Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA
Bridgewater, VA
Bridgewater, VA
Are you ready for a challenge?
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of young children? If so, the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at Bridgewater College might be the right choice for you.
As a student in the Teacher Education Program, you’ll graduate with the breadth and depth of a liberal arts education and the skills necessary to be a competent, caring, and highly qualified teacher. The BC Teacher Education Program prepares teachers who are fully educated in the arts and sciences, have a depth of knowledge in a major discipline, model effective communication skills, understand and use technology and research to enhance learning, and are committed to lifelong learning. Our graduates are ready to excel.
You’ll receive individual attention in small classes of approximately 18 students, allowing you to connect with your professors in a meaningful way. While graduating in four years, our candidates attain more than 150 hours of field experience before they begin their 15-week student teaching placement.
By combining learning inside the classroom with practical field experiences, our program ensures that graduates enter the teaching profession prepared to address the challenges of a 21st-century classroom.
At Bridgewater, you’ll learn as a student in the college classroom and as a teacher in your own classroom. Gain valuable experience and connect with education professionals through:
• Field experiences—Get hands-on experiences in various local public schools from day one of the Teacher Education Program. Students complete a variety of field experiences in their licensure and endorsement area. These observational and participatory field experiences range from 10–20 hours per course and are taken concurrently with a specific education course. In the TEP, you will have spent more than 150 hours in PreK-12 classrooms prior to your semester of student teaching!
• Three-week practicum—Gear up for your student teaching placement by spending 15 full days in a public school as an active participant and teacher in your endorsement area. You’ll teach a different grade level than you will during your student teaching placement, and you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on your experiences and connections in seminars with fellow TEP students.
• 15-week student teaching experience—During your senior year, immerse yourself in a public school classroom for a semester of professional experience. Now it’s your turn to write and execute daily lesson plans, assess your students’ learning, and reflect on your teaching philosophy. You’ll connect with a local classroom teacher who will mentoryou in addition to the guidance of your BC professors.
• Guest lecturers—Hone specific skill sets through dialogue with experts from the fields of special education, ESL, and more.
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Consistently named a “Best College in the Southeast” by The Princeton Review |
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Recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report |
• Personalized career preparation, including networking events that give you the chance to connect with local teachers, administrators, and TEP alumni; training in the latest education technologies; and one-on-one coaching with BC’s Career Services
• Opportunity to earn an endorsement in ESL, Algebra I, and/or Driver’s Education in addition to your choice of licensure
• Virginia licensure carries reciprocity agreements with more than 45 states, so you’ll graduate prepared to educate students across the country (additional state-specific requirements may exist).
Licensure at Bridgewater
• Elementary: PreK-6 (Liberal Studies is the most common major.)
• Secondary: 6-12 in Biology, Chemistry, English, Family and Consumer Sciences, History and Social Studies, Math, or Physics (taken in conjunction with a content major)
• PreK-12: Art, French, Health and Physical Education, Music, Spanish, or Theatre
• Add-on Endorsements: Algebra I, Driver’s Education, and English as a Second Language (ESL) (PreK-12)
“The unsung heroes in BC academic life are the professors. They care about all of their students and want to see them succeed.”
“I loved being part of Bridgewater’s Teacher Education Program because of the faculty’s commitment to the mission of training competent, caring, and highly qualified teachers. Classes involved extensive discussion and critical thinking regarding how to provide quality instruction for the diverse needs of students. Beginning early on in the program, Bridgewater allows its TEP candidates to experience the classroom firsthand through field experiences in local schools.”