Teacher Leader Program

About the Teacher Leader Program

The Teacher Leader program fosters the professional development of highly motivated students by providing them with challenging, extracurricular opportunities in the education community. Our goal is for Teacher Leaders to fully understand the educational landscape and to give them the tools to traverse this landscape as effective communicators, problem solvers, and innovators. Approximately ten exceptional undergraduate teacher education seniors will participate in the program, each of whom will be selected through a rigorous application and interview process. 

The Teacher Leader program exposes the students to the most innovative leaders in education and in the community at large through site visits, individual mentors, and roundtable discussions with education leaders. The program kicks off with a weeklong experience in Washington, D.C. before the start of the fall semester. Each Teacher Leader will be assigned a mentor to provide individual interaction throughout the program.

Thanks to the generous support of donors, there is no cost to participate in the program.

Program Requirements

  • demonstration of leadership qualities such as initiative, willingness, and ability to lead;
  • desire to make a difference in education and the community; and
  • commitment to program expectations and program meetings/activities.

Eligibility Requirements

  • a full-time student in good standing at the College of Charleston;
  • a declared Teacher Education major;
  • must have senior standing prior to the start of the fall semester (completed 90 credit hours);
  • available for travel the week before classes begin; and
  • available for monthly meetings on Thursday evenings during the academic year.

Selection Process

Prospective program participants must complete an online application and provide supporting documentation.  Participants will be selected based on eligibility criteria and strength of application, which includes the application, academic record, faculty recommendation, cover letter, and resume. After the initial application review, a select group of students will be invited to a panel interview, which may include program administrators, current Teacher Leaders, and other College of Charleston faculty.

Application

The application for the Teacher Program must be completed online and requires the following:

  1. Basic personal and contact information;
  2. Biographical sketch (1-2 pages); here are some ideas to guide your thinking:
    1. critical events and catalysts which influenced your development;
    2. a rich description of your background, family, significant others as related to your leadership development;
    3. social and cultural environments under which you grew and developed over time;
    4. self-knowledge, including personal traits, what motivates you, and how your specific set of knowledge and skills have been acquired;
    5. how your specific, high level talents impacted your life course; and
    6. a critical examination of your decisions, goals, and interests and your leadership development; and
    7. examples of anecdotes that illustrate your path.
  3. Current resume;
  4. Current class history obtained from Degreeworks (directions here); and
  5. Letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education or in the Department of Health and Human Performance (to be uploaded here).

Application Deadline

The application for the 2021-2022 Teacher Leader cohort will open on Monday, March 15, 2021 and close at 5:00 p.m on Thursday, April 15, 2021.

Contact

Dee Stalvey
Director of Operations 
School of Education, Health, and Human Performance
stalveyd@cofc.edu | 843.953.1984