A little over three years ago, Brenda Bohn of Washington was in a classroom at Beaufort County Community College for orientation as she began her elementary education studies.
In December, Bohn, a teacher’s assistant at John Cotten Tayloe Elementary School, achieved a long-time dream, earning her bachelor’s degree and licensure in elementary education and reading.
“I had a goal that I wanted to achieve when I was younger,” Bohn said. “And I always felt I gave up early.
In 2008, Bohn was one of 19 aspiring teachers enrolled in a program, now Wells Fargo Partnership East, a joint effort by the East Carolina University College of Education and community colleges throughout the university’s service area to train more teachers.
The program is designed to make it easier for students like Bohn, particularly those living in rural areas, to become teachers by taking classes part-time and online to earn education degree and certification while continuing to work and, in many cases, care for families.
It offers students the chance to earn bachelor’s degrees in elementary and special education with reading licensure and bachelor’s degrees in middle grades education with two areas of concentration.
“It provides an opportunity for access to a degree that, otherwise, people can’t do,” said Laura Bilbro-Berry, assistant director of teacher education at ECU. As part of her duties at ECU, Bilbro-Berry oversees the Wells Fargo Partnership East program. “But is it easy? Is it quick? No.”
Bohn, a native of Ohio, was inspired to be a teacher by a first grade teacher she described as “awesome.” Bohn admired the way she handled the students in her class and “stood her ground.”
But after attending college for almost three years, Bohn decided instead to earn an associate’s degree and spent 16-years in corporate accounting.
Bohn and her husband, Allan, moved to eastern North Carolina when he accepted a position with Weyerhaeuser’s plant in Plymouth (now the Domtar plant) and after working as a teacher’s assistant, Bohn heard about the Wells Fargo Partnership East.
“When I heard about the program, I said to myself, ‘You need to do this now’,” she said.
With the help of Bilbro-Berry, Bohn mapped out a plan that helped her to complete some general education requirements at BCCC in 2007 and enroll in the program in 2008.
Bohn said it was initially difficult to return to the classroom - especially an online classroom in which she had to learn to motivate and pace herself with her coursework. But with the help of her teachers and fellow students, she knew she could succeed.
“I had to teach myself how to learn all over again. . .but failing or not completing my studies was not one of my options,” she said.
Bohn is one of six former BCCC students who have graduated within the Wells Fargo Partnership East program with two more projected to graduate this summer and five, in the fall, according to program statistics.
Twelve students currently enrolled in the program have BCCC listed as their primary community college.
While budget cuts have led to teachers losing their jobs in many areas of the state, there is still a need for teachers in Northeastern North Carolina and Wells Fargo Partnership East has helped meet that need, Bilbro-Berry said.
Since the program began in 2002, Wells Fargo Partnership East has graduated 347 students. Of those graduates, 312 are licensed to teach in North Carolina with 261 currently employed in North Carolina and 254 teaching in eastern North Carolina.
In 2006, BCCC was designated as a hub site for the program. It was at this new hub site that Bohn began her studies.
For a short time, during the final six weeks of the semester, Bohn’s dream of becoming a teacher came true. While she was completing her teaching internship at Northeast Elementary School, Bohn was tapped to serve as a third grade teacher at John Cotten Tayloe School to take over for a teacher who was out on maternity leave.
She said she has enjoyed the experience, particularly the opportunity to learn first-hand what her students needed to be successful at their studies.
“Also, I’ve had to learn to be patient and not expect immediate results,” she said.
When the teacher returned from maternity leave, Bohn returned to her job as a teacher assistant at the school. She is looking forward to standing in front of her own classroom, hopefully, when the new school year begins.
For more information about the Wells Fargo Partnership East, interested persons can contact Karli Ruscoe, Northeast and Virtual Consortia Coordinator at 252-493-7659 or by email at ruscoek@ecu.edu. Ruscoe is available for consultation appointments two days per month at BCCC. She is also available via telephone and email for information about WPE. General information about the program can be found at www.ecu.edu/wpe.
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