Teacher Education

You want to stand before a class of hungry minds, sharing your wisdom and experiences to inspire future doctors and nurses, lawyers and educators, entrepreneurs and historians, artists and musicians. It's an engaging career, and a degree from Lander can prepare you for the challenges—and rewards—of teaching.

Susan Fernandez
Department Chair

864-388-8489  |  sfernandez@lander.edu  |  Carnell Learning Center LC231A

Become a Lander Teaching Fellow
The mission of the Teaching Fellows Program is to recruit talented high school seniors into the teaching profession and help them develop leadership qualities. 

Teacher Cadets
The Teacher Cadet Program was piloted in four South Carolina high schools in 1985-86. Today, the program includes approximately 170 South Carolina high Schools serving an average of 2,700 juniors and seniors.

Call Me MISTER Program
The mission of the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background particularly among the state’s lowest performing elementary schools. The MISTER initiative attempts to accomplish this by providing academic, social, and financial support to under-represented individuals interested in entering the teaching profession.

Teacher Education majors have many opportunities to become involved with student organizations that provide fellowship, service learning, and professional development activities as an EPIC professional educator.

• Palmetto State Teacher Student Association (PSTA) provides opportunities for all teacher education majors to become active in one of the major professional teacher organizations in the state. Students take on leadership initiatives to communicate with their legislators about important educational initiatives.
• Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) enables students to become more involved in offering opportunities to students with disabilities. Attendance at the state and national conferences on an annual basis is just one of the many activities in which Lander students participate.
• Kappa Delta Pi International Education Honor Society, Chi Delta Chapter: Kappa Delta Pi is an International Honor Society founded to foster excellence in education and promote leadership among those dedicated to teaching. Using a variety of programs, services, and resources, KDP supports and advances educators throughout the phases and levels of their teaching career.

Awards are granted annually to outstanding university students from all disciplines during a ceremony each spring.

• Early Childhood Education Discipline Award
  Given annually by the education faculty to the graduating senior majoring in early childhood education who best exemplifies academic achievement, moral character, professionalism and exemplary teaching ability.
• Elementary Education Discipline Award
  Given annually by the education faculty to the graduating senior majoring in elementary education who best exemplifies academic achievement, moral character, professionalism and exemplary teaching ability.
• Graduate Education Award
  Given annually by the graduate education faculty to an outstanding graduate who best exemplifies professional leadership in the areas of teaching, contributions to the profession and school community, and preferred dispositions of the Professional Instructional Leader.
• Secondary Education Discipline Award
  Given annually by the education faculty to the graduating senior majoring in secondary education who best exemplifies academic achievement, moral character, professionalism and exemplary teaching ability.
• Special Education Discipline Award
  Given annually by the education faculty to the graduating senior majoring in special education who best exemplifies academic achievement, moral character, professionalism and exemplary teaching ability.