Angelina College, Sam Houston State University Collaborate for Education Program
In the world of education, paraprofessionals are an invaluable resource in any classroom. Those school employees work under the supervision of a licensed educator to ensure complete classroom engagement and overall student learning.
Many of those “paras” also are working on earning their degrees and certifications in an effort to one day lead their own classes.
Thanks to a collaboration between Angelina College and Sam Houston State University, the road to full certification has become a little easier to navigate.
Officials from SHSU and AC met with prospective teachers in a seminar this past week, where those in attendance learned how their dreams of becoming teachers may be even closer to becoming a reality through the “EdAide” program.
AC Education instructor Rachel Hunt said the new pathway is going to bring in more of those whose dream is to work in the field of education at various levels.
“This is important for Angelina College because this type of program is going to help boost the number of people working to become teachers here at AC,” Hunt said. “It’s specifically for such opportunities as financial aid and assistance for the districts in our area. I’m excited about it because when a lot of us were working to become teachers, we had to quit our jobs and make other adjustments to accommodate our student-teaching requirements.
“This is new with SHSU, and they go into districts and work with paraprofessionals on a clearer pathway to their chosen fields. This is so good for our students, especially for those who can’t physically drive to the SHSU campus for course work.”
EdAide provides both in-person and synchronous interaction with students and professors.
Some of the important elements include fully on-line coursework and the ability to use previous job experience – while still getting paid – in lieu of a new student-teaching role.
“There are also very specific scholarship programs, and the money specifically goes to our East Texas residents,” Hunt said.
Currently, the program exists for those working in grades Early Childhood through sixth grade and Early Childhood to 12th grade Special Education, but Hunt anticipates the addition of high school employees in the near future.
Suzanne Kitts, the EdAide Coordinator at SHSU, addressed the paraprofessionals in attendance, letting them know the hours spent assisting certified teachers are going to apply to their future licensing requirements.
“All these hours you’re working in a classroom as a paraprofessional now count toward your required student-teaching hours,” Kitts said. “As long as your placement as a paraprofessional aligns with your chosen degree and certification area, your hours worked will apply.”
SHSU representative Angie Taylor discussed how the new pathway originating at Angelina College allows students to complete their transferrable “core” courses at AC before beginning their course-specific work at Sam Houston State University.
For further information on the EdAide program, contact Rachel Hunt at rhunt@angelina.edu.
Gary Stallard’s email address is gstallard@angelina.edu.
