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Teach Elkhart County

From and For Our Schools

Teach Elkhart County (Teach EC) is a “grow your own” program that attracts, prepares, and retains students from Elkhart County as teachers in Elkhart, Concord, Goshen, and Bethany districts/schools. Our goal is to produce a culturally responsive and community-rooted teacher pipeline from and for Elkhart County schools through Goshen College’s Teacher Education program. We do this through a wrap-around mentorship program across 4 years of college and into their first year of teaching.

We join hundreds of programs nationwide that seek to create pipelines into the education profession, though each pathway is unique to its context.

Teach EC has 3 phases

1. Inspire

2. Cultivate

3. Thrive

When our elementary students become classroom teachers, each of them will have the privilege of working with 25 young Elkhart County learners per year on average. Once our secondary students become teachers, they will benefit 150 Elkhart County youth per year on average. Area elementary, middle, and high school students will benefit from highly qualified teachers from diverse backgrounds who can have a positive academic and social impact on their lives.

Top 5 reasons you should Teach EC

1. Role model

2. Wrap-around mentorship

3. Professional development

4. Placement assistance

5. Retention support

Hear from Participants in Teach Elkhart County

Student reading while a teacher guides her
  • 40%
    of GC attendees are the first in their family to attend college
  • 99%
    of student teachers who finish the education program pass qualifying test for licensure
  • 41%
    of GC students are racial/ethnic minority students or from outside the U.S.

    Student Quotes

    Jayden Hernandez and Isis Espinoza headshot
    • I want to be a positive light, improve students’ experiences in schools, and create a safe space for students

      Jayden Hernandez

      Teach EC cohort 2

    • There are a lot of cultural instances that some teachers won’t understand, [as well as] language and home-life things too… I love speaking my native language of Spanish, so being able to [be] a teacher who can also talk to [students] in that language makes it easier for me to connect with them.

      Isis Espinoza

      Teach EC cohort 1

    • Representation matters. ‘Teach Elkhart County’ is committed to nurturing the next generation of Elkhart County teachers to make a lifelong difference in our schools and communities.

      Robina Sommers Headshot

      Robina Sommers

      Director of Teach Elkhart County and Assistant Professor of Education 

      Available programs and certificates

      • Dual license in Elementary (K-6th grade) and Special Education (P-12th grade): Increasing numbers of students with differing abilities are included in general education settings.  Your dual certification in Elementary and Exceptional Needs: Mild will help you meet the needs of all learners, whether in classrooms or resource rooms.
      • Dual license in Elementary (K-6th grade) and English Language Learners (P-12th grade): Currently there is a high demand for teachers who are skilled in working with students who do not speak English as their first language.  GC’s dual certification program places future teachers in schools with some of the fastest growing populations of English language learners in the area.
      • K-12th grade licenses in four areas (English learners, music, physical education or visual arts).
      • 5th-12th grade licenses in 13 areas (chemistry, English/language arts, English learners, life sciences, mathematics, music-vocal or instrumental, physical education, physical education/health, physics, social studies-with a major in history, Spanish, theater arts, visual arts).

      Goshen College certificates in conflict transformation for teachers or Bible and religion available.

      Teaching for Elementary students workshop

      Excellent Facilities

      • Laboratory kindergarten: The teacher education program partners with Goshen Community Schools to offer a language- and experience-rich public laboratory kindergarten on the Goshen College Campus. It provides opportunities for teaching and observing child development, behavior, and learning methods, as well as field placements for the kindergarten internship.
      • Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center: A 1,189-acre nature conservancy owned by Goshen College which hosts more than 5,000 school children each year for outdoor education.
      • Curriculum Library, Aschliman Peace Arts Collection and Royer Reading Room: Goshen

      College Curriculum Library contains textbooks, educational kits, curriculum guides (K-12) and peace education materials (K-12). The Mary Royer Reading Room houses an excellent collection of children’s books.

      Education Faculty & Staff

      • Kathy Meyer Reimer headshot

        Kathy Meyer Reimer

        Professor of Education
        Director of Elementary Education

        kathymr@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7443 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 115C (Map)

      • Suzanne Ehst headshot

        Suzanne Ehst

        Professor of Education and Director of Master of Arts in Teaching

        sehst@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7875 (Call)
        Administration Building 14H (Map)

      • Brooke Lemmon headshot

        Brooke Lemmon

        Professor of Education
        Director of Special Education

        bnlemmon@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7442 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 115D (Map)

      • Steve Thalheimer headshot

        Steve Thalheimer

        Assistant Professor of Education and Director of Education

        sthalheimer@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7660 (Call)

      • Danaé Wirth headshot

        Danaé Wirth

        Director of Accreditation
        Assistant Professor of Education

        danaeew@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7094 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 106 (Map)

      • Robina Sommers headshot

        Robina Sommers

        Assistant Professor of Education
        Director of Teach Elkhart County

        rsommers@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7045 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 115A (Map)

      • Roy Jackson II headshot

        Roy Jackson II

        Assistant Professor of Education

        rejackson@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7043 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 115E (Map)

      • Janine Ostergren headshot

        Janine Ostergren

        Education Administrative Assistant

        janinemo@goshen.edu
        (574) 535-7440 (Call)
        Church-Chapel 115B (Map)