Grow Your Own Pathway
Belinda Baker - GYO Instructor
belinda.baker@k12.wv.us
What is Grow Your Own?
The Grow Your Own Pathway is designed to seek promising high school students and facilitate a career path for them to pursue a career in education. The “Grow Your Own (GYO) West Virginia Teaching Pathway” is designed to address West Virginia’s critical teacher shortage. Through the program, high school students who want to become classroom teachers can fast-track into their careers through a combination of dual enrollment/Advanced Placement courses, and an accelerated pathway. Through this pathway, students can graduate from a partner institution of higher education, like Glenville State University, with a bachelor’s degree in just three years.
How does Grow Your Own Work?
Wetzel County Schools identify and recruit students to participate in the “Grow Your Own West Virginia Teaching Pathway” program. High school counselors and partnering institution faculty advisors assist students with scheduling, financial aid, testing requirements, etc. Students graduate from their high schools with a goal of a minimum of 30 hours of dual enrollment, including the four introductory education courses (or course equivalents as defined in county plan), from Glenville State University, entering college with sophomore standing. During the junior and senior years of high school, students participate in coordinated field placements in Wetzel County Schools. The West Virginia Department of Education will provide instructional staff to help prepare students to successfully complete the Praxis Core exam, and participating students will be provided with a fee waiver to take the exam.
