The Wyoming Classroom Connections Tour is back for round two, giving University of
Wyoming College of Education students the chance to visit public schools within the
state -- and allowing them to create connections within the Wyoming public education
system.
This semester’s tour, scheduled Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 17-18, is sponsored by the
Wyoming School-University Partnership, the UW College of Education, Carbon County
School District 1 and Carbon County School District 2. The tour group will be accompanied
by faculty and staff members from the Wyoming School-University Partnership and the
College of Education.
Shelby Williams, a secondary education and mathematics major at UW, participated in
the first tour in April, visiting Goshen County School District 1.
“Even knowing which county I wanted to student teach in, the opportunity to tour schools
in the district was eye-opening,” Williams says. “I met both administrators and teachers
at each school and found a potential placement in a more rural area than I had previously
considered.”
The tour will consist of a general tour of school buildings and facilities, as well
as visits to unique and innovative spaces within each district. Portions of the tour
provide real-time classroom observation sessions and leadership connections to learn
and discuss district priorities, teacher support programs and future job opportunities.
Participants also are given the ability to connect with other experienced educators
about effective teaching practices, challenges of the field, and insight into what
makes each school and community unique.
“Wyoming has often been referred to as a small town with really long roads. Thanks
to the Wyoming Classroom Connections Tour, those roads have become a bit shorter for
prospective teachers,” says Justin Pierantoni, superintendent of Laramie County School
District 2. “This program allows school districts to showcase their schools to University
of Wyoming College of Education students, faculty and staff. The connection provides
students with more knowledge about our great public school system as they prepare
to student teach. It is an amazing experience, and I look forward to the next opportunity.”
“This tour is insightful for all of those who are involved. Getting faculty, staff
and students from the College of Education into classrooms and communities around
Wyoming helps to cultivate deeper connections to this great state and everything our
public education landscape has to offer,” says Nicholas Jesse, the project coordinator.
For more information, call Jesse, Wyoming School-University Partnership senior project coordinator, at (307) 766-3274 or email njesse@uwyo.edu.
