The College of Education held a career fair April 18 in the MSC ballroom. Over one hundred school districts attended the event, including districts as far away as Tyler, Nacogdoches, Beaumont, Dallas and schools from nearby districts such as Hempstead, Houston, College Station and Waller.
Dr. Martha L. Bailey, director of student teaching and field experience, said that the College of Education’s responsibilities include training students and seeing that they find positions. The career fair, she said, was a teaching tool for students.
For many students and graduates the event provided an opportunity to survey competition. Crystal Ricard, a teacher and a Prairie View graduate, attended the event “to basically get a feel of all the districts and see the competition that was out.”
While the career fair gave students a chance to network, it also gave districts an opportunity to survey potential employees. Marcette Kilgore, director of human resources for Clear Creek ISD, said “We’re looking for teachers who are student focused and progressive in their thinking.” Kilgore stressed the importance of hands on activities in the classroom for on going assessment.
Robert Branch, assistant Principal at Clear Creek High School, talked about the benefits students could receive from attending the event. “It gives them options,” said Branch. “They’re not bound to go back home to the school district they graduated from.”
According to Bailey, the next step for students is to complete their program and for student teachers, to find a job and start teaching.