Future Students

Come Explore A Career in Education With Us!

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Teacher Education Options at SKC

Salish Kootenai College offers over a dozen fully accredited Associates and Bachelors degree programs, including five distinct tracks in the Division of Education. Students can choose to focus on Early Childhood Education (birth to age 8), Early Childhood Education P-3 (Preschool through Grade 3), Elementary (grades K-8), Secondary Broadfield Science (grades 5 – 12), or Secondary Mathematics Education (grades 5-12). For a detailed listing of courses and career options associated with each program, explore the “Programs” tab in the red menu bar above, and choose a program to investigate.

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Why Teaching?

Careers in Education offer students unrivaled opportunities to make a difference in the lives of young people in their community. Schools need motivated professionals who understand children and want to do their part to improve the quality of life for those around them. In schools that serve Indian students, the need for Native American educators is great. You could be a role model that influences young peoples’ lives for years!

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A Cultural Corepikuni

As one of the leading tribal colleges in the United States, Salish Kootenai College has established a high level of commitment to its mission:

“…to provide quality postsecondary educational opportunities for Native Americans, locally and from throughout the United States.”

The hallmark of SKC’s education curricula is its adherence to a cultural focus in all coursework and fieldwork. Though Indian education is certainly changing, many Native students who aspire to teach have encountered great challenges along their educational journey. For many of these students, a culturally oriented program that encourages and honors Indian perspectives may prove to be very empowering as students prepare for a career as a professional educator. In this capacity, and with such unique training, these new teachers may become powerful role models, and possess the perspectives and skills to make substantial inroads to success for their Indian students… and ALL learners.

Opportunities to positively affect the lives of young people are beckoning now more than ever. With the establishment and integration of Montana’s “Indian Education for All” (IEFA) mandate, the time has never been better for improving educational success… both for young Native learners and for supporting Native teachers in the classroom. As a direct result of SKC’s teacher education programs and the employment of our graduates in schools, the number of Native teachers has increased dramatically on our own Reservation and in other communities. SKC’s Division of Education programs have also graduated a number of well prepared non-Indian teachers who have gained unique insights into the world of teaching in Reservation communities. Many of these alumni are now employed in local school districts, serving both Indian and non-Indian families as teaching professionals.

 

What We Believe

SKC’s Division of Education was built on some important Guiding Principles. As expressed in our Conceptual Framework, these core beliefs are:

A. Culturally responsive instruction and curriculum will lead education to its promise of opportunity and equity.
B. Learning communities foster the construction of knowledge.
C. Reflective practice leads to professional development.
D. Each learner’s uniqueness, when valued and invited in all its diverse forms, enriches the learning community
E. Effective communication, critical thinking, cultural understanding, citizenship, and a strong understanding of the content to be taught are essential to effective teaching.

Embedded in these beliefs are some important underlying ideas. Though our faculty is diverse in terms of its instructional strategies, we share a common belief in the transformative power of teaching and learning. We have a constructivist orientation and view teaching as (in the words of Salish educator Julie Cajune) a “sacred trust” between educator and community. SKC’s DoE programs have a strong field focus; our candidates spend many hours working alongside teachers in the classroom to hone their craft and gain insights on how to meet students’ needs.

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A Career in Teaching

Education professionals make a difference in the lives of young people every day. The life of a K-12 teacher is challenging, but also very rewarding. If you enjoy being around children and youth, hold a commitment to bettering the lives of those in your community, and are willing to work hard, then a career as a professional teacher just might be right for you! In many communities, teachers enjoy a degree of job security, health and retirement benefits, working schedules that benefit their family time, and increasingly competitive salaries. If you would like to explore professional education further, consider making an appointment to visit with any of our Division of Education faculty / program advisors:

For all general inquiries, contact DoE Administrative Assistant Kathie Maiers:

kathie_maiers@skc.edu         (406)275-4750

Early Childhood Education and ECE P-3:

ECE Dept. Chair  Manda Davis    manda_davis@skc.edu     (406)275-4771

ECE Faculty Linda Bone     linda_bone@skc.edu      (406)275-4770

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Elementary Education:

Elementary Education Dept. Chair Doug Ruhman    doug_ruhman@skc.edu       (406)275-4763

TEP Coordinator Michael Munson      michael_munson@skc.edu      (406)275-4952

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Secondary Science Education (BSSE):

Secondary Education Chair Dr. Wren Walker Robbins     wren_walkerrobbins@skc.edu     (406)275-4780

 

Secondary Mathematics Education (BSSEM):

Dr. Terry Souhrada     terry_souhrada@skc.edu     (406)275-4764

 

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