Nixa schools offer hands-on experience to future teachers from Drury
Starting this fall, future teachers studying at Drury University will be able to gain hands-on teaching experience as part of a partnership with Nixa Public Schools.
The partnership comes with another perk: A guaranteed job interview in Nixa once the student graduates with an education degree from Drury.
This new option is open to undergraduate education students who want to spend their senior year gaining real life experience in a classroom.
They will spend two semesters working alongside a certified and experienced Nixa teacher. They will also participate in professional development activities.
During the first semester, students will split their time between classes on the Drury campus and Nixa classrooms. In the second semester, they will be in the classroom full-time.
“This is truly a fantastic opportunity that we’ve spent a lot of time working toward and we’re excited to take this step with Nixa Public Schools,” said Natalie Precise, dean of the School of Education and Child Development at Drury, in a Thursday news release.
“This partnership will allow our students to start using the skills they’ve gained in their coursework right away. They will graduate more confident in their teaching abilities and have more experience in the classroom prior to their first year of teaching.”
The development of the student is one goal. The other is to provide a pipeline for new teachers to enter the Nixa district, a creative way to address the national teacher shortage. Any student teacher who is part of the program is guaranteed a job interview after graduating.
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“Giving those entering the teaching profession a full year of experience before entering the classroom will serve our students well and give them high-quality educators ready to be teachers when they enter their own classroom,” said Nixa Superintendent Gearl Loden, in the release.
“We are excited for this partnership, not only to enhance the teaching profession, but also to help address the teacher shortage in the state and help us find the best teachers for our students.”
Drury education students can apply now for the Panther Internships at Nixa for fall 2023. There are scholarships available.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa schools offer hands-on experience to future teachers from Drury
