New Rochelle, NY – Monroe College will be giving a group of high school students an opportunity this summer to discover if they have the passion, as well as the patience, perseverance and point-of-view that it will take to succeed as teachers in a high-needs pre-school setting. In a partnership with Hartsdale, NY-based Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers (TSTT), Monroe is hosting a five-day, in-residence “Young Leaders” program at its New Rochelle campus, July 9th through the 13th.
The ten participants, all on scholarship from Monroe, were nominated by TSTT and attend high schools throughout Westchester and Rockland Counties and New York City. They will receive approximately 25-hours of class instruction including a panel presentation by public school and BOCES educators and administrators. Monroe College professors and administrators will be lecturing and conducting interactive workshops on The Importance of Writing, “Kreativity”, academic research, content integration, and career planning.
“This program is designed to help high school students think critically about a career as an early childhood educator or administrator in a high-needs environment,” said Dr. Josephine Nelson Moffett, dean of Monroe’s School of Education. “Students who are accepted in to our Baccalaureate degree program are trained to teach or administer in an environment that is far from privileged. We especially welcome applicants with a personal background of learning and, oftentimes, growing up in a very challenging environment. They are most likely to be empathetic to the high-needs child and wanting to make a difference in their young lives.”
Monroe teamed up with the not-for-profit TSTT because the organization’s objectives closely reflect the focus of Monroe’s Early Childhood Education curriculum and philosophy. “Our mission is to recruit, mentor and train culturally diverse and economically challenged students from high school through college and place them as teachers and leaders who strengthen the classrooms in the communities from which they came,” explained Dr. Bettye H. Perkins, founder and CEO of TSTT. “The high school students who attend our program participate in career development information sessions, teaching with technology conferences, job shadowing and tutor training, and other programs designed to encourage careers as educators. Since our founding in 1994, we have spawned the careers of more than 100 TSTT program graduates who now work as teachers in high-needs school environments.”
Despite teacher cutbacks in school districts around the country and the push for more teacher accountability and ratings, resulting in less job security, Moffett remains bullish on a career in education. “When I decided to pursue a degree in education teaching jobs were scarce. By the time I graduated, I had my choice of jobs, plus I got my Master’s degree tuition paid. As in other professions, job opportunities in education are cyclical.” She said she foresees an increasing demand for pre-school teachers professionally educated to work in high-needs environments.
To learn more about admission to Monroe’s Early Childhood Education program, contact Dr. Moffett at 1-800-55-MONROE or via e-mail at jmoffett@monroecollege.edu.
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