Bound by Passion: Building on 90 Years of Tradition

They come from all walks of life—they are historians, scientists, mathematicians, artists and writers. Some are fresh out of college. Some are launching a second—or third—career. Some come from the city, others from smaller communities. Some did well in high school; some did not. The differences are innumerable. But for all their differences, they have one very powerful trait in common: Passion. They are aspiring teachers.

Teachers share a drive to make the world a better place for the next generation. They are our country’s most important investors, working today for a better tomorrow.

For more than 90 years, UC Davis has been preparing teachers for classrooms all over the world. Today, the School of Education’s Teaching Credential Program turns out talented and committed teacher-leaders prepared to be advocates for their students and apply the best that is known about the art of teaching.

But don’t take our word for it. Below are some recent comments that credential alumni themselves have made about how well the School prepared them for the classroom.

Matthew Rice (Credential ’06, MA ’08)
“This is my seventh year teaching, and I am still ‘unpacking’ amazing stuff I got during my teaching credential and MA at the UC Davis School of Education. It’s an unbelievably good program. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving!”

Rice teaches AP Biology, Honors Biology and, through Project Lead the Way, teaches a course called Principles of Biomedical Science. He teaches grades 9-12 at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC.

From a Credential/MA alumnus, sent to various faculty in the School
“After earning my credential during the 2009-2010 year, I taught at Korematsu Elementary in Davis for two years. It was a wonderful experience and an awesome school to be at for my first years in teaching. It is also where I conducted my research and taught my intervention for my Master’s inquiry in 2010-2011. Needless to say, the district (like many surrounding districts) is in a dire economic situation. As a teacher on a temporary contract, I was laid off and feeling pretty hopeless about teaching opportunities for next year.

“After countless hours spent on EdJoin, and 60+ applications submitted into districts, I was very fortunate to have scheduled eight interviews over the course of a week, all in the Bay Area. Thinking back to advice Joanne Galli-Banducci gave me during my credential year, I decided to put together a teaching portfolio to bring to my interviews.

“The portfolio contains my teaching philosophy, the Power¬Point slides from my Master’s presentation (Al Mendle, Rebecca Ambrose, and Barbara Goldman were on my presentation panel), lesson plans, student work, photos from my classroom, and letters of recommendation. I shared it during my first interview, and each member of the interview panel perused my portfolio.

“They were extremely interested in my experiences with collecting and analyzing student data to determine growth and plan interventions based on need, which I learned to do in the UC Davis Credential/Master’s program and had implemented in various ways at Korematsu. The panel explained that they were seeking highly qualified candidates with progressive and innovative ideas—people who were interested in research, inquiry projects, data analysis and intervention, and also caring and effective educators who are passionate about equity in the classroom. I believe that this defines a teacher who has gone through your program.

“My interview was at 10:30 a.m., and by 5:00 p.m. the same day, I had a job offer. This was quite a surprise, because they were interviewing all week, and said they would let me know by next Monday. I honestly believe that the portfolio and its contents, mostly including my experiences and what I’ve learned from the UC Davis School of Education, got me hired. Your program is amazing.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done for me, and for all that you continue to do for education and children.”