Welcome.

The conceptual framework for the School of Education, shown at right, emphasizes the realization that the act of teaching and learning involves a framework of research, reflection, and response.  These elements entail an continuous cyclical process, a pathway that learners and leaders of learning use to create powerful knowledge bases, to develop as active members of a democratic society, and to establish and maintain environments conducive to learning.   This process of research, reflection, and response is focused upon four areas that are essential elements of effective teaching.  These areas include: content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, professional dispositions, and learning communities.  At the center of this process of acquiring and applying the skills and knowledge of professional practice is the learner.  The concept of learner in this case describes all stakeholders in schooling and education.

This is all true, and we presume that completers of our graduate program, and our teacher certification candidates, will become instructional leaders, effective teachers, competent academicians, proficient in their pedagogy, and professional in their interpersonal dealings.  And yet, it doesn't quite answer the question of what you will DO after you graduate. The question is both important and complex, reflecting a concern for making a wise investment in time and energy. It is also a question well-rooted in practicality, efficiency, and a desire to have an answer for the inevitable encounter at the reunion picnic when you are asked what your future plans are.

Consider a similar question, raised by an aspiring student-driver. "Where can I go when I get my driver's license?" The answer seems obvious of course, they can go "anywhere they want." Anywhere provided that they make the investment in time and energy to learn the needed skills, allocate necessary resources, plan appropriately, and seek further training and instruction as the task requires. The same might be said of the university graduate, they too can go and do what they want, but only with the right preparations.

What preparation does a degree from the School of Education, a program providing teacher certification or a graduate degree from our school provide? Certainly, our programs are approved to prepare teachers for the K-12 classroom with majors and minors from across the university curriculum.  In this way our programs provide an excellent opportunity to gain competency in your major field through challenging and engaging courses stressing theory and application, and to gain preparation for employment, clinical practice or post baccalaureate education. However, a university education is more than that, it involves the transformation of individuals from students to scholars, from receivers of knowledge to creators of new knowledge, from professional prospects to professional colleagues. The university graduate carries away more than a just a paper diploma and teaching certificate, you will carry a breadth and depth of learning that goes beyond a particular career choice. It is your development of a lifelong commitment to learning, of an appreciation and understanding of differing ideas and ideologies, and your continued development as an individual and professional, that empowers you as a citizen, prepares you for professional service, and opens your world to new possibilities.

What will you do with that degree? Where will you go to teach, lead, learn?  These are questions that really only you can answer, but you can count on the faculty and staff here in the School of Education to do all we can to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional goals. The Personal Approach to education at LSSU centers on personal contact and I encourage you to stop by my office, or that of any of the faculty members, to discuss your career interests in more detail. I look forward to meeting you.  Dr. Myton