Exploring Teaching Careers (ETC)
Contact People:
Carol Swinney (cswinney@swprsc.org), Director of Distance Education, Southwest Plains Regional Service Center
Kathy Dale (kdale@fhsu.edu), Assistant Dean of the College of Education & Technology, Fort Hays State University
Mission: The primary goal of the Exploring Teaching Careers Program (ETC) is to encourage academically able students who possess exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career. An important secondary goal of the Program is to provide these talented future community leaders with insights about teachers and schools so that they will be civic advocates of education.
Overview: The ETC Program is an innovative approach designed to attract talented young people to the teaching profession through a challenging introduction to teaching. The ETC Program seeks to provide high school students insight into the nature of teaching, the problems of schooling and the critical issues affecting the quality of education in America’s schools.
Pre-Collegiate High School Curriculum: ETC encourages students to work with their school counselors to complete as many of the Teacher Education Pre-Requisites as possible during their high school career. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA to apply for the FHSU Teacher Education Program.
FHSU Teacher Education Pre-Requisites
- Foundations in Education
- Human Growth and Development
- Children’s Literature (elementary)
- English Comp I
- English Comp II
- Fundamentals of Oral Communication
- Introduction to Computer Information Systems
- Elements of Statistics
- Multiculturalism in the U.S.
- Early Field Experience (secondary)
- Early Field Experience (elementary)
- Professional Practice and Observation (elementary)
Coordination and Management of the ETC Program
Job Title
|
Organization |
Role |
ETC Regional Coordinator |
Southwest Plains Regional Service Center |
Coordinates the ETC Program with local school districts, coordinates community college participation, and facilitates collaborative planning meetings of ETC stakeholders. |
University Facilitator |
Fort Hays State University College of Education & Technology |
Provides support to the ETC Regional Coordinator, and develops course pathways at Fort Hays State University. |
Superintendent |
Participating USD’s |
Provides administrative support and promotes community involvement. |
High School Principal |
Participating USD’s |
Provides building administrative support, recruits students, attends regional planning meetings, and investigates funding sources such as Carl Perkins. |
High School Counselor |
Participating USD’s |
Recruits and supports student participants during the high school component, general building coordination of the program. Attends regional planning meetings.
Conducts academic and career counseling, assists with new student orientation, and develops class schedules. |
Program of Study Pathways: Students can utilize a variety of pathways to complete course work including the community college, Fort Hays State University Virtual College, concurrent enrollment, and/or a combination of pathways.
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