Education alumni stay connected as BGSU mentor teachers

BGSU alumni regularly give back by serving as the mentor teacher for current students during teaching placements

Education graduates from Bowling Green State University often find that their undergraduate degree is just the beginning of their connection to the program.

BGSU, which has long been one of the state’s largest producers of teachers, has an expansive network of education alumni, many of whom choose to become a mentor teacher to the next generation of BGSU education alumni.

Every school year, a new crop of preservice teachers are given relevant field placements in schools across Ohio and beyond as they complete their undergraduate studies, and many of them find an invaluable resource along the way: a BGSU graduate already serving as a teacher who becomes their mentor.

For many Falcons, it’s a way to not only give back to the program that helped them become a teacher, but also because the University’s reputation for success within education lets them know their student teacher will be qualified and ready to contribute to their students.

“I only take BGSU student teachers, and the main reason I do that is because I know when they come into my classroom, it’s not their first time with children,” said Jaime McNamara ’07, ’12, who teaches K-2 special education in Sylvania, near Toledo. “They’ve gotten to go to other field placements and they’ve learned how to interact with kids, which lets them really work on their teaching skills when they’re here.”

Preservice teachers at BGSU begin gaining classroom experience as soon as their freshman year, but receive more intensive, year-long placements as they near graduation.

For BGSU graduates already in the field, the chance to connect with the next generation of colleagues in their profession is a rewarding experience.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with preservice teachers because they’re so excited, which brings so much energy to your classroom and your students,” said Lisa Caswell ’98, ’07, a middle-school mathematics teacher in Perrysburg who regularly has served as a mentor teacher.

 “That always re-energizes me, so I get as much from them as they get from me. It’s really a give and take, and it’s so rewarding to see them grow.”

For Carrie Peters ’02, who teaches social studies at Woodmore Middle School, the chance to be a regular mentor teacher is a way to keep the pipeline of BGSU education grads going.

She recalled fondly being mentored by another BGSU graduate, Michele Gephart, when she was a student teacher, and interacting with the next generation of students provides a consistent way to connect to her alma mater.

"As BGSU students come into my class as student teachers, I can see that BGSU still provides an amazing education,” Peters said. “I feel like BGSU has its students go above and beyond, and that prepares them for any situation they may encounter."

For many BGSU alumni serving as mentor teachers, the crux of the experience is being a resource for preservice teachers learning how to make a lesson come to life.

Veteran teachers know the experience of working hard to plan a great lesson or trying something new, then having to navigate challenges along the way – which can be intimidating for a new teacher who does not have years of classroom experience on which to rely.

“I’ve had some great student teachers who will look at me after a lesson and say, ‘OK, what now?’” McNamara said. “Then we talk through it, and the next lesson, they’re more confident, back at it and trying to make it better.”

As many teachers remember fondly, there is nothing quite like their first year in the profession – but having the support of a fellow BGSU graduate before graduation day can be a big help.

“Good mentor teachers made such an impact on me when I was young," Caswell said. “I knew when I graduated that I wanted to be the same for the next generation.”