New secondary education director shoots for every star

by Tyler Perhac ‘20, Staff Writer

Teachers are notorious for the expression no student left behind; however, LVC’s new secondary education director wants to make sure that no teacher is left behind either.

Dr. Jefferey Laferriere obtained his Ph. D. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas prior to coming to LVC. Before UNLV, Laferriere taught in high school, and then served as a principal.

“For me, the number one thing about students is relationships,” Laferriere said. “So as a teacher, you get your 150 students and you can build those relationships and help them out. As an admin, you can work with teachers to help them build relationships, but I noticed sometimes as an administrator, some teachers missed important opportunities to connect with students.”

As a college professor, he feels he can better influence a greater number of students if he can influence their teachers. When the secondary education director position at LVC became available, it provided a new opportunity for Laferriere to do so..

“I love teaching,” Laferriere said. “There is nothing more exciting than being in the classroom, regardless whether a high school or college. Planning lessons and having discussions and conversations about the art and act of teaching is exciting.”

As the new director, Laferriere is responsible with observing and evaluating student teachers in the field. He is also responsible for making sure students are taking courses that will help them prepare for the classroom, and that the courses presented are Pennsylvania Department of Education compliant.

Of those courses, Laferriere teaches three classes at LVC this semester: SED-115 Intro to Teaching and Learning, SED-366 Teaching of Math in Secondary Schools and SED-431 Practicum & Methods II.

“I’m excited for our case study talks [in SED-431] I’m having a ball in 115 and am trying to create opportunities for [students] to explore teaching in different ways. It gets me to think about teaching, so it challenges my views as well to make sure I’m not just stagnant in what I believe.”

Laferriere aims to make the secondary education program at LVC grow over time and make the school more attractive because of its education program. He would like to put the school on the map.

“We have great faculty,” Laferriere said. “It’s a great location that offers opportunities to teach and practice in a variety of settings which I don’t think you get a lot of the time.”

With the number of school districts that surround LVC, students are able to experience a variety of levels and receive a well-rounded teaching experience.