As Elon students return to class, six recent Elon graduates prepare to lead classrooms of their own — here in the Alamance-Burlington School System. Class of 2024 graduates Julia Kearney, Meghan Malone and Malaina Carter are among the six recent Elon graduates in the newest class of the Teach for Alamance program who join the collection of Elon alumni teaching in Alamance County.
Beginning with the graduating class of 2023, Teach for Alamance is offered to Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education graduates who hope to enroll in Elon’s Master of Education in Innovation program. Teach for Alamance allows students to earn a Master's degree without tuition costs while teaching within the Alamance-Burlington School System for the two years that they are in the M.Ed. program.
Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions James Gilmore said the M.Ed. program was specifically designed for teachers who hope to enhance their abilities.
“It's designed for any teacher working in the classroom to enhance what they're doing with really sort of cutting edge techniques and methods that are sort of proven, evidently, proven, to help students learn better regardless of their background,” Gilmore said.
Inspired by her love of learning, South Mebane Elementary third grade teacher Malaina Carter said she wanted to become a teacher to show her students the joy of learning.
“I love learning new things, and that's another reason why I wanted to get my master's,” Carter said. “I just love school, and I want to help other kids love school because I feel like a lot of times kids don't have a positive relationship with school.”
Carter said the community she found within the education school influenced her decision to enroll in the Teach for Alamance program.
“I just knew I'd be well supported, and it would be a great community for me for my first two years,” Carter said.
First grade South Mebane Elementary teacher Maghan Malone said she is grateful for all the opportunities Elon gave her, including studying and teaching abroad in New Zealand as a teaching fellow. Through her experience in New Zealand, Malone found aspects of classroom life that she wanted to bring to her class.
“A lot of outdoor time, a lot of game-based, competition-based learning, which I actually brought into my student teaching last year,” Malone said. “The kids loved it. Not only was it motivating for them to learn because it was a competition, but it taught them how to be a good sport and how to work as a team.”
Malone said one of the benefits of staying in the Alamance-Burlington area was the strong connections she built while student teaching at South Mebane Elementary School.
“Those connections that you're able to make the year prior with fellow faculty, staff, administration, is so valuable, especially starting out as a first-year teacher,” Malone said. “I just feel so much relief that I already know the first-grade team and have people on my side and I've taught the same curriculum.”
Malone said even if an Elon student did not go on to work at the same school they taught at, the connections made through Elon remain.
“Obviously, not everyone who stays in the county stays at the same school or grade necessarily, but you still have those connections and are familiar with how things run,” Malone said. “I would definitely recommend it to other Elon students.”
Gilmore said he enjoys working with the Teach for Alamance applications because of the individual students who apply and their motivations to teach.
“From an admissions perspective, the M.Ed. program is a very rewarding program to work with, because, obviously, you're preparing people for a really kind of exceptional career,” Gilmore said. “It's not primarily an income-driven opportunity for most people, and so the reasons that people want to get the M.Ed. are really inspiring. I was really just sort of moved by the applications from this year's applicants for TFA. ”
While North Graham Elementary fourth grade teacher Julia Kearney has always dreamed of being a teacher, she only became an education major in her junior year.
“I wanted to be a teacher my whole life, but I think that it took my family some time to adjust to the fact that I wanted to be a teacher,” Kearney said. “But making decisions for yourself really goes a long way, and I'm really happy to be where I am.”
The Teach for Alamance program and tuition costs award students a stipend to help with any expenses. Kearney said the stipend helped her get established post-grad.
“That really, really helped big time with moving costs because I live local now, and classroom costs because you really don't know what kind of stuff you need until you get in there,” Kearney said.
Kearney said if she had to give a piece of advice to younger Elon students, she would encourage them to follow their dreams and choose what they want to do.
“If it's what you want to do, do it,” Kearney said. “They'll show you videos in your first ed classes of why teachers burnout, why teachers quit, but if it's something you want to do, absolutely go for it. It is the most rewarding. I know it sounds really cheesy, but it really was. I learned so much about myself and I learned so much about my classmates. I really could not have asked for better professors.”
