KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The first ever graduates of the Institute for Urban Education at the University of Missouri at Kansas City signed teaching contracts Thursday morning.
Eight women signed teaching contracts with Kansas City, Kan., Kansas City, Mo. and Hickman Mills, Mo. School Districts
.
Students in the program get scholarships if they agree to teach in urban districts for four years.
Requirements are more than normal for a degree in elementary education. They include 140 classroom hours and 1,400 student teaching hours.
This fall, Teonna Lee will teach 5th and 6th grade English at Garfield Elementary School.
She says a former teacher sparked her passion to become a teacher in the urban core.
“One of my teachers told me he was tired of teaching the unteachable so he was retiring… My kids will never be put in that situation. As long as I can help I'm going to help,” she says.
Clive Coleman, interim Superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District, says participating in this program was a no brainer.
“Teaching talent is underestimated. So how do we judge and measure teacher talent? Here's a way that we can ensure that we have good talented teachers, first year teachers in our school district,” says Coleman.
The scholarship money comes from corporations, foundations and alumni. There are now 55 students enrolled in the program.
