The ping pong tables and cushy chairs in the Grewcock Student Union were replaced with folding tables and plastic chairs on Thursday, March 1.
Hillsdale College’s Classical School Jobs Fair was held March 1 and 2. Twenty-eight schools (13 of them for the first time) came from across the country to meet and interview students for teaching and administrative positions.
Director of Career Services Joanna Wiseley said that on Thursday both students and representatives from the schools met and learned about one another. Interviews were held on Friday.
“An average of 35 resumes were collected by each of the schools that responded to our survey,” she said. “This was the most successful fair yet.”
Follow-up interviews were held in Phillips Auditorium on Friday, students have since had Skype interviews with potential employers, and a few students have offers to be flown to schools for on-sight interviews.
“Schools are only as good as the people in front of the classroom,” said Associate Professor of Education Daniel Coupland. “In order to last, they need good teachers.”
Along with the meet-and-greet and interviews, school representatives enjoyed lectures from Hillsdale professors, and received a tour and attended opening ceremonies at Hillsdale Academy.
Mark Peterson, the principal at Aristotle Academy in American Fork, Utah, said he was impressed by the Hillsdale students he met. Aristotle Academy is a brand new school and will be opening its doors this coming August.
Peterson said the school is patterned after both Hillsdale Academy and the college, and he was excited to see the schools in person. He also came with the hopes of hiring people to fill a few of 17 different positions.
“Hillsdale has the caliber of students we are looking for,” he said. “I was already expecting to be impressed, and after coming here I am even more impressed. I am hoping that at least one of our staff will be a Hillsdale graduate. At least one.”
Rebecca Demeyer, the elementary school assistant principal at The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., said she was looking for candidates that feel they can align themselves with the core values of the school.
“We need people who are interested in continuing to grow as a learner, who want to nurture their students and become a part of the community, and who have a passion for teaching,” she said.
Demeyer said the school already employs a few Hillsdale graduates, and she is hoping to find more.
“Hillsdale is a great place to communicate with like-minded people,” she said. “Our school is classically minded, so the people here are already aligned with our philosophy. Coming here is a continuation of their beliefs. There are fewer gaps we have to fill in our staff. At our school we are working to bring up exemplary citizens, and we need teachers who will emulate that role for our students.”
Katie Walker ’11 is a grammar school intern at Veritas Academy in Leola, Pa. She said her education at Hillsdale prepared her for teaching at a classical school.
“The Veritas [Academy] approach to education is the same as Hillsdale’s approach,” she said. “Hillsdale prepared me a lot. They have a great idea of education.”
Walker said Hillsdale especially gave her a love for learning and inspired her to continue learning and to model that mindset for younger students.
“Because I’ve been at Hillsdale, I can see what [Veritas is] striving to do in its education,” she said. “I can work to take my students and prepare them for that in the future.”
Senior Shannon Sullivan had eight interviews on Friday, and has already heard back from five different schools about further interviews.
“I think the people who were really sure that they wanted to teach at a classical school are the ones who got the most interviews,” she said. “I really want to be at a classical school, and I think that was obvious.”
Sullivan appreciated how accessible the fair was.
“It’s in the union, so that helps a lot,” she said. “It also helps to be able to meet someone and then have an interview. That’s really helpful for a person like me who might not look the best on paper. It was great just being able to meet them and present the full person.”
Coupland said he was excited with the turnout and the opportunity schools had to see the college.
“It is crazy so many schools are trying to do the same thing in K-12 that we are doing here for undergraduates,” he said. “I find it refreshing.”
Wiseley agreed.
“I have high hopes that a lot of students will get jobs because of this event,” she said. “I was thrilled with the event. Once again, Hillsdale did what it does best.”
