Teacher Cadet Instructor Receives National Award
For immediate release, May 13, 2009
GREENVILLE—Where will the nation find the more than 2 million new teachers it will need over the next decade? Rachel Turner, a teacher in Greenville County, South Carolina, is providing part of the answer. Her work to inspire future teachers as part of the innovative Teacher Cadet program is one reason she has been selected by the National Civic League as a winner of the 2009 MetLife Foundation Ambassadors In Education award. Turner was one of only 25 winners selected for leadership in building bridges between local schools and communities. She received a $5,000 grant for her school at a May 12 Teacher Cadet recognition banquet.
A teacher at Mauldin High School, Rachel Turner is credited with many contributions: improving school communication with members of the Spanish-speaking community, promoting the concept of selfless service in her classroom, and encouraging her students to become positive role models in the school and community. She is an instructor for the Teacher Cadet program, in which students help out teachers in local school classrooms and gain valuable experience for potential careers in education, she created partnerships with other local schools, child development centers and bookstores. She organized the first district-wide conference for high school Teacher Cadets, bringing in college admissions officers and community members to provide information and encouragement to the future teachers. In nominating Rachel Turner for the award, Principal Ann C. Miller said, “She reaches beyond the classroom to create a community that supports education.”
“As a winner of the Ambassador In Education award, Rachel Turner joins teachers recognized as some of the most gifted and dedicated teachers in the country,” noted Gloria Rubio-Cortes, President of the National Civic League. “She has a particularly important story to tell about how to encourage service in the career aspirations of students, and nurturing a generation of future teachers who will also be positive role models in their schools and communities.”
The recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Past, Present and Future shared the good news that 75 percent of teachers today would advise a young person to pursue a career in teaching, compared to 45 percent of teachers in 1984. The number of students expressing an interest in teaching, however, has declined slightly, to 27 percent, and that number decreases as students grow older. “We are pleased the Ambassador In Education award acknowledges a teacher who not only recommends teaching as career, but also is a leader in encouraging and nurturing high school students who aspire to teach, said Dennis White, President and CEO of the MetLife Foundation.
The MetLife Ambassador In Education award is designed to recognize educators whose influence can be felt beyond the classrooms and hallways, by recognizing educators that: build partnerships with community organizations, parents, and guardians; resolve conflicts and promote safety; and participate in civic engagement and community service efforts. Middle and high school educators in participating public school districts are eligible, and are nominated by peers, parents, students or community members and selected by a national panel of education and civic experts. The award was established in 2003, after MetLife’s annual Survey of the American Teacher identified a growing gap between public schools and their communities.
The Teacher Cadet Program is a nationally-recognized high school teacher recruitment program designed to help students understand the unique opportunities of teaching as a career option. The program is offered at nearly 175 high schools in South Carolina and the curriculum is in use in more than 30 states across the country. The program is open to academically talented, high-achieving juniors and seniors who express an interest in teaching. Students complete field placements in public school classrooms, explore issues in education and learn about curriculum development and learning strategies. In South Carolina, college credit is given through partnering institutions of higher education. http://www.cerra.org/teacherCadets
MetLife Foundation, established in 1976, supports education, health, civic and cultural programs throughout the United States. In education, it places particular emphasis on initiatives that improve public schools, develop the leadership of teachers and principals, and involve parents and communities. Its grantmaking is informed by results from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. For more information, visit www.metlife.org.
The National Civic League, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to community building and strengthening local democracy, administers the program. With the 2009 awards, this program has recognized 140 Ambassadors In Education with $700,000 in grants. For more information about the Ambassadors In Education Award and all of the 2009 winners visit www.ncl.org/metlife.
CERRA, an independent state agency located on the campus of Winthrop University, is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The purpose of CERRA is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in South Carolina. CERRA’s programs have been adopted at school, district and state levels in more than 30 states in the United States.
**This release is provided by the National Civic League.**
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