VGCC Educators Symposium Encourages Local People To Fill Schools’ Teaching Need

There is a documented shortage of qualified teachers in the public schools in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. Vance-Granville Community College took a step toward helping ease that need with its first Educators Symposium on April 7 at the college.

Ninety-two people from the four counties participated in the symposium, which was directed at school system employees who want to continue their education and become teachers. Invited to attend were VGCC General College-College Transfer students, local teacher assistants, after school staff, substitute teachers, media assistants, reading assistants, Support Our Students staff, and in-school suspension staff.

Among the highlights of the evening were presentations by three graduates of the Teacher Associate program at VGCC who have gone on to successful careers in education. They each related some of their experiences and gave testimonials about how Vance-Granville got them started.

These three presenters were Jackie Harris, who went on to earn a master’s degree and is now assistant principal of Mary Potter Intermediate School in Oxford, Deloris Somerville, who is AIG teacher at Miriam Boyd Elementary School in Warrenton, and Donald Rose McGhee, currently a fourth-grade teacher at Louisburg Elementary School.

Jackie Heath, program head for the Teacher Associate program at VGCC, said it was important and inspirational for the attendees to learn first-hand how people from their communities used their associate degrees as stepping stones to successful careers in education.

Symposium attendees participated in three breakout sessions to learn more about how they can achieve their goals of becoming teachers.

Dr. John Beck, dean of General College and College Transfer at VGCC, discussed in his session what is required to become a teacher or teacher associate.

Dr. Harry Starnes, regional director of the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium, talked about financial help available for those who want to be teachers. He said there are scholarships and laptop computers available to teacher candidates through his organization.

Cheresa Clemons, director of Recruitment and Advisement and counselor for Distance Education at North Carolina Central University, told attendees how they can pursue their teaching degrees through online classes. This should prove very attractive to persons who are working and cannot take time off to attend college full-time.

Vance-Granville Community College officials were highly pleased with the success of the first Educators Symposium, which they hope will become an annual event. President Randy Parker and Dr. Beck praised Jackie Heath, who organized the symposium with help from students enrolled in the Teacher Associate program.

“Preparing our future teachers is so important,” Parker said in a message to Heath. “Thank you for these special efforts in reaching those so interested.”

Dr. Beck told Heath he heard many favorable comments from those who attended the symposium. One person told Beck, “This is the best workshop I’ve ever attended.”

Last fall, Heath also organized a Future Educators Symposium last fall attended by about 70 high school and VGCC General College-College Transfer students. Dr. Beck said, “If only two or three people left one of the workshops deciding they wanted to become educators or to move from being an aide to a teacher, the effort was more than worth it.”