Three Rivers Community College can help students take important steps in preparation to become an educator. With partnerships with four-year colleges and universities throughout Missouri and Arkansas, students graduating from Three Rivers with a degree in teaching can transfer to a 4-year institution to complete their bachelor's degree in education.
An historic turnover is taking place in the teaching profession. While student enrollments are rising rapidly, more than one million veteran teachers are nearing retirement in America. Experts predict that overall the nation will need more than two million new teachers in the next decade. There are estimates that in the next four years, 35 percent of Missouri's elementary and secondary public school teachers will retire
Three Rivers Community College is on the cutting edge of helping prepare the next generation of classroom teachers. Three Rivers has taken a lead with other community colleges in Missouri in developing the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree. Three Rivers students who graduate with the new AAT degree will be able to transfer to any 4-year university or college in Missouri to complete their bachelor's degree in education.
Teacher Education students at Three Rivers have many opportunities to observe, teach and work with students and classroom teachers in public school settings. From the onset of the program - the Teaching Profession and Field Experience class - until the Portfolio Seminar, Three Rivers students have a variety of experiences and are given numerous opportunities to observe and reflect upon emerging teaching trends.
Dr. Mary Lou Brown is the coordinator of the Three Rivers Teacher Education program. She advises most Teacher Education students at the college and takes the time with each to develop a two-year plan for their coursework at Three Rivers.
All Teacher Education students are required to take the C-BASE test.
In the photo above: Three Rivers graduates Misty White and Stephana Deckard (center) received the Outstanding Beginning Teacher awards from the Missouri Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. On hand for the presentation of the awards in the Spring of 2007 at ceremonies in Jefferson City were Dr. Mary Lou Brown and Three Rivers Board of Trustee member and Naylor superintendent Steve Cookson. Both White and Deckard now teach in the Naylor Public Schools.