The power of a good teacher

Published: 09/29/2017

As teaching and learning commence with the start of the fall semester, and we welcome our awesome students to SCC, we would like to take a moment to express appreciation for teachers.

Almost all of us can recall an influential teacher – someone who helped us to overcome challenges or inspired us to work harder and reach higher.

When we asked some of our students about the teachers who made a difference to them, the answers went beyond how they taught the curriculum.

Here’s what they said:

1. Always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself
2. Inspired me to find a field I loved, no matter how much money I would make
3. Challenged me as a student, but also as a person
4. Passionate about the subject
5. Addressed my questions personally and gave me specific help
6. Stayed after and helped me with a concept I wasn’t getting
7. Really supportive and made me feel like I mattered

At SCC not only do we have many great teachers, we also have highly motivated students who are studying to become great teachers.

Megan Gibbs is one of them.

Megan received her Associate of Arts in Teaching – Elementary Education from SCC in 2017 and currently is working on her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis through a cohort program that allows her to take UMSL’s classes at SCC.

Megan said she has always known she wanted to be a teacher and originally wanted to come to SCC because of the small class sizes and the A+ Schools Program, which pays for her tuition.

When she took her first education class at SCC, she said it confirmed her decision. While working toward her associate degree, she was able to take advantage of the college’s recent partnership with the Fort Zumwalt School District to get her field experience while she completed her classes.

She also gained leadership experience serving as president of the Student Missouri State Teacher’s Association and was able to work at the same time as an assistant teacher at SCC’s Child Development Center.

She said she enjoys her classes and that the education program at SCC really prepared her well. However, she said she can’t wait to graduate and go “all in” as a teacher.

SCC’s Education Program offers six different associate degrees and two certificate programs.

More information is available on SCC’s website, or by contacting Nicole Nunn-Faron, Ed.D., associate professor and department chair of education at SCC.

Dr. Nunn-Faron brought the UMSL cohort program to SCC in 2014. Students who complete their Associate of Arts in Teaching degree can pursue a Bachelor of Elementary Education degree and state certification in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education K-12 by taking classes held on SCC’s campus.

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About the SCC Foundation

The SCC Foundation, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, enhances learning environments for thousands of students each year through scholarship awards, academic and program enhancements as well as community outreach.