Four Grace College 2017 graduates were recently recognized as outstanding prospective teachers. Alexandria Brown, Jena Stevenson, and Sarah Landfair were named Outstanding Prospective Teachers, while Angela Mack was presented the Indiana Future Reading Teacher Award. All four women student taught in Warsaw Community Schools.
Alexandria Brown, originally from Caro, Mich., student taught second grade at Eisenhower Elementary School and kindergarten at Leesburg Elementary School. Jena Stevenson hails from Niles, Mich., and student taught math at both Warsaw Community High School and Edgewood Middle School. Sarah Landfair, originally from Troy, Ohio, student taught special education at Madison Elementary School and went abroad to student teach first grade in Honduras. Angela Mack, also of Troy, Ohio, student taught fifth grade at Harrison Elementary.
Each year, the School of Education at Grace College selects three seniors studying education to receive the Outstanding Prospective Teacher Award. Supervisors and faculty from the School of Education select students based on their exemplary effort as student teachers. Simultaneously, the Indiana Future Reading Professors Council chose one student from Grace College to receive the Indiana Future Reaching Teacher Award. Each Grace awardee was given a plaque in recognition of their achievement.
“We’re very proud of the incredible effort these ladies put into their student teaching and other academic pursuits,” said Dr. Laurie Owen, dean of the School of Education at Grace College. “They exemplify Grace’s mission of competence, character, and service in many ways.” Each student rose to the top of their classes at Grace in both achievement and behavior. They also performed well on their professional exams.
“This award is a huge honor,” said awardee Sarah Landfair. “I am a perfectionist and always push myself to do my best. At times during my Grace education classes and student teaching, I felt like I would never be a sufficient teacher. I’m far from perfect, but this award reminds me that I have learned and grown so much. It reminds me not to give up and to continue learning and growing,” she said. After graduation, Landfair hopes to teach in her hometown of Troy, Ohio.
Angela Mack was equally honored to receive the Future Teaching Teacher Award. “This award matters to me because I love to teach reading and because I care about the growth of my students,” said Mack. “This award gives me confirmation that my instruction is benefiting students—my primary concern as a teacher.” After graduation, Mack intends to teach in Warsaw or her hometown.
Grace College education majors are taught classroom planning, instruction, management, and professionalism, as well as the ability to respond to moral and ethical issues in the classroom. These skills, combined with applied learning experiences, P-12 classroom teaching, and community-based service projects, provide graduates the disposition, knowledge, and competencies needed to be effective in the field of education.
The Grace College School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and is approved by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Indiana Department of Education.