Rural Schools Collaborative is pleased to provide another update on TARTANS (Teachers Allied with Rural Towns and Neighborhood Schools), the new teacher corps initiative coordinated by Educational Studies Faculty at Monmouth College.
Assisting TARTANS is one of the key elements of our work in Western Illinois through our Western Illinois Hub, which is anchored by the Galesburg Community Foundation in partnership with Monmouth College.
Monmouth, IL (Tuesday, February 5, 2019): The TARTANS met with Monmouth College Educational Studies professors and our Community Engagement Fellow, Amjad Karkout, for their second workshop. During the workshop, Ed. Studies professors moderated a book discussion with the TARTANS and provided them with guidance as they prepare to present their vision statements in poster sessions.
The TARTANS discussed Pat Conroy's Water Is Wide book, analyzing the relationship between culture and education. They explored how culture-specifics could interact with the process of education in which the physical place, the community, and the students themselves are sources that teachers draw their teaching philosophy from. The TARTANS also discussed the intereactions between teachers and their students and community.
Additionally, the TARTANS began work on creating posters to present their vision statements. There will be three uses of the posters:
- March 14, TARTANS networking event: the TARTANS will meet with local teachers who have been teaching for years as an attempt to expand the TARTANS networking. They will have their posters ready to present their visions to the local teachers during this event. The aim is that each TARTAN will connect with at least one teacher who would serve as some kind of mentor during the TARTAN first year of teaching.
- April (stay tuned for the date): During this day, the TARTANS will present their visions through poster presentations to a larger audience than the local teachers. Through this event, the TARTANS as a Rural Teacher Corps Program and as members will get the chance to present to the community and the public what they have been working on this year.
- After these poster presentations are finished, the posters will be posted on Monmouth College Ed. Studies hallway walls to allow students and visitors to learn about the TARTANS and what they do.
TARTANS program aims to prepare future rural teachers and help them establish themselves as leaders in their communities. The goals of the program are to prepare teachers who have a strong sense of “place”, mission, and rural identity – who know rural issues, challenges, and advantages – who are savvy communicators – who value collaboration within school, across community, and between diverse rural regions – and who are perceived as community leaders and catalysts for change.
We invite you to meet the TARTANS and read more about the program as well as other rural teacher corps efforts.
We also invite you to read about TARTANS Vision Statement Workshop.