Tomorrow’s Teacher scholarship builds unforgettable classroom leaders
Who was your favorite teacher? Was it the teacher who put science into action? Or was it the one who taught you to think critically about a government policy?
Most people remember that unforgettable teacher. At K-State, hundreds of students are learning to become those memorable educators.
More than 20 years ago, Lee and Barb Harris decided to make that education journey a little easier and established the Tomorrow’s Teacher scholarship. Geared toward Kansas high school graduates in the College of Education, recipients agree to perform 100 hours of community service and take one elective relating to business, personal finance or economics annually. Each year, 16 students receive a Tomorrow’s Teacher $5,000 renewable scholarship, including four first-year students.
More than 110 K-Staters have benefited from the Tomorrow’s Teacher scholarship. Here are two recipients who are paying that support forward in their classrooms.
To the classroom … and beyond
The fifth graders in Maize, Kansas, are in an all-out battle to build the best rocket — using aerodynamics.
That’s a good thing for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) teacher Maggie Hatesohl. She wants her students to think outside the box — and the textbook.
“The big focus is to get students to collaborate and communicate their ideas,” she said. “It’s a fun way to teach. Everything is mixed together.”
These future rocket scientists put engineering concepts into practice so their straw rockets go sky-high.
“The students use their knowledge of aerodynamics and gravity to adjust the shape of the rocket’s fin,” she said. “They collect the launch data and determine the class averages. They get excited! And so competitive.”
She is a teacher today, in part, because of her unforgettable 7th-grade science teacher.
“She made learning come alive,” Hatesohl said. “We would do research and lab experiments. Now I think of her when I’m trying to make learning more than just reading a textbook.”
When deciding where to attend college, this future teacher knew she wanted to join the marching band. The Tomorrow’s Teacher scholarship helped her dream of playing the baritone for the Wildcats become a reality.
“The financial support I received meant I had the time to have the whole K-State experience,” she said. “I got to go to bowl games and basketball tournaments with the band. I also was able to take elective classes like sign language, which helped round out my college experience.”
Her scholarship continues to pay off. She is currently one of only three Kansas teachers to participate in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute, where she spent time learning alongside teachers from across the country.
“It was an amazing experience that helped me grow as a teacher and learner,” she said. “My willingness to apply for this program and expand my teaching abilities can be traced back to K-State and my Tomorrow’s Teacher program involvement.”
Building a community of critical thinkers
Meg Shadid branched out from her family of KU fans and came to K-State because of its sense of community.
“From the minute I walked on campus for my tour, I felt a sense of community and family,” she said. “You could feel the difference on campus, the positivity.”
A sense of community — brought to life by a remarkable teacher — also played a key part in Meg’s decision to become a teacher herself.
“My government teacher had a real impact on me,” she said. “He helped me develop critical-thinking skills and illustrated the importance of participating in our communities.”
As the AP teacher for government and psychology at Olathe Northwest High School, Shadid continues that teaching tradition.
“I want to help students become active citizens,” she said, “to research their opinions and be positively involved in their communities.”
Not surprisingly, Shadid enjoyed the community service component of Tomorrow’s Teacher.
“I loved being a part of the Manhattan community,” she said. “I was active in Big Brothers Big Sisters and had a Little Sister throughout my time at K-State. We’re still in touch, and she’s an amazing young woman.”
Receiving the Tomorrow’s Teacher scholarship expanded Shadid’s academic focus.
“I had the flexibility to minor in leadership studies and American ethnic studies,” she said. “I use what I learned in those leadership classes every day. It helps me to not just lead from the front, but to lead with my students and guide their learning.”
She knows she made the right choice to be a teacher.
“I’m so glad I’m able to do this job,” she said. “It’s rewarding to hear from former students that something I taught them helped them in college, medical school, graduate school or even law school. In those conversations, I see the impact education can have on someone’s life.”
The community she found through Tomorrow’s Teacher extends beyond her fellow recipients to Lee and Barb Harris themselves.
“I still get a Christmas card from them every year,” she said. “It speaks to their vision for the scholarship and their commitment to the K-State family. How cool is it that they chose to support K-State and teachers?!”
Pretty cool indeed.
Even more teacher support
Building on the Tomorrow’s Teacher program, the Harrises recently created a new way to support current teachers: the Today’s Teacher fellowship.
The fellows receive $5,000 to use toward an education-related service project and supplement their income for all their work outside the classroom.
