Roane State Community College

Members of Cohort A-10 in the 2+2 program at Roane State's Scott County campus are pictured. Seated, Jessica Goins and Houston Byrd. Standing, from left: Jennifer Rutherford, Shelley Jeffers, instructor Angie Jones, Brittany Lowe and Shelby Jeffers.

Aug. 23, 2019

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

This isn't just any cohort of future educators learning how to teach while enrolled at Roane State's campus in Scott County. "It's AKA (Also Known As) the best cohort ever!" class member Shelby Jeffers proudly said.

A cohort - a small group of students that begins and ends a program together - is a component of the innovative 2+2 Program that leads to a bachelor's degree and a teaching license in elementary education.

In the 2+2 curriculum, students get an associate's degree from Roane State Community College, transfer to Tennessee Tech University for another two years and obtain their bachelor's degree in elementary education. All of the bachelor’s degree courses are taught by Tennessee Tech educators. The classes are held at the W.H. Swain Scott County Center for Higher Education, the formal title for Roane State's campus in Huntsville.

That location can be a huge advantage for students. Four of the six members of Cohort A-10 are parents who say they need to stay close to home and their children.

Together in classes for months, the group has formed a bond, exchanging light-hearted banter between classes and good-naturedly kidding Houston Byrd, the cohort's sole male.

The six Cohort A-10 members are Jennifer Rutherford, Shelley Jeffers, Jessica Goins, Byrd, Shelby Jeffers and Brittany Lowe.

They praised the quality of the education they're receiving as well as its convenience. "It's an opportunity to become a teacher without leaving home," Jeffers said.

She said she at first started Roane State's nursing program before having a change of heart and opting instead for teaching.

They've completed the Roane State component of the 2+2 program and have received their associate's degree. Now, they're Tennessee Tech students and are learning how to teach subjects, including reading, math, science and social studies.

They also have supervised work experiences in public schools where they put teaching theories into practice. In October, they will begin Residency, better known as student teaching. It's a year-long performance-based clinical experience in the classroom, Tennessee Tech lecturer Angie Jones said.

Jones, who oversees Cohort A-10, said the members will then plan appropriate instruction based on students' needs.

There's another cohort of seniors who are now sharpening their teaching skills in area classrooms, Jones said.

"They are such a fine group," Jones said of Cohort A-10. "It's a tough program," she said of the 2+2 regimen. "I do feel like they're going to be job-ready when they leave."

"She (Jones) has so over-prepared us, and that's not a negative," Brittany Lowe said. Tennessee Tech Professor Leslie Suters is the cohort's other instructor.

Her graduation from Tennessee Tech next year will be twice as special, Jessica Goins said. That's because her oldest son will also be graduating then from Campbell County High School.