Group encourages new teachers
Leah Luke was the guest speaker during DKG Nu Chapter’s Oct. 26 meeting, at the Matteson Town Hall near Clintonville.
A 2010 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, Luke teaches Spanish at Mauston High School.
She is on the board to create national standards for Educators Rising and is a member of the Wisconsin Rural School Alliance.
Luke talked about Educators Rising and building a high school to a teacher prep program pipeline.
There is a growing teacher shortage not only in Wisconsin, but nationwide.
Wisconsin emergency licenses and emergency permits almost doubled from 1,126 in 2012-13 to 2,248 in 2017-18. There has been a 35% drop in enrollment in Wisconsin teacher prep programs from 2010 to 2016.
Only 5% of ACT test takers in 2015 indicated an interest in going into teaching. That is just 87,563 nationwide, and 1.5 million new teachers are needed in the United States by 2020.
In the fall of 2018, there were 3,426 new teachers statewide and 5,031 who left the profession. Wisconsin lost 1,605 teachers in one year.
Luke decided to take action and started the Educators Rising Club in Mauston.
Educators Rising is a national organization dedicated to supporting high school students interested in becoming teachers. There are currently 73 clubs across the state.
Mauston’s club meets monthly and is free to all interested students. Students participate in discussions with educators and visit classrooms in urban, suburban and rural areas.
They also visit universities throughout the state and attend the yearly summit where they meet future teachers, enter competitions and participate in professional development.
What skills can be generated in high school to create teachers?
Mauston offers course recommendations, such as psychology, statistics, Spanish and dual credit courses; child development, college writing, overview of special education and individual, school and society.
Dual credit courses allow students to earn credits not only in high school, but also on the post secondary level.
Students also have the opportunity to become classroom assistants and earn credit during the school year and summer school.
Paid internships are also available to future teachers.
Graduates enrolled in a school of education are invited back to talk with students about their college experiences.
An Educator Milestones Breakfast is also sponsored by the club, where new retirees and first-year teachers speak to prospective teachers, legislators and educators about their experiences.
Visit www.educatorsrising.org for more information about Educators Rising.