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“I feel very well prepared,” says Alice Oliver, a 2006 education grad who recently signed a contract to teach with the Whitfield County School System.

“I’m ready to have my own classroom.”

For the past four years, Alice has been preparing for the day this August when she will have her own classroom, which, as it turns out, will be as a first grade teacher at Antioch Elementary. A 2002 graduate of Southeast High School, she entered Dalton State knowing that she wanted to begin her educational career here, but not sure of where she wanted to end it.

“I decided to come to Dalton because it was close to home, my church and my family, and all of those things are very important to me,” says the honor graduate.

“And then I found out all that Dalton State had to offer to me, and I decided that I’d stay here.”

Maintaining the HOPE Scholarship for four years was a definite financial plus, she says, as was signing on for the HOPE Teacher Promise program. This annual renewable loan provides up to $6000 of support for students in teacher education programs who “promise” to teach in the state of Georgia for three years after graduation. If the three-year teaching commitment is met, the loan is “forgiven.” 

Alice gladly signed that contract, admitting that she is delighted to stay in the area for the indefinite future.

The 21-year-old Dalton native says she’s always had “a heart for children,” and wants to have an impact o their lives. “I want to make them feel safe, comfortable, and loved.”

Her desire to teach was inspired by several very caring, loving elementary school teachers who made school “fun” for her. As a teenager, she tested out her skills with seven to nine year olds when she volunteered as a counselor during summer camps sponsored by her church.

Her family’s influence has also been instrumental in her career choice. Her mother, Gloria, works for Pleasant Grove Elementary School, and her father, Chuck, is a member of the Whitfield County School Board.

As a student in Dalton State’s first “senior” graduating class of teacher education majors, Alice has nothing but praise for the preparation she has received during the past four years.

During her classroom observation and student teaching experience as a junior and senior, she worked in a total of four different area elementary schools and observed five different grade levels.

“I feel like I’ve had a more realistic and broad experience than a lot of people get in other programs,” says Alice, noting that she’s grateful for the chance to work with “so many wonderful teachers” in the area school systems.

“The Senior Seminars, which we participated in this spring, were also really helpful. We heard from presenters who spoke on topics, like how to recognize child abuse, that as educators we need to know about.”

They also heard from school system personnel directors about application procedures and they prepared portfolios this spring to take along with them on job interviews.

“There’s no question in my mind that Dalton State has done a wonderful job preparing us for the classroom.”