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Mission The mission of the Center for Teacher Education is to assist students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in becoming excellent teachers and leaders in the field of education by coordinating teacher education information, advising, programs, resources, and support services within the College and by making connections with the community, schools, and universities. Vision The Center for Teacher Education will be a recognized pathway to teaching careers in the greater Richmond area and a national leader in teacher education by offering exemplary educational opportunities to current and prospective teachers and paraprofessionals. Programs and Activities Pre-Teacher Education Early Childhood Development Licensure Renewal Paraprofessional Education VCCS Career Switcher Program PRAXIS Information Student Virginia Education Association (SVEA) Club Non-Credit Courses for Teachers and Paraprofessionals Scholarship Information Advising Information Teacher Education Advisors Special Projects In The News
Teachers take to
the streets
Wednesday, Jun 25,
2008 - 12:08 AM Updated: 07:27 AM TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER You don't have to look far to find a better way to teach. Out the door and around the block can be far enough. That's the lesson a group of 26 teachers from Richmond, Henrico and Petersburg are learning this week during the second Urban Teachers Institute. The weeklong program, run by the Center for Teacher Education at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, combines a hands-on approach to learning life as students know it with intensive study in math and science. "You got to know the community to know your students," said Harriet Morrison, director of the Center for Teacher Education. "As good as a teacher is, if they don't know something about their students, they won't be successful." Morrison, who led yesterday's workshop participants on a tour of two Richmond neighborhoods, said learning can be as simple as taking a walk in the neighborhood where you teach. But for teachers who don't live near their schools, that step can have a huge impact. "I don't know how you can engage students without knowing something about them," Morrison said. The tours yesterday offered stark contrasts. The group began with a relatively peaceful stroll around Thompson Middle School. Walking down the tree-lined stretch of Forest Hill Avenue around the school, the teachers encountered few people. A little later, the group set off from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School for a walk into neighboring Mosby Court. The vibrant life of that area was on full display, from the camera-shy clerk at Market Place #14 -- he chased out a teacher who took a picture -- to the familiar hiss of a beverage can being popped open in a park a couple of blocks away. In between, children played in yards, teens strolled the streets and a scattering of more mature residents waved from porches. "It's been very interesting," said Leslie Hayes, who has spent the past 10 of her 18 years as a science teacher at Richmond's Chandler Middle School. "When you get out and actually walk in their shoes, you see different things." Sandra Taylor, who has taught science at Thompson Middle School for seven years, said, "It's a good way to bring things closer to home." Taylor will have the chance to prove her point next school year when she'll be asked to put into use a lesson plan based on her experiences this week. When that time comes, Morrison said she'll be there to watch. "It's about getting the teachers to think about who their students are," she said. "It's not the whole answer, but it is a piece."
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A Message from the Director