Meet Fabien McGill. He came to the College uncertain of what major to choose. He knew he wanted to study education because he'd been inspired by his own teachers in school. That led him to middle grades education, and now he's getting the best possible preparation to do some inspiring of his own.
Fabien recognizes that teachers have influenced him most of his life. In middle school, his principal encouraged him to check out the College of Charleston. In high school, his band director was an important role model. "He inspired me a lot," recalls Fabien. "So many of the tactics that I've adopted as an aspiring teacher are mimicked on his approach."
Fabien was drawn to the middle grades education major because he regards this stage of life as vitally important. "If you don't reach problem kids in middle school, they'll be on the wrong path in high school. I know that I can make the biggest impact in at the middle school level."
To prepare for that, Fabien has taken important classes. In one called Middle School Management he was charged with creating a new school. "We had to discuss different ideas and how to implement them. It was definitely challenging and enlightening."
He also became a participant in Call Me MISTER (a statewide program that seeks to develop more male teachers from diverse backgrounds) and was chosen to be a Teacher Leader (a professional development program for highly motivated education majors). To gain further experience, he took the initiative to become a substitute teacher and started doing that in schools around Charleston while still an undergraduate.
Some day, Fabien would like to open his own school. He knows he'll be ready when the time comes. "I've had phenomenal, passionate professors at the College who help us connect what we learn in the classroom to what happens in real life. They're amazing mentors, have important connections and really offer you a tremendous advantage."