"The Best and the Brightest"

All North Carolina Teaching Fellows have always been referred to as the "best and the brightest," so I remain extremely humbled to have become part of this group my senior year in high school. This scholarship was created in 1986 to help our state recruit prospective teachers who would make a valuable difference in the public education system. In the last 23 years, the program has significantly expanded along with assisting with the teacher shortage within the last decade. The NC General Assembly has been generous with budgeting this program by providing 500 students with $24,000 scholarships to various universities and colleges in the state. After graduation, these students must teach in North Carolina four years to "pay back" the scholarship.

I am extremely passionate about this program because it not only prepared me to become a successful teacher, but it continues to enhance my professional endeavors. In our county, I make a conscientious effort to inform students from both high schools of this prestigious scholarship and provide assistance for the strenuous process which starts in October with applications. The following month, the students are interviewed at the local county level, and I was fortunate to serve on this interview committee. I was impressed with Montgomery County's high school seniors who want to pursue a career in education. They shared the reasons they wanted to teach, with the most popular answer being inspired by their own former teachers. As an interview team, we had to "score" the students based on GPA, SAT, community/school involvement, and the overall interview process. The composite scores are then sent to the Teaching Fellows Commission in Raleigh to make the final decision for regional finalists. It is an achievement to make to the regional level, and Montgomery County was represented well by two candidates from West Montgomery High School.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to serve on the Regional Screening Committee for District 5, which was held at UNC-Greensboro. I was grateful to have had the privilege to network with other influential educators including teachers, administrators, and school board members. There were many Teaching Fellows Alumni among this group, which proves how many of us are proud of this program. It was also a delight to see the executive director, Jo Ann Norris, who ensured the day went smoothly. She has been in this role throughout the entire program's existence.

The morning was spent debriefing about the interview process and expectations with each regional finalist. Each committee was made up of 3-4 members that would interview five to six students. I worked with two phenomenal educators on my committee including an assistant principal from Alamance-Burlington Schools and the chairman of the school board in Davidson County. Therefore, we were a "well-rounded" committee by making sure the candidates felt comfortable (even though most of them were extremely nervous). Each candidate left me shocked that they were so aware of educational issues and were already so passionate about teaching. It was rewarding to hear these young people who were determined to make a difference in a child's life by impacting the world in a classroom. I am sure this experience was refreshing for all of us "on the other side" because these young adults reminded us why we teach---the students!
These interviews made me reflect on my own Teaching Fellows memories at Appalachian State University. I will forever be indebted to the Teaching Fellows program for its enrichment opportunities (traveling across the state touring schools, visiting inner city school systems in Washington, D.C., and internships at local schools). My lifelong friends, who I keep in contact regularly, are Teaching Fellows. I am also proud of my former intern who followed in my footsteps as a NC Teaching Fellows at Appalachian State University.


The Regional Screening process made me realize North Carolina will be fortunate when these five hundred, the "best and the brightest" future teachers enter our classrooms.