UT Southern Welcomes New Teacher Apprentices
April 14, 2023
UT Southern welcomed 13 new members of the Grow Your Own program. This state-wide initiative—the first in the nation—provides an innovative, no-cost pathway for more people to become teachers through apprenticeships with our local partner schools. Every Grow Your Own participant is already a teacher assistant in a school, and the Grow Your Own program makes it possible for these assistants to earn their college degrees with teacher licensure while they continue to work. Grow Your Own at UT Southern is coordinated by Ms. Cindy Young, who has a passion for providing access to teacher licensure in Tennessee. Ms. Young and her colleagues in the Grissom School of Education spent a Saturday afternoon with the program participants to prepare them for the courses ahead. Ms. Young’s message to the future teachers? Plan for success, and remember that your UT Southern education is personal. “There is a lot to juggle as an adult student,” she told them, “but we are here for you. Use your resources, and we will get you to your goals.” Ms. Young introduced her fellow faculty members, as well as current Education-track students, and reminded the Grow Your Own participants that people are their number one resource: “Every person in this room wants to see you succeed.”