Holy Cross College offers programs to combat ongoing teacher shortage

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –Teachers have been a commodity for the last few years as shortages have plagued districts across the country.

But, to combat the teacher shortage, Holy Cross College is offering new programs to recruit future educators.

One of their new programs is the dual enrollment program, and it's targeted towards high school students to give them a taste of the profession before they go to college.

“Times change quickly, as we all know from COVID. Things happen that we don’t anticipate. So, we’ve had to be creative, and we’ve had to be quick on our feet to develop programs that again meet the most urgent needs of our local community and again, nationally,” Felicia Metoyer, the Holy Cross College Elementary Education Program Director said.

Now, to help with the national teacher shortage, Holy Cross College is offering area high school students a chance to earn up to twenty hours of college credit as part of the program. It's geared towards high school juniors and seniors. Students take four required courses in two years, and classes are taught on campus and at a local elementary school where students receive that field experience.

“They see what it is that teachers do, and how, indeed they build these relationships with their students,” said Julie Johnson, the Director of the Dual Enrollment Program. “They’re able to take the information that they are getting in class at Holy Cross College and utilize that information out in the schools with the teachers.”

So far, Holy Cross College has partnered with a few area high schools, but hope the program will expand. All credits go towards an education degree that can be used at Holy Cross College.

Another program Holy Cross College offers is the Transition to Teaching program. Adults who already have an undergraduate degree can sign up for this program, and it will get them on a path to teaching at an elementary level.

The national teacher shortage has been building up for years. Metoyer, the Holy Cross College Elementary Education Program Director said, teachers have been really taxed and the pandemic has only amplified these stressors. Schools across the country are struggling to maintain and recruit teachers.

Metoyer said Holy Cross College offers various teaching programs to give those who want to become teachers a pathway into the profession. And whether you’re looking for a career change or are already working in education.

Their transition to teaching program, which started in 2020, offers adults flexible courses that can be taken either in the evenings or online. The focus is on those who already have undergraduate degrees, and the program prepares you for the classroom.

Once you finish the program you’ll receive a teaching license for kindergarten through sixth grade.

“It allows them to take a smaller subset of our education courses in a quickened fashion, it’s a three-semester program. And they can get a license to teach in the state of Indiana,” Metoyer said.

You can find more information here