K-State leads Kansas in graduating future mathematics teachers
Kansas State University is leading the state in producing mathematics education students who are ready for the challenge of engaging youths in the classroom.
K-State’s College of Education plans to award 134 bachelor’s degrees this semester, and nine of those will go to students specializing in mathematics education. In spring 2010, an additional 16 students are expected to graduate with the degree. K-State has a large number of mathematics education graduates each year, and the students said that the field allows them to combine their love for math with their love of teaching.
“I chose to teach math because I really wanted a job around kids that has an impact on their lives,” said Matt Morton, a December graduate in mathematics education and a 2005 graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. “Teaching gives you an opportunity to encourage, care for and really build kids’ confidence in themselves.”
K-State has been a leader in producing math education teachers. Compared to other higher education institutions in Kansas, K-State has had the most or tied for the most math education graduates since the 2005-2006 school year, according to data from the Kansas Department of Education.
Larry Scharmann, K-State professor and chair of the department of secondary education, said science and math are the two most difficult subjects for which to find teachers, and K-State has strived to recruit students to these areas. In the past, teacher shortages in the nation and in Kansas have been an issue, and he said any recent changes could be because of fluctuations in the economy.
“Teachers expecting to retire delayed their retirements and are waiting for the economy to improve,” he said. “We will see the real shortage re-emerge as the economy improves.”
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