Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College has valued education for future educators in the workforce for decades. Since the increase in the teacher shortage, the College has decided to bring back programs in the education department to help alleviate some of the shortage. After being vacant for nearly five years, the College decided to reintroduce the P-12, Mild Intervention, Special Education undergraduate program to produce well-rounded professionals to take action in the classroom. In addition, SMWC is offering add-on programs for currently licensed teachers wanting to add this area as well as transition to teach and alternate programs for people with bachelor’s degrees who want to become special ed teachers.
Throughout the summer of 2022, there were over 1700 teaching positions open in the country. Robin Thoma, interim chair for the Department of Education and assistant professor, stated that the teaching shortage has been a lack of both resources and staff. In recognizing the problem, Thoma explained that the department has high hopes for the program. “The goal is for us to close the shortage gap to form high-quality, certified special education teachers in the classroom.” For candidates in the Alternate P-12 Mild Intervention program and add-on Mild Intervention or Intense Intervention, I-SEAL funding may be available from the state of Indiana. To qualify, each candidate must be employed in a school as a special education teacher. Interested candidates can find out more at https://sites.google.com/uindy.edu/indianaiseal/home.
Although the teaching shortage has reached record numbers, especially in special education, Thoma explained that the teacher decrease has been gradual and more concerning through the years. “It’s always been a shortage area but now that’s compounded with a shortage of teachers across the board.”
With deep roots in online education, the department designed the program to accommodate all students who choose to enroll in the program. The program curriculum will be offered both online and on-campus and can be completed in one year. “We know that there are people and current teachers who want to become para-professionals but need to remain employed. Our program allows them to do that, so I think that really sets us apart from other institutions.” Thoma also mentioned that partnerships with other school corporations have assisted in growing the online program due to corporations paying for their para-professionals to get certified.
As the program continues to grow, SMWC looks forward to making an impact in producing more teachers. “As a former special education teacher, I’m very supportive of us [the College] to offer the opportunity to get as many high-quality, special education teachers in the workforce as possible.”
For more information about the program, visit our website at smwc.edu/education or contact the Education Department at EducationDepartment@smwc.edu.