These students recently completed the CLASS
(Collaborative Learning And School Success) teacher education
program at USM/L-A and are now fully qualified to teach at
the K-8 level in Maine schools. They are pictured with Program
Coordinator Bumper White, at left, and Assistant Professor
Paul Caron, right. The graduates are, left to right: Julie
Laplante, Katie Bunker, Cynthia Polisky, Linda Bernier, and
Karen Erdmann.
January 2006
The CLASS (Collaborative Learning And School Success) professional
teacher education program at the University of Southern Maine’s
Lewiston-Auburn College recently honored five students for
having successfully completed the program. The five graduates
are Katie Bunker and Julie Laplante of Lewiston, Cynthia Polisky
of Auburn, Linda Bernier of Poland Spring, and Karen Erdmann
of Topsham. In addition to fulfilling all requirements of
the CLASS program, they earned baccalaureate degrees in social
and behavioral sciences and are qualified to teach at the
K-8 level in Maine schools. They performed their internships
(student teaching) at Sherwood Heights Elementary School and
the Auburn Middle School.
CLASS is a rigorous, non-traditional program that prepares
students for rewarding careers in the classroom. It consists
of four and a half years of academic work and professional
teacher preparation. Students are placed in local partner
schools immediately and partnered with a mentor teacher, so
that they may begin to understand the everyday experiences
of teachers and students. Upon completion of the CLASS Program,
students earn their bachelor’s degree in a liberal arts
field, state certification to teach K-8, and more than 30
credits towards a graduate degree.
The CLASS PDS (Professional Development School) program provides
all of the education courses and experiences required to become
a highly qualified, state certified candidate for elementary
and middle school teaching positions in the State of Maine.
The education courses, field experiences and seminars all
occur on-site in local public schools, currently the Sherwood
Heights Elementary School and Auburn Middle School.
