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APSU, partnering organizations host Grow Your Own Teacher Residency signing events

By: Megan Simpson August 7, 2024

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Teacher residents from rural school districts in Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman and Robertson counties sign their employment contracts at the Grow Your Own Teacher Residency Program signing event at Austin Peay State University, Aug. 30. | Photo by Sean McCully

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s Eriksson College of Education joined with its community college and school district partners to celebrate the future of education with a series of signing ceremonies hosted July 30 - Aug. 1.

The events introduced new participants to the Grow Your Own Teacher Residency program, which now includes Overton County Schools and Putnam County Schools as partner districts.

During each ceremony, the incoming teacher residents signed their contracts with the school districts, outlining the terms of the apprenticeship agreement.

These students work in paid full-time positions as educational assistants while attending evening or online classes at partnering institutions. The school districts and Austin Peay cover the costs of the college courses with support from federal and state funding, allowing eligible Grow Your Own teacher residents to obtain a bachelor’s degree in K-5 elementary education at no cost.

The Eriksson College of Education partners with Nashville State and Volunteer State community colleges, where teacher apprentices complete the requirements for an associate degree in teaching before transferring to Austin Peay.

By the Numbers

During the signing ceremonies, 98 residents from these seven school districts committed to serving local schools and communities on their journey to become certified teachers:

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Dr. Lisa Barron, the Eriksson College of Education’s acting dean and director of teacher education and partnerships, addresses the crowd at the Aug. 31 signing event for Clarksville-Montgomery County teacher residents at Austin Peay State University. | Photo by Sean McCully

Program Impact

The signing ceremonies marked a milestone for the new teacher residents and partnering school districts. These individuals will receive comprehensive training, mentorship and financial support while gaining hands-on experience in the classroom.

“This apprenticeship program addresses three persistent issues in teacher education, which are challenges that we confront year after year: teacher diversity, teacher shortage and increasing teacher recruitment for high-needs licensure areas,” said Dr. Lisa Barron, acting dean and director of teacher education and partnerships at the Eriksson College of Education. “Innovation like this is what you get when excellent school districts, excellent community colleges and an excellent university work together to solve persistent problems."

Michelle Greer, who will start her second year in the Cheatham County School District this month, said teacher residents support each other while navigating coursework and teaching responsibilities. Greer worked in the school system for over two years before joining the apprenticeship program.

“It was free education to get a degree, which I hadn’t been able to do because at that point I was married, having babies … and it was before online classes existed,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for me.”

Clarksville-Montgomery County’s Brandalyn Fithian will be at Northeast Elementary this fall. She previously worked in a special education classroom and viewed the opportunity as a way to advance her career with that student population.

“I really enjoyed working with those kids and seeing their progress and development this year,” she said.

Nashville State is the starting point for students in Montgomery, Cheatham, Dickson and Hickman counties, while Volunteer State is the community college partner for students in Robertson, Putnam and Overton counties.

“[We are] excited to see the innovation and the vision of not just where we are, but where we can all go together,” said Volunteer State Community College President Dr. Wendi W. Tostenson.

Clarksville-Montgomery County was the first district to partner with Austin Peay for Grow Your Own. District officials said the program’s impact is undeniable, with three cohorts of teacher residents now certified and teaching in local schools.

“Since the inception of this program, there are over 4,000 kids in our community who are now being taught by people who are teacher residents,” said Dr. Schanda Doughty, CMCSS chief academic officer. “You, the next 40 [teacher residents] … have the opportunity to impact in your first year roughly around 1,200 of our kids.”

The Eriksson College of Education is committed to producing highly qualified educators passionate about positively impacting their students’ lives. Learn more about the Grow Your Own Teacher Residency on Austin Peay’s website.