Tabatha Chitwood ’19, a third grade teacher at Ferrum Elementary, transitioned to virtual learning in March due to COVID-19.
Alumna Tabatha Chitwood ’19 knew she was always meant to be a teacher.
“I did a co-op my senior year [in high school] and loved it, but I had children first before going to college,” she explained. Chitwood spent her pre-college years working as a restaurant manager, server, and bartender, but never lost her drive to educate children.
She attended Virginia Western Community College for regular classes, and dabbled with becoming a nurse, but ultimately decided to pursue her teaching dream by enrolling as a non-traditional student in Ferrum College’s teacher education program. She graduated in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
“I was a single mother of two boys that played soccer and football. I was busy working two jobs full-time. But I found balancing everything easy because I am used to doing everything on my own,” she said.
In fact, Chitwood found higher education to be so manageable and worthwhile, she has enrolled at Liberty University to pursue a master’s degree in administration and supervision, with the goal of eventually becoming a principal or administrator. “But I will be teaching for a long time first, because I enjoy it,” said Chitwood.
After graduating from Ferrum, Chitwood was hired as a third grade teacher at Ferrum Elementary School.
“It was evident from the first day of school that Tabatha made instant connections with her students and throughout the year formed a bond that helped every student be successful,” said Jennifer Talley, principal at Ferrum Elementary. “Her classroom is a fun and engaging place for students to learn. She provides a variety of hands-on activities to enrich the learning experience for every student.”
Little did Chitwood know that her first year teaching would be so unusual. On March 13, 2020, Franklin County Public Schools closed abruptly for the remainder of the school year to tamp down the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
“Transitioning to virtual learning was hard,” said Chitwood. “We continued using Google Classroom, which is something that we did from the first week of school. That part was easy. Technology is easy and fun for me. The hard part was not seeing my students in person.”
“I am sure she never expected her first year of teaching to transition so quickly from a typical classroom to a virtual classroom. Not only did Tabatha accept the challenge, she embraced the opportunity to provide the richest experiences for all of her students,” said Talley.
Chitwood worked diligently to conduct weekly Google Meets for her students to stay in touch. She also made the work interactive, assigning virtual field trips and hands-on projects like building solar ovens so students could harness the sun’s power to make s’mores.
She said transitioning to virtual learning during her first year of teaching went smoothly, thanks in part to the teaching strategies she learned at Ferrum College.
Chitwood is looking forward to hopefully returning to her in-person classroom in the fall. She is using the summer to continue dreaming up unique and creative ways for her next class to learn, noting “I just hope my students will look back and say I had a positive impact on their lives.”
Learn more about Ferrum College’s teacher education program, including the new elementary education major, here.
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After more than a century of educating students as a training school, junior college, and four-year institution, Ferrum College will now offer graduate degree programs, which will begin in fall 2020 and will be administered as online courses.
The Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges has approved Ferrum College as a level four school, allowing the addition of two graduate programs: a Specialist in Education (EdS) in teacher leadership and coaching, and a Master of Science in psychology.
“This is an important and historic moment for Ferrum College,” said President David Johns. “We have been listening to our students and to our region, and as we have in the past, we grow and change when there is need. We are part of this community, and we are committed to helping the community thrive.”
“Ferrum College is excited about offering graduate-level programs which will provide access to advanced education in the areas of psychology and teacher education. In the coming weeks and months, the faculty will be creating additional programs and certificates to meet the needs within our community,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato.
Alumna Sandra Via has been named director of the School of Graduate and Online Studies. Via is a 2004 graduate of Ferrum College and has served the College for ten years as an adjunct professor, an associate professor of political science, and as the program coordinator of international studies. She will direct the implementation and logistical coordination of the graduate programs.
Via earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ferrum College. She holds a Master of Arts in political science from Virginia Tech and a doctorate in planning, governance, and globalization, also from Virginia Tech.
“I am honored and excited to be able to implement Ferrum College’s first graduate programs,” said Via. “Our new graduate degree programs embody our mission by promoting the intellectual, ethical, and civic growth of students into leaders that serve their community and the world. Like our undergraduate programs, these graduate programs incorporate a personalized learning experience, specialized and caring attention from faculty, and an experiential learning experience for which Ferrum College is known.”
The Master of Science in psychology will attract graduate students who wish to prepare for research and teaching careers that require an advanced degree, such as working at non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, governmental agencies, social services agencies, educational institutions, and community outreach organizations.
The Education Specialist degree is geared toward students who already hold a master’s degree and wish to advance their professional knowledge in either teacher leadership or coaching.
Both programs could also serve as a stepping stone to a doctoral program in either discipline.
Ferrum College will begin accepting applications for enrollment in its graduate programs in January. The College plans to launch additional graduate degree programs within the next two years.
Learn more about the graduate programs here.
Read the article that appeared in The Roanoke Times here.
