Scholten - The Community Educator

The Community Educator

Jillian Scholten

Dr. Bo Chang

EDAC 648

            Community education has been growing in the United States for decades. As lifestyles become even busier, many people find community education to be a flexible way to earn a desired degree. Community education has a mission to help the community in which it resides. “Community Education is a philosophical concept which serves the entire community by providing for all of the educational needs of all its community members. It uses the local school to serve as the catalyst for bringing community resources to bear on community problems in an effort to develop a positive sense of community, improve community living and develop the community process toward the end of self-actualization,” states Dr. Jack Minzey, an instructor at Michigan State University. The community educator is a vital part of this process for a student. The educator is the one working with the student and helping them to be successful.      

            Laura Gregory is a community educator. She works at Ivy Tech Community College as an academic advisor. Community colleges are currently educating close to 50 percent of all undergraduate students in the country. While professors may be deemed some of the most important people in education, academic advisors play a key role in the success of each student. Without them, students would not be registered for courses and could possibly fall off track for graduation requirements. Some community educators play a flexible role at the institution. For instance, Gregory is an academic advisor, but she also teaches an introduction to college course. She is able to see student’s progress throughout their experience. The transition from high school or the working world to college can be difficult for many students. With this in mind, Gregory plans her lessons based on financial aid, career development, resume building, or anything that can lead students to success. It can be difficult to cater to the entire age range of her students because some students just graduated high school, while others graduated twenty years ago. She must create a plan that will reach the entire audience. Creating activities for community students is just one role of this generation of community educators.

            Now many community education systems are going to “one-stop” locations. Allowing students to work with admissions, advising, and financial aid in one building. As the world begins to revolve more around convenience, this is seen as a must for the Ivy Tech system where Gregory works. This shift is taking place in this community college across the state of Indiana. They are also cutting down on the number employees and making some multitask.  

Gregory and her coworkers are responsible for planning many events held on their campus. Many of these activities invite members of the community to be involved. Gregory helps put on festivals for those graduating and kick-offs for the incoming students. These events invite local businesses and schools to take part in college fairs and activities. Ivy Tech has been building a relationship with these community members for years. They have also built partnerships with the four-year institutions in hopes the students graduating will continue to earn a higher degree.

            Community educators at Ivy Tech, like Gregory, work with the community to get students involved. They feel it is important for the students to learn from those working in the profession and this helps the student to gain experience and network.

            Minnesota offers the Minnesota Community Education Association, a membership for community educators in the state. Staff and community members are welcome to participate. The service provides research, job postings, and recognition. The MCEA organization defines community education as an “opportunity for local citizens and community schools, agencies and institutions to become active partners in addressing education and community concerns.” Across the state of Minnesota, over 900,000 adults participate in the community education system held in this state. Members can join committees, which have a strong impact on the direction of the organization.

            Not far from Minnesota, in Missouri, the Department of Education believes community education is meant to enhance lives. This organization has a mission to find collaboration between family members of students and the community. Grades can be significantly higher for students if their parents play an active role in their learning experience. After school programs and volunteerism is highly encouraged in the state.

            Gregory works with students hoping to enroll at Ivy Tech with less than 15 credit hours. She is often the first contact students have with the college. Her day is spent answering emails and phone calls, as well as advising students. She began working in education at Ball State University with the Center for Organizational Resources. She was lucky to have worked in the department as a student and then transition to a full-time job. Her career has been mostly spent at Ivy Tech working in the Office of Financial Aid and Academic Advising.

            Gregory lives in the community near Ivy Tech. She thinks the word community can mean different things to different people. To her, community means students, faculty, staff, administration and community partners. She believes any educational institution in her area greatly impacts her community. Community colleges produce future leaders and educators for that area. Gregory sees a community educator as those who make a difference in the community, whether that is the Mayor, President, Chancellor of a College, staff members or even the students.

            A very important part about working in community education is knowing the community. They must be aware of who is a part of the community and any challenges that their community faces. The role of the community educator, according to Laura, is someone who wants to make the community better. The educator must be able to listen.

            The best part about Gregory’s job is making a positive impact on the students she is helping. What is her advice to anyone looking to work in community education? “To be a good role model. You have to be able to ‘walk the talk’.”

            As I have learned from Gregory, community education can have different meanings depending on whom you speak to about it but one thing is certain: education can be a lifelong process and a way of bringing communities together. A community educator plays a large role in this process, but it takes a whole community’s effort to be successful.

Table 1. Summary of the Community Educator

Items	The main ideas of the interview	Application of the main ideas in practice
Community educators – who are they? List some examples	Mayor, President, Chancellor, Faculty and staff members, students.	Teachers, administrators, support staff, community members working with local colleges.
Duties/responsibilities	Advise students who have less than 15 credit hours. Teach introduction to college seminar course. Set an example for students.	Community Educators work with members of the community to instruct and engage students in the learning process. They play many different roles.
Working environments	Working with others in the community to make improvements and train future leaders. Can be a classroom setting or mayoral office.	Many community educators work in community colleges, but could also work as volunteer coordinators, after school activities coordinators, or project leaders.
Career Path	Laura started out at Ball State University and transitioned to Ivy Tech as a Financial Aid advisor, she then moved over to advising and has been at Ivy Tech for 14 years.	Some grow up wanting to help their community through education. Others find it very rewarding to help others so they choose a job in this field.

References:

Reforming Public Schools through Community Education: Jack Minzey –

Kendall/Hunt: Dubuque IA 1994

"Who we are." Minnesota Community Education Association. MCEA, n.d. Web. 24 Jan

2014. <http://www.mn-mcea.org/who_we_are.asp&xgt;.

Warren, R. L. (1978). The community in America (3^rd ed.). New York: University

Press of America.

"What is community education." Missouri department of elementary and seconday

education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan 2014. <http://dese.mo.gov/eel/exl/eel-exl-

community-ed.htm>.

Zemlo, J. S., Clark, P.A., Lauff Jr, S., & Nelson Jr, E. G. (1990). A New Generation of

Community Education. Education Digest, 56(1), 72-75