ATTENTION: Mentoring and Support Planning Group

Before the pandemic, the Grow Your Own Program had started a Mentoring and Support Planning Group to create a network of support options for both preservice and new teachers. We looked at various models and talked to the director of the University of South Carolina TIPS Program. We also arranged focus groups with current students and new teachers to talk about support needs. However, we need to build a stronger support network to recruit and retain good teachers.   

This spring we will restart our planning efforts and hope to launch a pilot in the fall of next year. To do this we want to gather as much information and input as possible this coming spring. Please complete the survey below to share resources (links, articles, etc.), volunteer with our group, or just receive updates on our work.

We will report back to everyone who completes the survey with next steps.  

Sullivan High School Visit

The Future Educators Club at Sullivan High School invited the EIU Rural Teacher Corps to their school on December 3rd. RTC members Heather Kistner, Rebecca Habing, Isabel Lee, and Holly Higgins answered their questions about what it is like to be an education major, what it is like to attend EIU, and general advice as they continue through their academic career. Thank you, Sullivan, for having us!

Educator Appreciation Game

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Educator Appreciation game is on Saturday, Jan 29th! Women’s tip off is at 1:00 and men’s is at 3:30. There will be activities in between and during the men’s game. All educators and their families get in for free and also get free popcorn and a drink!

Coming Soon...

Our office is eager to soon be launching a podcast!  The podcast will be featuring various educators who will share their perspectives and experiences in Rural Education.  Stay tuned for more by following us on our social media pages:

Whether you have any questions to ask or stories to share, we'd love to hear from you!