PAGE Future Georgia Educators Days
A College Visit Can Be a Crucial First Step in Becoming a Teacher
By Mary Ruth Ray, PAGE College Services Representative
D
o you remember the first time you ever set foot on a college campus? As the youngest of seven children, I was only four years old when my oldest brother went off to college — and freed up a seat at the dinner table so I could finally get out of my high chair! I began at that early age to visit college campuses to see my siblings. However, that isn’t the case for many students who visit Georgia college campuses for PAGE Future Georgia Educator (FGE) Days. Many of these high schoolers are seeing a college campus for the first time, and for some, it is the first trip they have ever taken outside their home county. Introducing these aspiring teachers to a college where they can walk the campus, experience the dining hall, collaborate with peers in the classrooms, and meet college faculty and students is a large part of PAGE’s purpose in
hosting FGE Days. Putting them into a position where they can truly begin to envision themselves attending college is a big first step toward their becoming an educator. Inspiring them is another important goal. During an FGE Day, students hear from award-winning educators, such as Tracey Pendley, 2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year. She has motivated hundreds of
FGE Day attendees with her remarkable story of how she overcame obstacles in her journey to become a teacher. Students also participate in interactive workshops where college faculty and teacher candidates discuss teaching strategies, innovative technology and college life. But FGE Day benefits more than just the students who attend. Partnering with the state’s colleges of education to help aspiring teachers on their journey to the classroom is one way PAGE is helping to address the teaching shortage in Georgia. According to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC), school systems in Georgia reported an average of 3,953 vacant teaching positions during academic years 2018 and 2019. A significant number (1,354) of these vacancies are in early childhood, leaving some 29,000 young children in Georgia underserved. Admittedly, the teacher
Introducing aspiring teachers to a college where they can walk the campus, experience the dining hall, collaborate with peers in the classrooms, and meet college faculty and students is a large part of PAGE’s purpose in hosting FGE Days.
16 PAGE ONE
March/April 2020
