Funding a future teacher’s final semester will be a game changer.
Imagine the moment a student teacher steps into a classroom, heart pounding, ready to shape young minds. For Kansas State University’s aspiring educators, this isn’t just another semester — it’s the culmination of years of hard work, hope and sacrifice.
And this final stretch is challenging and filled with emotions.
“Student teaching is an intense semester,” said Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education. “It’s the final step for future teachers — the moment when theory meets reality. They learn lessons that only experience can teach, and the weight of all they’ve studied becomes real in the names and faces of the students in their classrooms.”
Student teachers give it their all — grading papers, crafting lesson plans, helping students after class and building portfolios that will earn their teaching license. Many can’t work side jobs, so their income dissolves just as living expenses rise.
Lightening the load
But what if we could lift that burden? What if every student teacher received a scholarship that not only covered tuition, but also helped with life expenses like rent and groceries?
A $5,000 scholarship could be game changing — a gift that would let future teachers focus on what matters most: learning, growing and inspiring the next generation.
Across Kansas, communities are beginning to rally. Some offer housing, others provide stipends, all in the hope of keeping these passionate educators in their local schools.
“With every teacher we send out, we’re really strengthening communities,” Mercer said. “We have teachers in all 105 counties, all 50 states and 63 countries. The ripple effect is enormous.”
The pitch
What if we invested in future teachers’ dreams, knowing that each one will touch hundreds of lives? The impact would resonate far beyond campus walls — into classrooms, communities and the lives of their future students.
