Students in the University of Wisconsin School of Education's teacher education program recently expressed concern that administrators were not following the rules. emergency rules This would allow students to discontinue participation in the teacher education program upon graduation.
Before the emergency rule went into effect, Wisconsin law required students to continue their teacher education placement for an additional month after graduation, according to the Center for Teacher Education's Field Experience Handbook. This corresponds to a semester in a K-12 school district.
One of the issues students raised about the policy was the financial burden it would cause. Current fourth-year students in the teacher training program say students will be required to work an additional month of full-time, unpaid work after graduation, while others can use that time to work on their post-graduation plans. That's what it means. Cal Sharkovich.
“We are aware that other UW System schools end with graduation, which means we may be at a disadvantage in job opportunities,” Sharko said. Mr. Vicci said. “Those people will have the opportunity to have flexible interview times, as they will no longer be working full-time at that point, and will be hired or substituted during the last month the school is open. Sometimes it happens.”
Szarkovic said students were also concerned that they would no longer have access to amenities and resources provided by the university, including university health services and Reckwell resources.
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Szarkovic said the emergency regulations outlined alternatives to current teacher education program policies. One alternative was for students to continue working for four weeks after graduation, but for 10 days as paid substitute teachers, under emergency rules. This option allows students to gain experience and preparation while receiving a salary. But Skalkovitz said administrators opposed that option.
“The bill also did not provide for other flexibilities, such as having us teach in lieu for 10 days and being paid for that time. So for us as student teachers, There were a lot of things that felt very uncooperative,'' Szarkovic said.
Sharkowitz said students in the program are discussing possible alternatives and adjustments to the current plan, including maintaining the resources available to them as students.
Tom Owenby, associate dean for teacher education, said in an emailed statement to the Badger Herald that the program will maintain its current student instruction period.
Owenby said the program cannot be adjusted for the spring 2024 semester due to the timing of the emergency rules. If programs are adjusted in future semesters, the on-site experience will need to be redesigned, Owenby said.
“The primary reason for the district's decision to maintain the student teaching experience for all semesters was to ensure the highest quality teacher preparation program that the School of Education can offer,” Owenby said.
Despite not being able to adjust the length of the program, the School of Education has allocated funding to ensure students maintain access to student services until the end of their field experience, said Todd Finkelmeyer, associate dean of communications for the School of Education. said in an emailed statement to the Herald.
Szarkovic and other students understand the systemic problems in the education system and are using these concerns to encourage universities to respect future education students by including them in educational decisions. , Mr. Sherkowitz said.
“The reason I'm fighting so hard for this is because even if we don't get what we want or deserve, we want it for others too.” said Szarkovic. “I think they… [students in the School of Education] They deserve these rights and flexibility. ”
