Call Me MiSTER Recruitment Showcase Seeks to Increase the Number of SC Teachers from Diverse Backgrounds
Event is co-hosted by USC Sumter, Morris College, and Clemson University
Sumter, SC (10/09/2023) — The University of South Carolina Sumter has announced the date for the next Call Me MiSTER Recruitment Showcase. The event will be Thursday, November 16 at Morris College and is open to high school students from Sumter, Kershaw, Clarendon, Lee, and Williamsburg school districts who have an interest in pursuing a career in early childhood or K-12 education.
The mister in Call Me MiSTER (CMM) stands for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models. The program aims to select and support future teachers from socioeconomically and culturally diverse communities. The ultimate goal of CMM is to increase the number of teachers from various backgrounds and experiences.
Founded at Clemson University in 2000 to address the significant shortage of African American men teaching in K-8 public elementary school classrooms, CMM is now recognized in two and four-year universities across the United States. In Sumter, CMM is offered at USC Sumter and Morris College. Once students are accepted into the program, they are provided tuition assistance, a cohort system for social and cultural support, academic support, mentorship, and job placement assistance.
"We are building our Call Me Mister program here at USC Sumter because many young African American boys go their entire k-12 schooling experiences without a single African American male teacher," said Elizabeth Hawkins, CMM Program Coordinator and Instructor of Teacher Education. "Bringing more diversity into the teaching profession and our local schools, CMM provides an opportunity in the classroom where students see teachers that look like them and show them brand new possibilities."
At this year's CMM Recruitment Showcase, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the teaching profession and the important role they may play in future students' lives. They will also hear a message from keynote speaker, Hayward Jean, who is the current Director of Student Services for the Orangeburg County School District. Formerly, Jean was an award-winning Principal of Mellichamp Elementary School. The school made history as one of eight South Carolina schools in 2013 to go from an "F" rating to an "A" rating in one year, and in 2014, they were the recipient of the school's first ever Palmetto Silver Award for academic performance. In the 2019-2020 school year, Mellichamp was one of two schools in the country to be awarded the National Institute of Excellence in Teaching's School of Promise award.
Students that are interested in attending the CMM Recruitment Showcase, should visit their high school counselor in order to register for the event. This year's showcase is co-hosted by USC Sumter, Morris College, and Clemson University.
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Hayward Jean, who is the Director of Student Services for the Orangeburg County School District, will be the keynote speaker at the Call Me Mister Recruitment Showcase.
Students from from Sumter, Kershaw, Clarendon, Lee, and Williamsburg school districts will once again be participating in the Call Me Mister Recruitment Showcase.