The Road to Education

Central Alumna Celise

Curry is prepared to be that teacher for her first class of fifth-grade students, at Chisholm Elementary School in Edmond, Oklahoma. Prior to her inaugural year of teaching, Curry graduated from UCO in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education.

Curry was driven to education through her passion for the next generation. Even as she prepared her classroom for the upcoming school year, she shared lesson plans and ideas she’d researched on new ways to get her students excited about learning and connected to the material.

As a nontraditional student, however, Curry’s road to a degree was anything but easy.

“I returned to UCO after a decade of marriage and joined the education program so I could provide for my three children, after getting a divorce and being a stay-at-home mom,” Curry said.

“I had to deal with the complications of navigating life after divorce, which meant humbling myself to ask for help and figuring out how to find resources to help pay my bills, put food on the table, get clothing, car troubles, sewage and fire issues in my rental home, then being homeless for two months on top of several illnesses.”

In fact, many other student teachers face similar hardships to Curry and still persevere to earn hands-on training and learn effective teaching methods through Central’s education program.

Once accepted into the teacher program, student teacher candidates can expect a rigorous schedule. After completing 124 hours of coursework, including 60 hours of in-classroom observations, candidates participate in student teaching for 16 weeks. During this time, teacher candidates work alongside an expert mentor, who has at least three years of successful teaching experience and has completed Central’s co-teaching training.

However, like many student teachers, Curry was unable to work during two years of the teacher education program. Both inclassroom observation and student teaching require long hours. In addition to staying in their student teaching classroom, candidates also create lesson plans, attend required after-hours school events and grade papers. Students also must attend classes and complete coursework to earn their degrees. It’s not uncommon for student teachers to face additional financial burden as well, in the form of paying for multiple certification tests, fingerprinting, certification fees, and general tuition and fees.

With what some may consider an uphill climb to getting a degree, why continue? For Curry, and for so many others, the answer is simple.

“Never forget your passion, the reason you chose this profession, the children. You are important and valuable because you will influence the future,” Curry said.

In fact, Curry is confident that her UCO education has prepared her for this first year of teaching and the years to come.

“I know that there is no way I will do everything right this first year, but I also know that UCO’s program has equipped me with as much knowledge and experience possible to be successful and the confidence to reach out for additional help and resources when I make mistakes and learn from them,” she said.

Bryan Duke, Ph.D., director of Educator Preparation and interim associate dean for Central’s College of Education and Professional Studies, echoes Curry’s confidence in UCO’s teaching program.

“Your success and your students’ success is based on how well you’re trained,” he said. “When our graduates leave, depending on other teachers and the principal, they may not get any support. However, with the student teaching program they are at least getting 16 weeks of mentorship. With that, our candidates can start off with a good jumping point.”

UCO teacher candidates often are referred to as comprehensively prepared. Candidates experience opportunities to teach independently, coteach, organize a classroom, collaborate with other educators, partner with parents, create effective lesson plans and learn what works best in the areas of classroom management and teaching strategies, all before they graduate.

The support that Central student teachers receive from faculty, staff, fellow students and mentors provides them the opportunity to focus on what really matters – educating youth – and less on what may be holding them back.

And, this approach seems to be paying off. According to a self-assessment by the UCO College of Education and Professional Studies, 80-85 percent of graduates from Central’s teacher program go on to teach within 60 miles of UCO.

And Curry is proudly one of those graduates.

“I feel a strong calling to encourage others that they can achieve their dreams no matter what obstacles they may face now or in the future,” Curry said. “You will make mistakes, but if you choose to learn from them, they can be your greatest teacher.”