Glen Calhoun '08 M.Ed. graduate of the Mount's TEAM program (an accelerated program in Early Childhood Education) sees hope and potential in the teaching profession to provide for the emotional and social well-being of children.
During his ten years as a stay-at-home dad while volunteering and tutoring at his children’s school, Glen yearned to become a teacher. The Mount’s TEAM program, a 15-month accelerated master’s program that leads to teacher licensure, was the perfect fit for him.
“The format of full-time student teaching and full-time classes was challenging, but I experienced tremendous support and encouragement from the Mount’s Education Department. They really went above and beyond to meet the needs of adult students and their reputation in the field of teacher training is outstanding. The camaraderie with my fellow students and the full-year practicum were both invaluable. The TEAM program was fantastic, and I wouldn’t be where I am as an educator without my degree from the Mount.”
He first teaching job in the Cincinnati Public School District (CPS) was at Mt. Airy, after that he moved on to Rothenberg Preparatory Academy, followed by an eight-year stint as a preschool teacher at CPS’s Rees E. Price Academy. While teaching summer school in 2015, Glen had a conversation with the assistant director of educational issues with the American Federation of Teachers. The following summer, Glen was invited to attend the AFT’s Summer Educator Academy in Baltimore, Maryland and became a local trainer for the Foundations of Effective Teaching.
He was just getting started.
Before long, he combined his foundations training with a colleague’s behavior management work, and Glen became a national trainer, a teacher of teachers in Washington, DC, and New Jersey. This led to Glen’s current work on a group of 11 teachers across the country who are writing training materials for social/emotion learning and universal design for learning.
He could not be more excited with the trajectory his career has taken. For the fall 2020 school year, Glen will be one of two incoming lead teachers for early childhood education in the Cincinnati Public School District. His work will entail guiding pre-k teachers in classroom setup and management, student engagement, and curriculum across nearly 150 classrooms. The impact of the pandemic has him working hard to develop learning plans and a variety of scenarios.
“Whatever the plan ends up being, buy-in from the students, families and the teachers is critical to everyone’s success in the learning process. I may work out of the district office, but ultimately, I’m not administrator. I’m a teacher.”
When schools closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Glen and his team teacher at Rees E. Price created circle time videos, surrounded by stuffed animals, so they could have virtual circle times with their preschool students. Before they knew it, the district had shared the video as a best practice for other teachers who were trying to adapt to teaching in a virtual classroom.
And now, Glen believes teachers need even more support, especially given the high number of early career teachers. He knows every teacher and every group of students is different and requires a practical, unique, and effective approach to learning.
“Children learn from having relationships with their peers and with their teachers. That relationship must be built on respect—for where the students are coming from and what’s important to them. Students want to learn from people that ‘get who they are’ and understand their daily struggles. The love and emotional support these children need never ceases.”
His love of teaching is evident in his paying it forward at the Mount. Glen is part of a committee for the School of Education working on a dual master’s degree in pre-K and special education. As part of this effort, he teaches a Promoting Child Development course in the TEAM Program he once attended.
“It’s so fulfilling. I see myself in the students…I remember what it was like to be on the cusp of becoming a teacher. It means a lot to me to play a part in their learning and success in their future classrooms.”
He’s not stopping there.
Glen is also part of a transition committee for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), where he is working to develop basic guidelines for early childhood educators nationwide. He’s also pursuing a master’s degree in Education Leadership at Miami University of Ohio.
“I see so much hope and powerful potential in the teaching profession right now. We are equipping the next generation of teachers not just to teacher academic content, but also to meet the social and emotional needs of children to develop the skills they need to help them reach their full potential.”
Visit the School of Education page to learn more about education programs at the Mount.