Montana Rural Teacher Project - December 2020 newsletter

December 2020

This newsletter contains news and information of interest about

Montana Rural Teacher Project. Thanks for staying informed.

Current Students Promote Program

It is one thing when administrators tout the benefits of a program. It is totally different when students organize to write a collective guest column and then publish it in five of the state's largest papers.

Maggie Anderson, Gabriel Furshong, Amber Murr, and Peregrine Frissell (current Montana Rural Teacher Project students enrolled in MSU’s Master of Arts in Teaching program) co-authored a piece that has appeared in the Billings Gazette, The Missoulian, The Montana Standard, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and the Daily Interlake.

The students centered their column around the challenge Montana rural school districts face in recruiting and retaining teachers and how Montana State University has responded. With the online MAT degree program and funding through the MRTP grant, the students shared “the online coursework is cutting edge, and the financial support is game-changing. Next spring, most of us will graduate debt free as fully licensed teachers with masters-level qualifications.”

We invite you to click on the links above and learn how MRTP students are sharing their experience and excitement for educating Montana students. We hope their enthusiasm for the profession and MSU's Master of Arts in Teaching program prompts people in your community to apply.

Photo credit: Jayne Downey

It's Application Time!

Building on the tremendous students who are currently in the MAT program, we are excited to review applications from the amazing people in your community who are interested in becoming teachers.

The application window for the secondary stream (English, math, social studies broadfield, and science broadfield) is open through January 1, 2021 with a May 2021 start date.

Like you, we know there is incredible value when students learn together. We aim to have at least 5 MAT students in each secondary content area. Please help recruit YOUR next math, science, English, or social studies teacher by referring applicants to the MAT.

Please note: all MAT students take the Praxis before applying to the program. It's important to plan ahead as Praxis exam dates may be limited.

More information about the program is available on the website .

Are you hosting a meeting where the MAT Team could recruit?

If so, please contact Tricia Seifert.

MAT Graduate Extolls Program

Maggie Sizemore was part of the inaugural class of secondary MAT students during the 2019-20 year. She took a moment to write Dr. Christine Stanton, her social studies methods teacher, this fall to share how prepared she was for her new position. “I have been thinking of and using our MAT classes quite a bit – in fact I felt more prepared than a good amount of my colleagues with all the Covid changes.” Maggie continued how she has been asked to teach a “Native American Heritage & Culture” class based on her experience in Dr. Stanton’s course and exposure to IEFA resources. She concluded her note stating, “While [teaching] is a dynamic field and I am never fully prepared (depending on the day), I feel like I have a great foundation.”

2020 has been a year of great uncertainty, it is gratifying to hear from our MAT graduates about how prepared they feel encountering the many unknowns that have characterized this past year.

We know amazing potential candidates, like Maggie, are in our rural communities, but we need your help finding them.

Ledger art by John Isaiah Pepion (Piikani artist)

If you know of prospective students, please contact Jamie O’Callaghan.

Please share this opportunity with other school leaders in your area.