Teachers: some motivate, some frustrate, some have impact more than others, others entertain more than educate. The ultimate goal of all teachers, however, is to successfully prepare their students for the future. Education majors at Manchester College, particularly those involved with the Student Education Association (SEA), strive to prepare themselves to do just that, especially by means of service learning and outreach projects.

  
SEA, affiliated with the National Education Association, is a preparatory organization designed to help education majors gain a deeper understanding of the teaching profession, and experience aspects of the education field that cannot be learned as fully in the classroom.

Kelsey Morris, a sophomore education major and this year’s SEA president, believes that Manchester’s education program is a more enriching experience than other institutions’ curriculums, mainly due to the professors who run it.  “The professors care about the success of each student,” Morris said. “[They] challenge [us] so that [we] are able to get the full spectrum of experiences before [we] are on [our] own.”

The SEA’s “full spectrum of experiences” includes a wide range of volunteer work that allows education majors to become familiar with students of different learning capacities as well as schools in adverse conditions.

  
Manchester students involved with SEA are able to participate in organizations such as the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) of Wabash County, where they are able to put on events for the citizens that normally would not be available to them. “Once a month, we are able to put on a positive event for these people,” said junior education major, Julie Hamm. “We have hosted events such as game nights that include board games, snacks and crafts, a Halloween dance and a luau.”

Partners in Learning (PIL), a tutoring program for elementary and middle school students, is also made up of many SEA members. “PIL focuses on tutoring students who may not be heading towards high school,” Hamm said. “Our goal is to get them there. Both the ARC and PIL programs are open to all Manchester students of all majors who are willing to volunteer.

Outreach to Teach, a program directed towards education majors only, also offers opportunities to help future teachers overcome adversity in schools. This year, for example, all SEA programs in Indiana will be taking part in a project on April 19. “This year, we will be going to LaCrosse Elementary School and High School to clean it up,” Hamm said. “Some of us have come to call it the ‘Extreme Makeover, School Edition.’” The renovation will include making the school’s playground safer, and making the property look friendlier.

The association’s volunteer services and hard work have not gone unnoticed over the years. Recently, the group won the Outstanding Chapter award at an SEA conference, which means Manchester’s chapter has remained the finest in the state, for three years in a row.

The SEA program at Manchester enhances education majors’ teaching experience before they trade in their pencils and backpack for chalk and a classroom. The extra hours devoted to volunteering in these various programs offered through the SEA are worth it to the future teachers taking part.

“Teachers are the life of some of these students,” Morris said. “The field needs people with patience and a heart of gold.”

  
Hamm agrees that the need for teachers will always be a special one. “If you want to make a difference, it is possible,” she said. “I like to think we are changing the world, one student at a time.”

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