Teacher fair brings in 69 school districts
USU, who has distinguished itself as having one of the best education programs in the country, hosted the Utah Teacher North Fair on Thursday in the TSC International Lounge.
The fair was sponsored by the Utah Association for Employment in Education to provide prospective students and alumni with opportunities to find teaching jobs. Representatives from every college that produces teachers in Utah and Southern Idaho helped organize the event.
Derek Jack, the assistant director of USU Career Services said, “We picked USU as the location of this fair because of its location and because we are the largest teacher-producing public school in Utah.”
The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services is ranked as one of the best teacher education schools in America. They are renowned for their efforts in preparing teachers for the classroom and having excellent teachers and staff members that make an incredible contribution to the program.
“Our teaching education program is ranked in the top 2 percent in the nation. We’re highly recognized and we draw them in,” Jack said.
Much of the success of the program comes from its efforts in providing graduating students with employment opportunities. The Utah Teacher North Fair alone had representatives from 69 school districts around the state of Utah who personally interviewed the prospective teachers who attended the fair.
However, Bart Bowen, a recent graduate in Health Education, said it doesn’t matter if you have a Utah State education if there is no money to hire teachers.
“Districts can’t just create jobs, they have to have money for it and it doesn’t matter if they want USU students,” Bowen said.
Tawny Bertagnolli, a student in the program, said having USU hold the fair was great because it gave her a chance to get her name out there.
“The education department has given me a lot of contacts that you can get with. They have the career services. They even help me in making my resume,” she said.
One of the many great opportunities afforded to the students who attend USU’s education program is the ability to practice teaching elementary-age students at Edith Bowen Laboratory School, an on-campus school. This program provides elementary students with a great education and allows the students of the college a first-hand learning experience.
Kallie Rawlinson, a senior in the college said, “I think (the college has such a good reputation) because you can get out and start teaching before you graduate. I think because I did, I feel ready to teach and I haven’t graduated yet. Real practice comes from doing.”
After interviewing with many representatives at the fair, Bertagnolli said “It has been wonderful … . For every question I’ve been through in the interviews, I am often referring back to my experience in the actual classroom and I have felt very prepared and I know it’s because of my experience at this school.”
Although the fair proved to be beneficial for many students, some felt that it was ineffective. Bowen said because it was held so early in the year, many school districts could not yet anticipate the openings it would have for the upcoming school year.
“It was kind of disappointing,” Bowen said. “I expected to come and talk to people who knew about openings but they didn’t. Why schedule it in March if they won’t know until April?”
Typically, students who graduate from the USU Education College become some of the most sought after teachers in the country, Jack said, and sometimes there is a greater demand that USU can’t always fill.
“The only complaint that we hear is that we don’t produce enough teachers, which is great, especially in a time when there are not as many openings as there has been in the past, due to the economy,” Jack said.
– kevin.mitchell@aggiemail.usu.edu