By anonymous
As a student at Berea College, you are encouraged to believe your voice matters. Regardless of your circumstances, you are more than your situation. As an individual, you can find your place of belonging here on campus among other like-minded people. However, my experience within the education department does not align with the institution’s goals of inclusivity, professionalism, and respect for students. If not for our love of teaching and our love for the professors who have continuously stood by us, the education department would be smaller than it already is. It is important to clarify that the problems within the department are due to only a few individuals, but they are so deeply involved that everyone has been affected. It is my opinion that unchecked positions of power within the department, paired with the lack of cohesion in practice and compassion for its students, are why the education department is struggling today.
When a tenured professor unjustly tries to have a student expelled from campus by going against the head of the department and against everything that the college says it stands for… that is an issue. The worst part is that it took such an extreme situation before any action was taken to put this professor’s power in check. Someone who took advantage of their position and told their students that Berea College was a handout to the poor. The same person who felt like they could comment on the racial identity of their biracial students, the same professor who thought they could tell their students that they were not suicidal if they did not attempt to commit. Teachers are in such high demand and considered to be in shortage, but this professor took it upon themselves to encourage people to drop the major. Was this for any valid reason? That depends on whether you think making all Bs each semester is enough reason to question someone’s academic integrity.
The requirements for students seeking certification rely on a number of field hours being met to qualify for student teaching. Yet, it took until last semester to secure a placement coordinator. Students were expected to have “networked” enough to know teachers in schools they had never been to. Most of the education faculty did not bother to help students find these placements or try to understand that the transportation restrictions experienced by many of us would make it difficult to get our hours in for each EDS course. Not to mention knowing that not every student has access to transportation and requiring that these students get anywhere from five to 25 hours in the school for each EDS class. There have been separate issues where students who found their placements were put with mentor teachers who did everything from attempting to bar them from their rooms to sexually harassing them.
Unsurprisingly, yet another issue came to fruition when this semester began. The only difference is that now, EDS students have reached their limit. An individual was hired to teach the EDS Capstone, a half-credit course that requires us to be in a Middle/High School for one hour at least every day. The class also requires that we teach a ten-day unit or two weeks back-to-back for those unfamiliar with the terminology. That is a lot of work for a half-credit course, especially with each of us having labor positions on campus and other classes, including the capstone for our content areas like ENG, MAT, and HIS. This new instructor added six additional lesson plans and a 45-hour requirement in this course alone while wanting to meet twice a week from 7-10:00 pm. They reasoned that if they were not getting home before 10:00 pm, why should we? After communicating with the professor and attempting to follow the chain of command, we only succeeded in finding a hostile class environment. So, doing what those taught to advocate for others do best, we advocated for ourselves. The head of the education department was informed that if no terms were negotiated, those of us seeking certification in the capstone would drop it and pursue certification elsewhere. For the first time since I declared my major, the education department acted on behalf of the students. It is a small victory, but it shows that progress is attainable and tolerance is not always the answer. To those professors who supported us and continue to do so, I speak for all of us when I say we love you. The opinions of a current senior student seeking accreditation with input from her friend and colleague, an alum.
3 responses to “How the Education Department Failed Its Students”
Wow! I graduated in 1970 and had planned to be a teacher when I started college in 1966. I signed up for the Intro to Education class and was told that I needed to wear professional clothes to class. I had no idea what that meant. The teacher said I needed to figure it out and not return unless I was appropriately attired. I didn’t return and didn’t become a teacher. I would have thought things had changed by now. Sounds like the same edu-nazis are still there!
I disagree with this article. It’s too generalizing.
I completely understand y’all’s pain and the comment saying that this was “too generalizing” don’t understand how much of a pickle students at Berea are put in when we’re being treated unfairly and inadequately. This college has an issue with stating how accommodating they are to poor students, then refusing to put in the work and accommodations for issues that a lot of us face. Educators are critically needed across the country but institutions consistently tear down instead of uplift these future educators! No one, in ANY major, should be put-down and talked to in such a condescending manor from any faculty or staff. I wish whoever is in the education department the absolute best and bless y’all for fighting the good fight to be able to teach our young ones. Y’ALL ARE THE FUTURE, KEEP IT UP!!!