GREENVILLE, PA –On August 27, 10 elementary and secondary education students from Thiel College will prepare to begin a semester of student teaching this fall.

The education faculty at Thiel developed a full day of teacher education workshops, known as an in-service day, for seniors who will report to their school districts to begin student teaching that week. The workshop, which was first offered in January of this year for the spring 2007 student teachers, will include something new this term—CPR training, led by Susan Cowan, professor of life sciences at Thiel. The training will be available to the student teachers as well as Thiel education faculty members. Participants will receive CPR certification from the American Heart Association upon successful completion of the four-hour seminar. The course, “Heartsaver AED Anytime,” will train participants in CPR for adults, children and infants; how to remove an obstruction to clear an airway; and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

“This is a great opportunity for our students,” says Connie Reinhart, director of teacher education at Thiel. “I know the school districts that our students will be servicing will be very pleased that we have added this to our students’ credentials.”

The day, which is designed to answer students’ last-minute questions and address their individual concerns will include a review on lesson planning by David Shaffer, adjunct lecturer of education. Mary Reames, adjunct lecturer of education, will present a role playing workshop on discipline and Reinhart will review the expectations of future employers.

Student teaching is the third phase of preparation for education majors who plan to become teachers, says Reinhart. The first two phases are Mentoring I and Mentoring II, which for some students was taken more than a year before their student teaching experience. Thiel education faculty created this in-service day to bridge the gap and give students a chance to refresh and mentally prepare for student teaching. Thiel College is one of the nearly 90 teacher training colleges in Pennsylvania and this program helps Thiel students stay competitive with education students from other schools.

The Thiel senior education majors will be student teaching in Hermitage, Jamestown, Commodore Perry, Midland, and Mohawk school districts as well as at the McKeever Environmental Center.

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