More about Ferrum College’s history:
Ferrum Training School was founded in 1913 as many young people in the Blue Ridge area had no access to public education. The training school’s first classes began in September 1914 under the leadership of its first principal, Dr. Benjamin Beckham. In 1939, the Virginia Department of Education accredited Ferrum Junior College and its name officially reflected this level change in 1948. Ferrum Junior College was then accredited by the Southern Association of College and Secondary Schools in 1960 and instituted a two-plus-two four-year academic structure in 1974. The first four-year degree was awarded in 1976.
Ferrum College is making a bold “Ferrum Promise”: beginning in fall 2020, students who transfer from a Virginia community college with an appropriate associate’s degree will be able to graduate within two years of transfer, or they will receive free tuition for the remaining coursework.
“Today, nearly forty percent of students who graduate from a Virginia community college need three or more additional years to finish a bachelor’s degree because their new college will not accept many of their credits. This is not what they expected–it’s frustrating, time-consuming, and expensive,” said Ferrum College President David Johns.
The College already guarantees admission from all 23 community colleges in Virginia. The “Ferrum Promise” is the College’s next step to become even more transfer friendly and applies to all students who are enrolled full-time, enter with an appropriate associate’s degree from a Virginia community college, and meet certain academic requirements.
This promise encompasses many majors offered by Ferrum College, including its signature programs:
“We are excited to offer transfer students a seamless transition to Ferrum College where they will receive individualized course mapping with our faculty,” said Provost Aimé Sposato.
“Ferrum College is student-centered and future-focused, and because of this, we are making a promise to our transfer students that will dramatically impact their future,” said Johns. “We support a vision of making college affordable, accessible, and even a little more predictable, and we promise to make this a reality for students who transfer to Ferrum College.”
Visit here to learn more about the “Ferrum Promise” and transferring to Ferrum College.
One hundred percent of Ferrum College’s teacher education program graduates are employed, according to data gathered across three years, from 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Ferrum College teacher education program graduates: spring 2017 (top); spring 2018 (left); fall 2018 (right).
“Approximately ninety percent of our graduates secure full-time employment in their endorsement area by the start of the next school year,” explained Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Christine Christianson. “It is typical for several of our student teachers to interview for and be offered positions before graduation in May. Graduates who are not employed full-time by the start of the school year in August typically work part-time coaching or teaching in a district they targeted until a full-time position in their endorsement area becomes available.”
Franklin County Public Schools has hired forty-seven percent of Ferrum College’s teacher education graduates. The other graduates are teaching in South Carolina, North Carolina, and all over Virginia, including Southwest Virginia, Northern Virginia, Tidewater/Hampton Roads, Southside, and Piedmont regions. Employment data for May 2019 Ferrum College teacher education program graduates will be available in spring 2020.
This fall 2019, Ferrum College began offering courses for a new Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. This degree comes with the state education board’s approval of 53 new teaching preparation programs and allows Ferrum College students interested in teaching in an elementary school setting to earn a degree focused in elementary education.
Christianson explained that Ferrum College usually has more elementary education students than other endorsement areas. Over the last three years, sixty-three percent of Ferrum’s teacher education graduates received an elementary endorsement (pre-kindergarten through sixth grade); twenty-three percent received an endorsement in health and physical education in all grades; and fourteen percent earned an endorsement in secondary subjects, like social studies and English, for sixth grade to twelfth grade.
Ferrum College teacher education program graduates: spring 2016 (top); fall 2016 (bottom).
“Well-prepared educators are influencers at a critical time in the development of elementary-aged children,” said Ferrum College Provost Aimé Sposato. “Our new four-year elementary education degree provides future teachers with the skills and hands-on experience in the classroom they will need to gain employment in school districts throughout the state and region. Our dynamic faculty share their passion and expertise as experienced educators with the students and guide them through the licensure and job search process.”
Christianson noted there is a teacher shortage crisis across the nation. “In Virginia last year, there were one thousand unfilled teacher positions on the first day of school. At Ferrum, we have the capacity to grow our teacher education program, and we are working to do that in several ways: we are offering a dual credit education course at Franklin County High School beginning in Spring 2020; we are participating in campus activities such as the Academic Majors Fair, Academic Fair Open House, and Major Decision Day to promote our program; and we promote our program and our students’ achievements on social media,” said Christianson.
Ferrum College teacher education graduates are proud of the knowledge they received in the program. “Being part of the teacher education program at the College was simply amazing,” explained Tabatha Chitwood, who graduated this past spring and is now a third grade teacher at Ferrum Elementary School. “Not only was I provided with various opportunities to work in my desired field, I was able to make strong connections within the county I have always called home. I also felt empowered by the small class size and was able to make special bonds with friends that are now my colleagues. If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose Ferrum College.”
Learn more about Ferrum College’s teacher education program here.
Watch WDBJ-7’s coverage of this exciting news here.
Additional recent data confirmed an employment rate of 100 percent for spring 2019 teacher education graduates. Per Christianson, “All 14 of the graduates were offered and accepted full time employment during the academic year following graduation.” Data for spring 2020 graduates is still pending.
