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Coaching and teaching go hand in hand for Scott Harden.
The senior in Dalton’s early childhood education program, who was a three-sport varsity athlete in high school, says learning to manage the “field” and learning to manage a classroom have a lot in common.
“On the field you have to be quick,” says Scott, who will begin student teaching in January. “And you have to be just as quick when you’re working with kids in the classroom.”
Scott, who started out as a business major at another college, switched to education because of his love for coaching and working with young people.
What Scott likes best about the program at Dalton, besides being taught by a dedicated faculty, is working closely with his classmates on student cohort teams.
“We work in cohort groups, and we pretty much learn a lot from each other. The faculty sets up such high expectations that you have to be really dedicated and you have to develop good time management skills to meet the challenges of the program,” he says. “But so far, we’re all still in the hunt.”
Scott, like many students enrolled in Dalton State’s teacher education program, plans to complete his requirements for certification in early childhood education, and then take the Praxis II test that, upon passing, will qualify him for an “add-on” middle grades certificate. And eventually, he’d like to work in administration.
“And I want to coach,” he says, noting that in his free time he is the head baseball coach and defensive coordinator football coach for an area school.
“I really want to instill what I’ve learned about life and sports to kids,” says Scott, noting that maxims like “you have to strive to reach your goals” and “even if you lose, there’s another day” have been important to him as a student and an athlete.
Scott has nothing but good things to say about the faculty that has brought him this close to his own personal goals.
“My professors have been like coaches to me. They build you up when you’ve done well and they tell you when you’re doing wrong. In most major universities, you don’t get that,” he reflects. “We get constant feedback, and we’re getting great hands-on skills.”
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