Jake Rewa kicked around the idea of becoming a nurse, but decided that wasn’t a good fit for him. He switched to biological science, but that didn’t feel right, either.
But when a faculty member at Davenport University recommended that Rewa consider its College of Urban Education with a STEM focus (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), Rewa took the plunge and enrolled in the program.
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Courtesy Jake RewaJake Rewa
Today, Rewa says he has a fulfilling career teaching ninth and tenth grade biology and chemistry at Wellspring Preparatory High School in Northeast Grand Rapids. The Wayland native credits the urban education studies for pointing him in the right direction.
“Everyday, it feels like I’m not just going to a job, but where I know I get to make an impression on somebody,” says Rewa, 23, who has an interim teaching certificate and plans to earn his undergraduate degree in April of this year.
“So far, it’s been an incredible experience.”
Learning to educate urban students
The successful education of urban students is significantly different than those of students in rural and suburban school districts, says Rhonda White, Davenport’s associate dean and chair of the College of Education.
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Courtesy Davenport UniversityRhonda White, Davenport’s associate dean and chair of the College of Education.
White says the language used in teaching suburban students reflects their home environment, so it’s easier for those students to translate the content into their lives.
“We’re teaching our (urban education) candidates to utilize the culture of the student within their teaching strategies and also the issues that are relevant to the student and that student’s community,” White says.
Although it’s important for teachers to have empathy for their students, training that includes effective communication also is vital.
“A teacher can have all the empathy in the world, but if they don’t have the training, (it’s not enough),” White says. “What we have found is that school systems only address a fourth of the classroom because curriculums are designed in a certain way by certain people who come out of the same community that are successful. You’re basically duplicating yourselves.”
That resonates with Rewa.
“I feel like I’ve really learned a lot about the teaching aspect of science – not just learning about science, but to understand high school and middle school-age kids, and how to get the words across to them,” Rewa says. “It’s been really cool getting better at what I want to do.”
Meeting students’ needs
White says teaching students who live in marginalized communities requires a specific method.
“The needs are going to be different,” she says. “There are going to be gaps within their education. Without urban STEM education, they could have teachers who are teaching science when it isn’t their particular trained content area because schools are trying to make it work.”
Teachers in urban school districts also tend to carry a heavier load than those in suburban schools, White says. “At that suburban school, you might have a lot of stay-at-home moms who are able to come to the school and help out, whereas in that urban setting, most of the parents are working. It might be a one-parent home. The dynamics are so different.”
Urban education is also important in stemming the shortage of teachers in urban schools across Michigan, according to White.
Davenport’s urban education program offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as an education graduate certificate that enables students to teach in Michigan schools while fulfilling credential requirements. Also, Davenport’s urban education leadership graduate certificate provides an alternative route to school administrator certification.
Those pursuing teacher certification at Davenport can apply for a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant, which helps pay for college for those who plan to teach in a low-income urban district.
Davenport students receive weekly mentoring and coaching in the classroom and learn how data analytics can refine their teaching skills.
“The graduates of our program will possess an in-depth knowledge of STEM content and core discipline,” says White. “And they are extensively trained to integrate this expertise within their teaching, fostering greater student engagement and STEM subjects.”
Ultimately, White wants urban students to consider the idea of a STEM career.
“It’s the STEM jobs that are making all the money, and if you go into one of those areas, it can change not only the trajectory of your life but the lives of your family and your community,” White says.
More information about Davenport’s urban education STEM program can be found at
https://www.davenport.edu/academics/areas/urban-education.