"I could have learned the things that I did at any school, but I would not have had the support of my SAU professors, university staff, or my peers. The people I met knew me as me. They helped me become the best teacher I could be by highlighting my strengths and strengthening my weaknesses.”
Your goal is yours, and yours alone. And as a community, we’ll help you reach it. You can cater your degree to your aspirations. Our 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio means you’ll get close attention and guidance. Our small campus community is full of opportunities to make friends, grow your leadership and spirituality, and find your place in the world, just like Samatha did.
Current Position:
Middle School Science and Math Teacher
Why SAU?
"I chose SAU because I felt that the student-to-faculty ratio would give me the support and resources I needed to grow as an educator. Being located in the Quad Cities gave me a wide variety of schools to observe and teach in, which gave me a wide variety of student backgrounds, school districts, and resources to help me determine exactly what type of a school setting I wanted to teach." Our teacher education programs are comprehensive and noted for preparing highly qualified and effective educators.
How did you grow as a person within the SAU community?
"I became a more independent, well-rounded person. On campus I took on leadership roles and gained experience; I participated in prayer and peace services, which deepened my spiritual life; I became more aware of the lives of those around me; I focused on my studies. All of these things, along with the support of my peers, helped prepare me for my work ahead."
How has SAU allowed you to make a difference?
"As an Ambrosian, I was taught to not just do what I needed to in order to graduate but to do what I needed to do in a way that would benefit me far beyond my diploma. As an educator, I need to be continuously learning the new best practices and ways to help my students learn, but more importantly, I want my students to be lifelong learners as well. I don't think I could help them with that as much if I wasn't a true believer in being a lifelong learner myself," she says.
Why Choose the Education Program?
"SAU gave me the tools I needed to be an effective middle school science and math teacher. Those are three things that many people do not like, so to be surrounded by faculty who understood my goal and helped me to reach it really meant a lot. I learned to come up with creative lessons and solutions to problems that I have been able to seamlessly implement into my classroom." she says.
