Educator Preparation completer Robert Upham (second from right)
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Bob Upham was ready to retire from a 30-year career as a civil engineer but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for the next 15 years of his life.
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Bob Upham |
“I was the guy who would stand in front of people at public meetings telling them why ripping up the street in front of their business for the fourteenth time was such a good thing,” he said.
But as uncomfortable as that may sound, Upham realized that it was during those public education meetings that he developed a passion for explaining things and ultimately, for teaching.
“Throughout that whole process, I found a love for education,” he said. So Upham decided to become a teacher and that’s when he learned about the Robert Noyce scholarship program through Rio Salado College’s Teacher Education program in Tempe, AZ (See related RioNews story).
Through the National Science Foundation, the scholarship
provided a stipend to cover tuition, books and other needs directly related to
the teaching program. "It's effective, and is making a difference,"
said Kimberly Tobey, Rio Salado’s Director of Field and Student Teaching
Experiences.
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STEM candidates are in high demand across the country and
the National Science Foundation utilizes the grant opportunity for higher
education to impact the critical teacher shortage. Upham says he probably
would’ve become certified at his own expense even if he had not received the
scholarship, but said that being part of the Rio program made it a much better
experience than if he had gone it alone.
“I had a bunch of people around me [at Rio] that cared about my success,” Upham said. "I wasn’t just a student at a school. I was part of a program that supports and cares for their students. And that continued when I was teaching in the classroom.”
Upham has already fulfilled his two-year commitment to
teaching in a high-needs area and could choose to go anywhere in the country
now. But he says he has no plans to leave the Kyrene middle school classroom.
“I like what I do. I like where I teach and I like my students.”
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Upham presents progress report to Rio Salado faculty as new
Noyce grad and teacher during summer 2016. Click to see video
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His commitment has not gone unnoticed by school officials.
Based on improved test scores in his classrooms, Upham has been recognized as
one of the top educators in the Kyrene district.
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Kim Tobey |
“Most of the time in Arizona you don’t think about Rio Salado as having a post-baccalaureate certification program, even though we’ve had it for 18 years,” says Tobey.
People like Upham can get certified in a high needs area
like STEM “and not have to go into debt to do it,” says Tobey. “What Bob’s
award shows is the quality of Rio’s Educator Preparation Program, and more
importantly its program completers, are impacting local classrooms, preparing a
strong STEM workforce, and meeting a nationwide shortage."
"I'm preparing the future generation of engineers," says Upham. "What could be better?"
"I'm preparing the future generation of engineers," says Upham. "What could be better?"
Learn more about Rio Salado’s Teacher Education programs at www.riosalado.edu/programs/education.
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