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October 12, 2009 -
Lateral Entry Teachers Benefit from CORE Partnership
MOUNT OLIVE – The first four students have begun taking classes through CORE, a partnership with Mount Olive College, Clinton City Public Schools, Duplin County Public Schools, Sampson County Public Schools and Wayne County Public Schools. CORE, which stands for Consortium for Orchestrating Regional Education, was designed for lateral entry teachers to obtain licensure through an alternative program dubbed APPLE (A Progression of Practical Learning Experiences). The year-long program features twice-a-month, Saturday classes on the Mount Olive College campus.
According to Dr. Tommy Benson, chair of the Department of Education at Mount Olive College, “This program will help surrounding school systems attract quality people who already have a baccalaureate degree but no teaching license and develop them quickly into great teachers who can hopefully make a difference in the lives of our children.”
Verna Brown of Maple Hill is one of the first four students in the program.
“The content of the program is in line with what is needed for obtaining my license to teach,” Brown said. “The delivery of the program is great because of the instruction we have been receiving from Dr. Benson and Dean Whitley; and the convenience of time and location is perfect for me because we only meet every other Saturday.”
Brown is no stranger to Mount Olive College. She earned her associate’s degree from the institution in 2004 and her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2009. Brown currently teaches pre-K for Duplin County schools, and previously spent 22 years in the classroom as a teacher assistant.
“I am so glad Mount Olive College has this program,” Brown said. “Even though I have a one-hour commute, I would not have chosen any other place to attend.”
Mount Olive College is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu, or contact Dr. Benson at 919-658-7699.
