What is Tigers Teach?

Through a collaborative partnership between the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Memphis, Tigers Teach allows science and mathematics majors to sample the world of pre-college teaching and earn the certification needed to teach their subject in secondary schools while still completing the course requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree. This high-quality teacher education program will increase the number and diversity of competent math and science students entering the teaching field and assuming positions of educational leadership in their fields.

Tigers Teach is based on the UTeach model.  UTeach is recognized nationally as a model for math and science teacher preparation reform by a number of prominent organizations, including the National Research Council, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.

Students who enter Tigers Teach together are encouraged to move through the program as a cohort, teaching and motivating one another. They have access to the latest research on learning and also focus on using technology effectively in the classroom. More importantly, Tigers Teach students receive personal attention and guidance from highly experienced master teachers, faculty and successful public school teachers.

Why Choose Tigers Teach?

Hallmarks of this program include:

• Active recruitment of students from the Departments of Mathematical Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and Computer Science to take two initial UTeach courses (STEP 1 and STEP 2) free of charge.
• Early and intensive field experiences throughout the program.  As early as their freshman year, students receive their first experience in the public school classroom, working with experienced local teachers who mentor them.  Students who stay in the program will have additional teaching experiences in subsequent years, leading up to an apprentice teaching experience in their last year.  
• Compact degree plans that allow most students to graduate with a bachelor’s of science degree AND teaching certification in four years.
• Guidance, instruction and inspiration provided by faculty and highly experienced public school teachers who serve as master teachers in the program.  They are actively engaged both in research in mathematics and science and in the teaching and learning of mathematics and science.
• An array of benefits for students who continue in the program beyond STEP 1 and STEP 2, including scholarships and paid internships that offer opportunities for community outreach in education.  Students also receive priority for tutoring and instructional jobs on campus.

Who should look into this program?

If you are a mathematics or science major (or are considering a math or science major), talk with your advisor about this program. UTeach programs across the nation have shattered the myth that math and science majors aren’t interested in becoming teachers. One of the hallmarks of this program is to actively recruit entering freshman who have declared an interest in math or science by offering the first two introductory UTeach courses for free. These students get immediate field experience in elementary and middle school classrooms and can decide very quickly if they do indeed love teaching or if it’s not right for them.

Students are free to withdraw from the program at the end of any semester, and there is no obligation to teach in any particular school system or at all following graduation. Regardless of whether you find a degree in teaching is right for you, you will acquire valuable teaching skills that carry on to any graduate or professional school and can be used in any field, such as medicine, law, journalism, sales, management, and marketing. 

It is also possible to enter the program at later stages. For example, if a junior decides to explore teaching, there are options available that allow flexible entry, with suggested paths for completing all courses and apprentice teaching in the minimum amount of time. If a student has financial needs, there are several options available, including scholarships and paid internships at schools, museums and other education-related organizations.