The Teaching Fellows Program at the University of South Carolina Aiken will soon reach a special milestone anniversary. The program, which launched at USCA in 2015, turns 10 years old next year. In recognition of this milestone, the university plans to celebrate all Teaching Fellows past and present.
The South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program is a fellowship for qualified South Carolina high school students who wish to pursue a degree in education and a career in South Carolina’s public schools. The program provides a $24,000 loan over four years for 220 outstanding high school seniors—with the expectation that they will teach in a South Carolina public or charter school for at least four years after graduation.
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Timothy Lintner serves as USCA's Teaching Fellows campus director. He says, “This program identifies high school students who have a genuine passion and commitment to education. It encourages them to invest four years in their education and then transfer that knowledge and expertise back into the classroom.”
More than 20 years ago, the Teaching Fellows Program was developed by the S.C. Legislature to recruit the most qualified teachers for its public schools. Since then, South Carolina has positioned itself as a national leader, with its program used as an example for other states across the country.
“You have to invest in talent, and we have to provide an opportunity to encourage and entice young leaders,” Lintner says. “And the data speaks for itself—Teaching Fellows stay in the classroom.”
USCA is one of only 12 schools in South Carolina identified as a Teaching Fellows institution. Because of its small size, the university accepts just 10 to 12 new Fellows each year, with a total of 35 students in the program. According to Lintner, the program’s small size is an advantage, offering a tight-knit community with personalized attention.
“Because we’re small, we do small really, really, well,” he says. “Our students are so invested in their communities that they often want to return to their home school to serve and make a difference. It’s one of the most refreshing parts of our program. We have the most incredible students.”
Other than size, two unique cornerstones set the USCA program apart: teacher leadership and advocacy. All Fellows are encouraged to take leadership positions on campus and must complete the Leadership USCA certificate program. They also learn how to serve as advocates for their profession, community, and students, such as through policy change. Further, experiential learning begins immediately, with students placed in local public schools within their first two weeks on campus.
Lintner says, “We are not just producing teachers, we are producing teacher leaders. Our students are learning not just how to become an exceptional educator, but an exceptional teacher leader.”
Senior Karli Overton is one of USCA’s newest teacher leaders. The close relationships within the Teaching Fellow community have been particularly meaningful to her, fostered by separate cohorts for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes, but with opportunities to connect as a larger group.
“This truly is a family,” Overton says. “Because we are small, we can have direct contact and relationships within our cohort as well as the entire class. We have nicknames and inside jokes, and it’s just something special when you see someone on campus and call them by their nickname.”
Overton has accepted a fourth-grade teaching position at Horse Creek Academy in Aiken and will have a classroom of her own beginning in August. It’s a dream come true: Having grown up in a small town with limited opportunities, she is passionate about giving back in the same way her own teachers supported her.
She says, “What I saw in my classrooms growing up is teachers who cared, who taught us how to love ourselves and see a future for ourselves even when we were told it wasn’t possible. I want to be that person for someone else. My students will have my constant love and support.”
Even after she leaves the program, Overton will be one of USCA's “Forever Fellows,” the term of endearment used to recognize all of the university’s Teaching Fellows. To celebrate 10 years of the program and the Fellows’ service to public education, the School of Education plans to hold a special event in their honor, with details to be decided at a later date.
“We will be celebrating 10 years of a program that has invested back into our community here in South Carolina. It is very powerful and I’m so proud of what we’ve done,” Lintner says.
For more information, contact Leigh Thomas - thomas29229@yahoo.com