(ARA) – Do you picture yourself one day standing in front of 26 or more pairs of eyes, filling the brains of students of various ages with the information they will need to graduate from high school and go on to a fulfilling life? If molding young minds is your dream, you may be able to get federal help in fulfilling it.

Jobs will always be available in the field of education, and the prognosis for the next several years is that demand for teachers will grow an estimated 12 percent through 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS goes on to report that most job openings will result from the need to replace the large number of teachers expected to retire during the next seven years. Subject areas with the highest demand include elementary education, math, science, bilingual education, reading, special education and foreign languages.

In order to help fill the need for new teachers, the federal government created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program offering undergraduate and graduate students up to $4,000 per year for tuition. Students who receive the TEACH grants sign an agreement to serve as a full-time teacher for four years at a low-income school in a high-need field once they’re finished with school.

“Teaching is a perfect second career for me,” says Chastity McGraw, 35, of Charleston, W.Va. McGraw received a TEACH grant through Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where she’s pursing a master’s degree in elementary education.

TEACH grants require applicants to be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate student in an educational institution that is participating in the TEACH grant program.

GCU has seen a dramatic surge in students applying for the grant money.

“This grant only became available this academic year, and we already have 267 students taking advantage of it,” says Dr. Cindy Knott, dean of GCU’s College of Education. “The students are high quality and committed to their careers — there’s no doubt that this program is going to have a major impact on the quality of teachers over the next decade.”

In addition to the TEACH grants of $2,000 per semester, GCU offers scholarships for high academic achievers attending classes on campus. Other financial aid may be available for online students.

Once she graduates, McGraw will be required to serve four out of eight years — not necessarily consecutively — at a public or private elementary or secondary school designated as a high-needs area. But she isn’t concerned about the commitment.

“Our entire state is full of eligible schools, so there’s no worry of not being able to serve in a high-needs area,” she says.

For more information about GCU and the TEACH grants, visit www.gcu.edu or call (877) 860-3951.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Tags: federal grants, grants, TEACH grants, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education

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