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As Good as Gold |
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This fall three of Illinois’s best teaching candidates, as recognized by the Golden Apple Foundation, enrolled at Greenville College. Freshmen Alissa Kirsteatter, Chelsea Smith and Angela Vann began their journey toward teaching with practical inner-city teaching experience behind them. They spent the summer observing and teaching in Chicago and attending seminars such as “History of a School in Need” and “Helpful Hints for Happy Teachers” at DePaul University. The three women were selected to receive scholarships and mentoring by the state of Illinois to prepare them to teach in schools of both financial and academic need.
Kirsteatter is grateful for her experience this summer and looks forward to interterm when she will participate in another observing and teaching experience in St. Louis. “I’m so thankful to Golden Apple for this experience,” said Kirsteatter. Growing up in a rural setting in north central Illinois she appreciated the diverse environment. “Without this experience I would have totally missed out. I would have been afraid to make friends with people who look or think differently than I do.” Kirsteatter would eventually like to teach in a rural area similar to where she grew up.
Founded in 1985 by Mike Koldyke, a former third-grade teacher, the Golden Apple Foundation believes that effective teaching is the most critical component of education. The Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, created in 1988 by the awardwinning teachers of the Golden Apple Foundation, recruits and prepares bright and talented high school graduates who represent a rich ethnic diversity for successful teaching careers in high need schools throughout Illinois. The Golden Apple Foundation’s Academy of Educators believes that nothing is more important to education than the interaction between teacher and student.
The program offers advance teacher preparation and financial assistance for college. Golden Apple Scholars receive up to a $2,500 scholarship per year for four years payable to the Scholar’s undergraduate institution. Scholars must attend one of the Illinois colleges and universities that participate in the program. Golden Apple Scholars must earn a bachelor’s degree at one of the 53 Illinois universities that participate in the program, obtain Illinois teacher certification and teach for five years in an Illinois school of need.
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F06 Good as Gold