PAGE Future Georgia

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

Do 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.

shortage does not affect all communities equally. When comparing the number of vacancies in a school system to the size of the system, PSC reports six school systems are above 20 percent, and 10 systems are in the range of 10-20 percent. This makes the “grow your own” strategy of recruiting teachers all the more crucial. School systems are beginning to turn to initiatives like FGE Day to encourage their own students to fill these vacancies in the next few years. Indeed, hard-to-staff schools are smart to recruit from their own students. A 2011 Stanford University study showed that nearly 60 percent of teachers live and teach within 20 miles of where they went to high school. That number jumps to 81 percent in urban communities.

Inspiring young people to become educators is at the heart of FGE Day. Hopefully stepping foot on a college campus for an FGE Day will be an important first step.

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During this school year, PAGE has hosted a Future Georgia Educators event at nine colleges and university throughout Georgia. These photos are from 2019-2020 FGE events at Dalton State College, Georgia Southern University, University of Georgia and University of North Georgia.

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Master of Education Adult & Career Education Communication Disorders Curriculum & Instruction in Accomplished Teaching Early Childhood Education Educational Leadership Health & Physical Education Instructional Technology Middle Grades Education Music Education School Counseling Special Education Deaf & Hard of Hearing

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Endorsements English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Gifted K-5 Mathematics K-5 Science Online Teaching Reading

The number of Georgians completing the Baccalaureate Initial Teaching Program is trending downward. Whereas 3,622 completed the program in 2014, the number dropped to 2,349 by 2018.

Augusta University Berry College Clark Atlanta University Columbus State University Dalton State College Georgia College and state university Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Mercer University Middle Georgia State University Valdosta State University University of North Georgia University of Georgia University of West Georgia • Augusta University • Berry College • Clark Atlanta University • Columbus State

University • Dalton State College • Georgia College and

State University • Georgia Gwinnett

College • Georgia Southern

University • Georgia Southwestern

State University • Mercer University • Middle Georgia State

University • University of Georgia • University of North

Georgia • University of West

Georgia • Valdosta State

University From 2015 to 2020, 7,869 high school students have participated in a PAGE Future Georgia Educators Day at one of the following colleges or universities throughout the state: