TIP: The Teacher Intern Program

Education is an important aspect in everyone’s life. Despite the stress and anxiety it might cause, the role of an educator in students’ lives is astronomical. Everyone has been influenced by a teacher or professor, and that influence might have been the nudge needed to pursue an interest in one subject or another.

Wilson College’s Teacher Intern Program, or TIP for short, was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 1985 and allows men and women to complete their teaching certification. Wilson offers certification in Pre-K to fourth grade, fourth to eighth grade, and seventh to twelfth grade. For the early-education classes, students are taught a wide range of subjects to teach such as music, art, and physical education. For secondary education, students can be certified to teach Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, or Spanish. Students need to complete the necessary education classes on top of content courses to graduate. After completing their credits, students sit for and pass the PECT or PRAXIS exams to become certified.

Currently, the head of the program is Beth Byers. Byers interviews potential students, reviews transcripts, and is in charge of program layout. Future plans for the program include certification for business teachers since there has been a request from Pennsylvania high schools to teach business courses, and they need the necessary personnel to teach.

TIP students go through rigorous training that involves taking classes, student teaching, and going through a final examination process in order to be certified to shape the minds of the younger generation. The Wilson College TIP program provides an excellent education to those who wish to teach.