School of Education students honored as 2024 Teachers of Promise

Last month, the Liberty University School of Education sent seven students to the Teachers of Promise (TOP) Institute in Midlothian, Va., where they were honored for their academic success and given the opportunity to fellowship with veteran educators.

The event, held March 22-23, included a celebration banquet on Friday evening recognizing this year’s “Teachers of Promise” before a day of workshops and collaboration between teacher candidates and teaching mentors on Saturday.

The TOP institute was founded in 2004 by Wade Whitehead, a recipient of the Milken Educator Award and McGlothlin Award for Teaching Excellence and a member of the National Teacher Hall of Fame. Whitehead created the institute to provide mentorship of promising, passionate teacher candidates in Virginia by veteran teachers who have won distinguished awards in teaching.

Liberty has partnered with TOP every year since the organization’s inception and has participated in the conference each year with the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students who attended the institute were specially chosen by faculty members, who examined the students’ service to the department, school club participation, collaboration amongst classmates, and other factors. Liberty’s 2024 TOP candidates were Hannah Agostino, Jessica Chiereghio, Ciera Demorier, Aubrey Kransberger, Allison Fueger, Diamon Gipson, Madelyn Junker, and Shea O’Brien.

“This recognition shows them that our profession is important,” said School of Education Professor Dr. Michelle Goodwin, who serves as one of Liberty’s two faculty sponsors for TOP. “Sometimes, I feel like other professions seem elevated compared with teaching, but it is important. We always say that teachers pave the way for all other professions. It’s a good affirmation for them because they see excellent teachers who are effective and making a big difference. This difference is being embodied in this award that they won, so other people have taken notice of their hard work and their effectiveness. It’s good for their learning and their morale.”

Goodwin also noted that several past students chosen  have later become education leaders themselves in the local area, including in roles such as school principal.

“We’re always so incredibly proud of our students,” she added. “It’s a testament to how well they’ve done in the program and what we perceive their potential to be as an excellent educator.”

During the banquet, students were grouped with their respective mentors and provided the opportunity to ask them questions and glean advice that will benefit them as they enter the field of education. Students also received a TOP pin from the mentors that they can wear during their degree ceremonies at Commencement along with a TOP medallion that they will receive at a School of Education awards assembly on April 29.

On March 23, students participated in a variety of workshop classes on topics such as different instructional strategies, use of technology in the classroom, teaching students at different cognitive levels, and managing the first year as a full-time teacher.

“It was really amazing and is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because we’re only future teachers once,” said Junker, who is currently a student teacher in Closter County, Va. “It was awesome to meet a bunch of professionals who are very good at their craft — National Teachers of the Year, State Teachers of the Year — and being able to build connections with them and learn from them as well.”

Kransberger, who serves as a student teacher in Lynchburg, said she also appreciated how many in attendance at the event shared her Christian faith. Although the public school setting does not provide a direct avenue for teachers to evangelize, she said teachers can live out the Christian walk in the classroom by prioritizing the needs of the children over themselves.

“It was really cool to hear about their passion and to see their heart and their generosity,” she said. “Overall, it reignited my passion for education, and it showed that it is possible to make a difference and not just end up as another burnt-out teacher.”

Although Kransberger doesn’t have any immediate career plans as she and her husband are expecting a baby at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, she said she feels her time at Liberty has prepared her to be successful in whatever field she pursues, whether that is tutoring, substitute teaching, homeschooling, or working full time as a teacher.

“In every class I have had, the content is important and what we’re learning is important, but at the core of it all is (Liberty’s mission of) Training Champions for Christ and having well-equipped (students),” she said. “Everything we do is coming from a Christ-centered position and of the things that come from that, such as empathy, selflessness, dedication, and desire to work hard because you have a deeper purpose. Anything from being a student at Liberty and doing student leadership at Liberty has prepared me for life well, and all of those things are applicable to being a teacher because teaching is one of those professions where you just have to be versatile.”

“Going to school at Liberty has given me a greater focus on God and deepened my relationship with Him, which has made me more equipped to be a teacher, or a professional in any space, or a mom, or a wife,” she added. “If you have a good relationship with God, all of your other relationships are going to look better.”