SSU Project BEAR members attend Elevate Conference

Members of the Shawnee State University Project BEAR (Building Emerging & Achieving Readers) program recently had the opportunity to attend the Elevate Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Focused on promoting literacy among children from birth to age five, Project BEAR members were able to expand their program’s skills by attending interactive sessions at the conference.

“The sessions at the conference were thorough and provided various helpful tips that are valuable for effective teaching,” said Payton Walker, a Primary Education major at SSU. “It meant so much to me to be able to learn more about what I love, learn from other educators, and acquire information that will help me through my educational journey. I’m so grateful to experience such an education conference as a pre-service teacher.”

Entering her senior year at SSU, Walker is grateful for how her experience in Project BEAR has paired so well with her degree program.

“I’ve not only gained so much knowledge surrounding literacy, but I’ve had the opportunity to watch children grow substantially from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year,” she said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to attend monthly training sessions that have strengthened my literacy knowledge and teaching abilities.”

Project BEAR is funded by an AmeriCorps grant through ServeOhio – the state of Ohio’s Commission on Service & Volunteerism. The program serves 72 classrooms in Scioto, Pike, and Lawrence counties and works toward promoting equity and re-establishing language acquisition in and out of the classroom.

“As a Project BEAR member, I’ve had the opportunity to acquire hands-on classroom experience and undergo many educational trainings for the past two years – providing me with knowledge about what it is truly like inside the classroom,” said Walker. “I have confidence in my abilities inside the classroom and feel highly prepared in my career as a future educator.”

To learn more about the Project BEAR program at Shawnee State University, contact hventurino@shawnee.edu.