Tackling the Shortage of STEM Teachers in Baltimore
Due to the growing shortage of highly-qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers, the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Scholars Program was implemented in fall 2007 to support selected STEM majors. Students are assisted academically, professionally and financially through advising, fellowships, cohort building and a summer bridge program. Above all, the Sherman Scholars Program promotes working with youth and being in the classroom as much as possible.
Eleven students comprised the inaugural cohortin fall 2007, and there are currently 20 students in the program. They range anywhere from freshmen to graduate students and are at different life stages.
“In addition to those considered traditional students, we have a former marine, a mother whose children are in college and a former Ph.D. candidate who realized she’d rather teach at the high school level,” said Rehana Shafi, assistant director of the Sherman Program.
Scholar Catrin Eike ’10, a former high school dropout and single mother of three, earned her GED and worked her way from community college into UMBC and the Sherman Program.
“The program has not only given me an opportunity to meet other people in STEM majors, it has given me the chance to look within myself,” said Eike. “I now realize that I am a person with gifts to share.”
Once admitted to the program, students receive support for the duration of their time at UMBC and into their careers as classroom teachers. They are required to complete at least one semester of service learning and one classroom-based fellowship.
“We want them to have many hands-on and tangible experiences working with youth before they’re student teachers,” Shafi said.
Because the program expects scholars to teach in the Baltimore area, these experiences take place locally.
When in the planning stages in 2006, Shafi looked at national and local programs focusing on teacher education and student support. The Sherman Program is a combination of ideas from these and best practices of UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program.
The program is young, but there are a handful of alumni. Three are teaching in Baltimore city and county schools. Shafi said the first few years are the most challenging for teachers.
“A big piece we’re working on is teacher induction,” Shafi said. “The first three to five years are the toughest. We’re working toward supporting our new teachers in terms of mentoring and continued professional development.”
In addition to mentoring, the Sherman Scholars Program is fostering the environment and expectation needed to establish a connected and active alumni group.
A generous gift from George and Betsy Sherman, founders of the Sherman Family Foundation, supports the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Program. Awards for undergraduates range from $5,000-$10,000. Awards for MAT candidates range from $10,000-$30,000.
For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/shermanprogram.
(3/10/09)
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