Grads take the fast track to the classroom

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff | Tuesday, April 22, 2008

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It wasn't until his senior year as a chemical engineering student at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology that Rick Hamilton realized he didn't want to be an engineer.

"I didn't really panic," said the Rapid City Stevens High School graduate. "I knew I'd be able to do something else."

That something else is teaching. Hamilton is one of 20 people this year taking advantage of Black Hills State University's Project SELECT.

It's a fast-track certification program for people who already have a degree, explained Karen Mortimer, co-director of Project SELECT.

About 80 students have participated since the program began, many of them entering the education field for a second or third career.

Mortimer said the program is an intense 10 months of classes and student teaching, the majority of the time being spent in the classroom with students.

"That's the best preparation a new teacher can have," said Hamilton, who spent his first semester at North Middle School and is now at Stevens High with math teacher Jeff Barnes.

"It has its challenges, but it's very rewarding."

It's just one of the many ways, said Nancy Hall, Dean of the College of Education at Black Hills State University, that school officials are trying to combat teacher shortages, particularly at rural schools.

As part of their training, Project SELECT students are taken to reservations and high-need schools, places where Hamilton says he might consider teaching some day.

"On my own, I never would have been presented with that opportunity," he said.

He sees the program as one of the smartest ways the schools can harness the talents of the people already in the state.

"They can reach a higher caliber of potential teachers," he said. "These people are so well-qualified."

It's not the only program the state is using to place qualified teachers in the right place.

Gov. Mike Rounds recently initiated a $4 million teacher incentive program that several rural school districts are taking advantage of, including those in Shannon and Todd counties.

South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Rick Melmer said the department is working with schools on alternative certification routes, including "grow your own"  programs that are similar to Project SELECT in making it easier for people to earn teaching certificates right where they live.

The department is also        encouraging rural districts to take advantage of distance learning and the Virtual High School so students don't miss out on opportunities because of a lack of resources or teachers.

Hall at BHSU said a $5 million grant was written with Technology Innovations in Education to offer financial incentives to graduates willing to take positions in districts with high percentages of students from low-income families.

Alongside new grants and programs to eliminate the problem, Hall said there needs to be a change of attitude about the profession.

"Nursing has done a better job highlighting the rewards of that profession than we have with teaching," she said.

But some are already convinced that teaching, and staying in South Dakota, are the way to go.

Hamilton said he's glad he realized his true calling.

"You always hear people say, 'I wish I had been a teacher.' ... This program can be replicated everywhere."

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com.