University Newswire
Contact:
Scott Bigelow | 910.521.6351 | scott.bigelow@uncp.edu
University Communications and Marketing
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Teacher Certification: UNCP wants to talk to out-of-work teacher assistants
UNC Pembroke is sending an urgent message to teacher assistants who have been laid off. The School of Education wants to discuss your future.
Representatives from the offices of Teacher Recruitment, Financial Aid and Admissions stand ready to talk on short notice, said Sandra Strickland, Director of Teacher recruitment at UNCP.
There may be as many as 500 teacher’s assistants who have been laid off in the 11 school districts in UNCP’s region, Strickland said.
“First, it’s unfortunate that anyone has lost their job,” she said. “For education in our region, this group of school employees represents a real asset for our schools and communities – they are fully trained and working successfully in our schools.”
Turning wasted assets into certified teachers is the goal. The School of Education has sent out inquiries to all surrounding school systems. Now they would like to hear from the teacher assistants.
“We consistently recruit teacher assistants to our programs every year,” Strickland said. “They are uniquely qualified to become teachers because they are trained and already successful in the classroom.”
Robeson County, with 235 teacher assistants laid off, has been especially hard hit.
“We will meet with them individually or in groups to see where they are and what we can do,” Strickland said. “If they cannot start until the spring semester, at least we have started the process.”
“I’ve spoken to one teacher assistant who is likely to return,” she said. “She is a UNCP graduate who found that teaching is what she wants to do. We can help her.”
UNCP’s Teacher Recruitment representatives may be contacted at:
Sandra Strickland
UNCP, School of Education
910.775.4396 (office)
910.674.7955 (cell)
sandra.strickland@uncp.edu
Jennifer Whittington
UNCP, School of Education
910.272.3326 (office)
910.674.7954 (cell)
Jennifer.whittington@uncp.edu
Karen Granger, Director of Teaching Fellows
UNCP, School of Education
910.521.6448 (office)
karen.granger@uncp.edu
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