VCC Magazine Summer 2018

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer 2018 19 President of Bluefield College Dr. David Olive, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Athletics Dr. Marshall Flowers and Bluefield College Trustee Emeritus Dr. David Bailey Creating Defining Moments to Celebrate the Teaching Profession By Tom Brewster In their bestselling book, The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath write that there are defining moments, meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory. These defining moments can create feelings of pride, elation, and change from the status quo. With this in mind, the School of Education at Bluefield College set out to exceed the level of importance placed on athletic signing day by creating a teacher signing day for an aspiring recruit during Teacher AppreciationWeek.  To create this defining moment in the life of a future educator, we knewwe would have to “break the script.” Chip and Dan Heath describe “breaking the script” as an effort to defy people’s expectations of how something would unfold. A signing day for teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week would create a new tradition for honoring the teaching profession by creating something unforgettable, reinforcing a graduating senior’s decision to pursue the teaching profession. Our desire was to create a positive transitional experience for one of our future teaching candidates, and an experience that might attract others to the teaching profession.  Our honoree, Jade Clyburn, was an honor student and senior at Graham High School. Jade is not known for her jump or pitching arm, but she does have a heart for the teaching profession. Jade chose the teaching profession because she enjoys interacting with and serving others. Jade described her entry into the teaching profession as a way to help mold young adults and assist them in making life-changing decisions about college and career choices. The ceremony was held in the library of Jade’s alma mater. We arrived with a letter of intent, blue tablecloth matching our school colors, and the official Bluefield College Rams’ backdrop. Our ceremony featured comments from our President Dr. David Olive and Jade’s principal Cynthia Beavers. In addition, Delegate Will Morefield read and presented a letter from Secretary of Education Atif Qarni congratulating Jade for choosing to pursue a teaching license. Then to culminate the special ceremony Jade, surrounded by family, friends, educators, and the media, signed her official document declaring her intentions to study teacher education at Bluefield College.  The purpose of the ceremony was not only to celebrate the teaching profession but to draw attention to the need to recruit outstanding students who aspire to be future teachers. Today, Virginia faces a growing shortage of qualified teachers. This shortage has become increasingly severe in terms of the number of unfilled positions and the number of subject areas that are hard to staff, especially in geographic areas where there’s significant poverty. Furthermore, the number of vacant teaching positions across the state has increased by 40 percent over the past 10 years. In order to recruit more students to the teaching profession, we must all be more strategic in our efforts to attract quality teaching candidates. Creating these defining moments for students pursuing teaching as a career elevates the profession and creates a visible demonstration of the important role that qualified teachers play in our schools and communities. One day soon these teaching candidates will prepare our future workforce.We should continue to look for ways to “break the script” on strategies designed to attract highly qualified teachers to the profession. After all, teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible, and if you are going to “break the script” on poverty, then you will need highly qualified teachers providing students with the necessary skills to enter postsecondary education and the workforce. Dr. Thomas Brewster serves as Dean of the Bluefield College School of Education, and as Assistant Director of External Affairs for Communities In Schools of Virginia. He has served on the Virginia State Board of Education, Virginia State Community College Board, and currently serves on the Radford University Board of Visitors. Jade Clyburn signs her letter of intent Dr. Thomas Brewster Delegate Will Morefield Dr. Thomas Brewster, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chris Stacy, Graham High School Principal Cynthia Beavers V