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40 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 9, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 30, 2003 SOU does homework on teacher education By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune When the four new teachers were hired at Medford’s Hoover Elementary School three years ago, they knew they were bucking the odds. Fresh out of Southern Oregon University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, they’d been warned not to expect employment too soon. "They told us we had a very slim chance of getting a job in the area," said Dani Glover, a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher. But Glover — along with fellow graduates Lisa Iniguez, Liz Landon and Kathy Young — quickly settled into classrooms, where they became daily testaments to the success of SOU’s 6- year-old program. "They called us ‘The MAT Pack,’ " recalled Young, 37, who teaches third grade. "Everyone was very supportive." Advertisement Three years later, however, the program that launched the fledgling teachers may be losing its power to lure a new crop of educators. As Oregon struggles with plummeting school budgets, revamped PERS benefits and trimmed-back classroom staffs, SOU administrators say fewer local folks are interested in becoming teachers. For the first time this year, applications to and enrollment in the once fiercely competitive MAT program are down. A dozen students have dropped out since July, compared to a normal loss of one or two. Competition from Concordia University in Portland arrived this fall in the form of a part-time teacher education program that snagged more than 20 students away from the Ashland campus. All told, it has created a quandary for SOU administrators like Geoff Mills, associate dean of education. "We’re fighting the public image that it’s not a good time to go into teaching," he said. "And, now, there’s a market force that we have to contend with." That’s why, for the first time this fall, the MAT program is relying on more than word of mouth advertising. A slim marketing budget has produced a campaign that focuses on five reasons to enroll in the MAT program at SOU, Mills said. "The best reason is that it’s the greatest profession in the world," he said. Selling potential teachers on that notion is more difficult now than it was six years ago, when SOU dramatically revamped the way it trains teachers. From the start, the intensive, 12-month master’s-level program drew more students than it could accommodate. The program includes two strands, a masters of teaching component and a special education component. "It typically has been very competitive to get into this program," Mills said. "For the MAT program, it wasn’t uncommon to have a 2-to-1 applicant pool." This year has been different. Applications fell from 220 to 170 in a year; enrollment dropped from 140 to 128. This fall alone, a dozen students have dropped out of the program, Mills said. "It was a variety of reasons, some were financial reasons, some were family reasons," he explained. "But typically we only lose two or three a year who decide its not for them." Some students couldn’t swing the $12,500 tuition. Others couldn’t handle the intensive schedule. Erin Van Dyke, 27, of Ashland, left the MAT program this fall. She said she discovered she couldn’t juggle the SOU graduate schedule and the demands of her 4-year-old daughter, Kaya. "It’s just incredibly intense," said Van Dyke, who recently completed a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at SOU. "I did it with my undergraduate and I thought I could push it for a year, but I couldn’t." A part-time program would have offered more flexibility to people with families and jobs, she said. The rigidity of the SOU program, which starts in the third week of July in one year and ends the second week of July the next, may have created the niche that drew Concordia University’s attention. Joe Mannion, the Portland university’s dean of education, said a marketing study revealed that students wanted a more flexible option. "We noticed a kind of perceived need for a part-time program in the Medford area," he said. Even though Concordia’s private school tuition is between $16,800 and $17,500 a year, 21 students from the Rogue Valley enrolled in the Concordia MAT program this fall, Mannion said. That has put pressure on SOU to modify or expand its offerings, Mills acknowledged. "We’re hoping to develop a part-time program to compete with that," he said. Each year, it takes 118 MAT students to fund the program’s $1 million annual budget, Mills said. "We run close to the margin," he added. To maintain that margin, SOU has begun marketing teacher training to an increasingly skeptical audience. Even Kathy Young, one of the MAT graduates who now teaches at Hoover, acknowledged that, on the surface, education doesn’t appear to be thriving. "It’s hard when you see the newspaper articles and all," she said. "But you’ve got to believe that it just isn’t permanent." Mills agreed. There’s no denying that districts in Southern Oregon and across the state are leery of hiring. Even those with positions to fill have had to wait until the last minute because of uncertain funding. But, he contended, there are plenty of jobs available for people willing to relocate or to take temporary contracts. Oregon’s teaching license is one of the most easily transferable in the nation, Mills noted. And, as baby boomers age and retire, demographers expect a teaching shortage, especially in certain fields. "Special education, ESL bilingual education, math and science, there are jobs there," Mills said. To help pay for training, SOU recently received the Oregon Teacher Recruitment Grant, which offers $100,000 a year for five years. SOU will offer 10 $5,000 scholarships to qualified students. Despite warnings about slim job offerings, the Hoover teachers said getting a classroom job is like getting any job: It requires networking and commitment. A new teacher may have to work as a substitute for a while, said Liz Landon. But that’s the best path to a permanent position. "It’s like a daily interview," she said. In the end, it’s up to SOU to remind potential teachers of the rewards of the profession, Mills said. "To me, it’s a calling," he said. It’s a calling to be part of a caring profession where you can make a difference in a child’s life. To me, it doesn’t get much better than that." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times