Now in our third month of teaching and learning abroad in England, the nine ACTION scholars who have accompanied me here have learned so much more than content in the classroom.  In the British system, all students go to the US equivalent of high school for two years until they are 16 years old.  At that time, they take intense and significant examinations that determine their future plans.  For example, if a student intends to study medicine at a university, he/she must score high enough on the exams and then will spend the last two years of high school (which they call "college" in England) focusing on biology, chemistry, and math.  In fact, those are the only three subjects the student takes in the last two years.  By the time they get to the university, most programs are only three years because students have already completed the equivalent of their first year of higher education while still in "high school."  As a result, more than 95% of university students will complete their degree in three years because if they could not handle the programs, they will have weeded themselves out in the examination process or during their two years of "college."

 

As I reflected on this structure of schooling, it helped me to appreciate even more how important it is for students in the US to enter BGSU with at least some college credit, either through having taken dual enrollment courses, classes on a university campus, or Advanced Placement courses.  The vast majority of ACTION students enter our program with at least a college level class or two on their records, and many have the equivalent of one or two semesters.  As a result, it is not unusual for ACTION scholars to graduate in 3 or 3.5 years.  Even our Middle Childhood majors who are in a program designed to take 4.5 years will almost always graduate in 4 years or less.  Of course, these are the types of scholars we seek in the program - students who are eager to learn, always looking ahead, and academically strong.

 

In the Fall Semester of 2015, the mean (average) grade point average for an ACTION scholar was 3.812, with a median (middle) GPA of 4.00.  In fact, 58 of our 101 scholars taking classes last fall had a perfect 4.00 GPA.  These grades do not come easily for our students - they are the result of many hours of hard work.  We have two ACTION tutors who work in our lounge each evening tutoring mathematics and science, as well as countless study groups and many hours spent in faculty offices to ask questions.  Our students have a strong work ethic that drives them to attend all classes and complete assignments on time and remarkably well.  I am proud of the work of all of our students and know how it pays off for them in terms of job searches and satisfaction in the classroom after graduation.

 

As we begin our last full month with our seniors - mostly in Cohort 4 - I want to wish our student teachers all the best in their teaching and job interviewing.  This is an exciting time and I look forward to flying back to Bowling Green in the first week of May to celebrate the fourth graduation of ACTION students.  I will be on the stage that day to personally congratulate each of our scholars!