USC Aiken Teaching Fellows in DC

By Tiffany Zorn, USC Aiken Teaching Fellow 

​During the week of June 3, 2019,  constituents from USC Aiken, the Citadel, and Winthrop traveled to Washington, DC as part of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Washington Week 2019.  Our primary goal was to meet with the South Carolina Representatives’ (7) and Senators’ (2) offices, where we expounded upon particular bills to aid with teacher preparation, as well as the necessity to continue funding the Teach Grant and reevaluate the data gathered within the teaching profession.  On Tuesday, we had formal meetings to prepare us for the Day on the Hill.  Then on Wednesday, we experienced our Day on the Hill, meeting with our Representatives’ and Senators’ staffers. We were able to personally meet with Representative Joe Wilson, however.  Any free time we had, we chose to tour around Washington on our own, except for a tour of the Capitol, where Representative Norman’s staff gave us a personalized tour.  Overall, this trip allowed us insight into the inner workings of our nation’s political system, as well as helped to increase our understanding of advocating for teacher preparation throughout the country.