Campbell Co.’s teachers program on track

By Annie McCallum
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: August 26, 2008

RUSTBURG — The Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow program is on track in Campbell County, officials said during Monday evening’s school board meeting.

The course, geared toward helping school divisions develop their own teachers, will boast an enrollment of 35 students this year.

“For the first year we were very pleased with the enrollment,” said Ann Jennings, Campbell County English instructional specialist.

Jennings and Linda Gray, director of secondary education, briefed board members on the new program, which is also being used in Lynchburg City and Bedford County schools.

“This course is a statewide program used throughout Virginia,” Gray said, adding that it uses many of the same components of a South Carolina-based program.

While the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow coursework is similar to the South Carolina program, it is specifically tailored to include information on Virginia licensure and the Virginia Standards of Learning. The coursework is also coordinated through Lynchburg College. County officials praised college faculty for helping get the program off the ground.

The Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow is a dual enrollment course offered in partnership with the college, but the credits are transferable. Students participating in the program this year receive one high school credit and four college credits.

The program was open to students who were seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA. Students were required to fill out a non-degree-seeking application to Lynchburg College, submit two teacher recommendations, and write an essay about why they wanted to participate.

Officials said the course is designed to allow students to explore teaching as a profession.

“They may decide they don’t want to be a teacher and that’s OK,” Jennings said, adding the program is about giving them a taste of the profession.

Officials also said students will have hands-on instruction. Second semester students complete a supervised field experience where they will be in classrooms delivering planned lessons.

In other news, the board:

- Approved changes in meeting dates. Campbell County School Board will now meet only once in September, November and December. The board will meet Sept. 15, Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Nov. 10 and Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the county technical center.