A family’s century-old commitment to educating others continued to live on this spring as Collin Keith graduated from Northeast Tech Afton’s Teacher Prep program. He now has his sights set on a higher education degree and following in the footsteps of his grandparents.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher like both my grandparents,” said Keith. “My grandpa especially has made a real impact on me wanting to go into education. He’s been a teacher and a coach and that’s my goal. I want to teach history and be a successful basketball coach in the community.”
Keith has been accepted to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M this fall. There he will pursue his teaching degree while also assisting Head Coach Jim Rowland with the Lady Norse Basketball team.
Keith’s grandparents, Randy and Sharon Gardner, were on hand to witness his walk across the stage this May as he graduated from the Teacher Prep program.
“It’s emotional,” said Sharon. “Education has always been part of our family. It’s great to see the legacy we’re leaving with our family about the importance of education.”
The Gardner’s have nearly a century of combined educational experience between the two, dating back to 1975. Randy currently serves as the superintendent at Afton Public Schools, where Sharon also teaches.
During his time in the Teacher Prep program, Keith also had the opportunity to intern at APS. It allowed him to see his grandparents daily while assisting both the middle school’s history class and the fifth and sixth grade basketball team.
“He would drop his stuff off in my room, chat and head straight to the gym,” said Sharon. “People would tell me how much of a natural he is with kids, and I think that’s going to be very beneficial to him in the future.”
Keith also gives credit to Teacher Prep instructor Eva Woolman.
“Mrs. Woolman was very helpful. I felt like I was challenged throughout the program,” said Keith. “I’m not super creative and Mrs. Woolman really helped with that, pushing my boundaries. Tech has helped me, really pushed me to do better and get better organized. I’ve enjoyed my time here at Tech.”
Woolman established the Teacher Prep program at the Northeast Tech Pryor Campus in August 2020. The program expanded to the Afton Campus in 2022, where Woolman currently teaches.
Teacher Prep is a one-year program that allows students to explore an introduction to education and participate in a six-week internship. Utilizing the Teach Oklahoma curriculum provided by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Woolman has implemented a curriculum aligned to the Family and Consumer Sciences National Standards for Education and Early Childhood.
Students can also pursue internships as part of the program. Under Woolman’s leadership, students are paired with a highly qualified mentor-teacher and take an active role in their host classroom.
For more information on Woolman’s Teacher Prep program at Northeast Tech Afton Campus, please call 918-257-8324 or email Amy Kreutz, student advisor, at amy.kreutz@netech.edu.