – reading excerps from the log he kept during his senior year as an education major. His talk was interesting, funny and very helpful to all in attendance.

Ron Russell, Director of Education and LouAnn Howard, Associate Director of Education for the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (MAUC), introduced the Education Superintendents and Principals who were in attendance.

Dr. Dennis Carlson spoke to the group about the importance of recruiting and supporting the schools throughout the conference and some tough choice that need to be made regarding those with low attendance.

Dr. Y.J. Moses was the emcee and intruduced Laura Duden, the President of the Education Club who, along with the officers of the club, Casey Prindle, VP, Kyle Gladding, Treasurer, Erica Clayburn, Secretary and Dr. Joseph Allison, Sponsor, planned and co-ordinated the evening’s program.

Dr. Moses, Kathy Bollinger and Joann Herrington, all professors in the education program at Union College presented each senior education student with the traditional bell.

The “Bell” program began many years ago and is a symbol of a “Teacher” and a reminder of their service to the children they will teach throughout their career.

Trent Russell and Elizabeth Kreiter did a tribute and thanks to the education professors with whom they have developed a close and important relationship throughout their 4 years at Union College.

In addition to the faculty, superintendents, principals and students, Dr. Marge Harouff from the Nebraska Department of Education and Dr. Kay Byers from the Lincoln Public Schools office enjoyed the program and social interaction before and after the delicious meal.