'Grow Your Own' Grant Goes Toward Recruiting, Retaining Future Rockwood Educators

The Rockwood School District is one of 125 local education agencies (LEAs) from around the state to receive this year’s state-funded “Grow Your Own” grants from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

This is the second year that DESE’s budget includes $2.5 million to support one-time grants of $10,000 to LEAs to create or strengthen their local “Grow Your Own” program, designed to increase recruitment of quality teachers across the state. Rockwood also received a “Grow Your Own” grant last year.

“Grow Your Own” programs work to attract local students as well as non-certified school staff, such as paraprofessionals and substitute teachers, to the teaching profession. Many programs also support those future teachers through their post-secondary education and path to certification. Funding is used to support a variety of activities, including dual-credit courses, scholarships for high school students, student internships and opportunities for other non-teaching adults to pursue programs that will allow them to become certified teachers.

“We want to eliminate barriers and create supports so that people who are pursuing careers in education want to come to Rockwood,” said Rockwood Director of Human Resources Dr. Jennifer Martin. “We want to deepen these connections with future educators in our community and show them that we believe in them, we are invested in them, and we want to see them succeed.”

One district program that will continue to benefit from “Grow Your Own” funds is Welcome Home Rockwood, a mentorship program for Rockwood alumni and current students who want to become future teachers in Rockwood.

Current Rockwood juniors or seniors can apply to be a part of the program, which maintains a connection with the students throughout their pursuit of an education degree, then offers them a guaranteed interview with Rockwood at the end of the process. 

Martin said the district hopes to use the funds to bolster Welcome Home Rockwood efforts such as:

• Providing stipends to Rockwood staff to serve as mentors for students in the program;
• Funding programs and events such as college tours, networking luncheons, guest speakers and signing day events; 
• And $1000 stipends to cover books and fees for professional support staff who are aspiring educators and join an education certification program.

“Grow Your Own” funds will also go toward enhancing and expanding teacher recruitment and preparation support programs such as cadet teaching classes and teaching clubs and chapters at Rockwood’s high schools.

The Future Educators of America chapter at Lafayette High, led by Spanish teachers Brian Fish and Sarah Pearl, meets once a month during an AcLab period. A recent meeting included a discussion about the students’ future aspirations in education and planning for the group’s display at the Lafayette curriculum night in January.

Future meetings will also include sessions with school principals about what they look for in teacher candidates and tips on successful interview tactics.

Mary Hails, a senior, said two especially impactful teachers at Ellisville Elementary helped set her on this path. One memory from third grade, in particular, sticks out.

“One day our principal came in and, off-hand, was like, ‘I hope she never retires. She is so amazing,’” Hails said of her third-grade teacher. “I really wanted to be a teacher like that, who has that dependability and reliability that the principal is noticing, the students are noticing, she’s really having an impact. Teaching has always been something that has stuck with me. It was always something that I could find myself being happy in.”

Senior Elle Kuelker said she is drawn to the teaching profession because of all of the influential educators she has enjoyed at Lafayette, as well as the positive feelings she has experienced through years of helping fellow students in math and science classes.

Gracie Hagen, a fellow senior, cadet teaches first-graders at Babler Elementary through Lafayette. All she ever remembers wanting to be – since she started kindergarten in Rockwood – is a teacher.

“I’ve really admired my teachers, so I thought, ‘I want to be that person for someone else,’” she said. “With cadet teaching, I’ve been seeing these first-graders three times a week for months, and I’m really close to all of them. I’ve built up these connections and, seeing how far they’ve all come in their skills, I’m very proud of all of them. I want to keep that connection going forever. The best part of my week is getting to see them and getting to teach.”