This busy mother and school paraprofessional is pursuing her dreams without leaving home.

by Marcia L. Santore

Chastity Labonville

Chasity Labonville uses one word to describe her life: busy. As a high school paraprofessional in her hometown of Gorham, N.H. and a single mother of a 6-year-old daughter, Labonville’s hands were already full. But that didn’t stop her from deciding to pursue a dream: to become a qualified, certified classroom teacher.

Education permeates every aspect of Labonville’s life. At Gorham Middle/High School, she works as a paraprofessional for grades 9 to 12, currently working one-to-one with a boy who has autism. In the past she was employed by a Head Start program, working with young children and their families. That need to educate spills over into her home life as well.

When Labonville’s daughter, Riley, was two years old she was diagnosed as deaf. At the age of four, she received a cochlear implant. Today she is a happy first-grader, doing well in school, independent of speech therapy and aides.

“We have worked very hard at her success,” Labonville said. “I think my experience as a mother of a child with a disability has influenced my decision to work in the school system. We do some educational supports for other families of hearing-impaired children. My daughter and I attend college sign language classes and discuss with the students what it’s like to be deaf, and my experiences as the mother of a deaf child.”

But Labonville found that there were obstacles to achieving her goal. If you’re working 30 hours a week and raising a small child, and you live in the rural North Country of New Hampshire where the nearest institution with the program you need is an hour and a half drive away, how can you earn both a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification?

Chasity Labonville was certainly not the only person in the North Country to run up against these problems. But last year she and a cohort of 14 other aspiring teachers learned that they could earn bachelor’s degrees and teacher certification without having to travel more than 70 miles to Plymouth State University. Instead, Plymouth State University would come to them.

The North Country Teacher Certification Program was developed as a partnership among PSU, the New Hampshire Community and Technical College–Berlin, and Granite State College. The program provides bachelor’s degrees and teaching certification to place-bound students in New Hampshire’s North Country region in order to address two complementary needs.

“As more teachers retire, there will be an increasing need for certified teachers in the North Country,” explained NCTCP Director Irene Mosedale, a member of PSU’s education faculty. “Many North Country residents would like to become certified as teachers; but because of family and work obligations, they aren’t able to travel to an institution that can provide that certification.”

While students in the North Country can earn associate’s degrees from NHCTC or bachelor’s degrees from Granite State College, neither institution can certify teachers at the undergraduate level. Plymouth State University offers teacher certification through its NCATE-accredited education programs; and as a regional university, PSU is committed to reaching out to place-bound students, especially in the central and northern parts of the state.

Representatives from the three institutions developed a pilot program which launched in the fall 2005 semester. Most of the students began their studies in NHCTC–Berlin’s teacher preparation program, under the guidance of Deb Stewart. Mosedale and Stewart have worked closely together to ensure a seamless transition from one institution to the other. The students applied through the regular application process and were admitted as PSU students. The group was able to enter the program as juniors and take classes together for two years.

The courses are taught by faculty from any of the three institutions and take place at the NHCTC facilities in Berlin. The NCTCP students can also take elective courses through NHCTC or Granite State College. At the end of the two year period, they will graduate from Plymouth State University with bachelor’s degrees in childhood studies and teacher certification.

“The students in the NCTCP are truly representative of the North Country region of New Hampshire,” said Mosedale. “Of the 15 students in the program, four are from Berlin, four from Gorham, two from Lancaster, and one each from Jefferson, North Conway, Intervale, Groveton, and Dalton.”

She adds that the first year was very successful: “Despite the challenges of balancing jobs and families, all the students are maintaining a grade point average of 3.7 or better. This is an especially significant achievement, because these are full-time students carrying at least 13 credits. For many, this was their first experience of maintaining full-time status.”

Only one student has left the program. Donald Weeks Jr. was called to active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq. He has now safely returned from his tour.

“Living in the North Country has its benefits, but access to certain things—like school—can be challenging,” Labonville said. “Being in the program allows me to do both. The best part is that as soon as you start the program you can see that graduation really isn’t that far away, and that’s a great motivator. I feel lucky and grateful to have been able to be a part of this program. I always wanted to finish school, but traveling was out of the question. Having a house and child to take care of doesn’t allow for traveling back and forth to school all of the time.”

Another benefit of the program is that it makes good use of state resources, providing a much needed program in an efficient and cost-effective way, without redundancy. Mosedale points out that this is the first time three state-funded institutions have come together on this kind of project.

“New Hampshire Community Technical College is very excited to be part of this cutting edge way to offer a bachelor level experience for our rural students,” said

Katherine Eneguess, president of NHCTC–Berlin, and herself a graduate of Plymouth State. “The teacher education program is of critical importance to the next generation of teachers located in all of our northern communities. We are very pleased to be working in such a collaborative way with the renowned teacher education program at Plymouth State University, sharing resources, faculty, and programs.”

For Labonville, the program is going very well. “I’m learning a lot and it’s helped me as a mother, as well—taking the K–3 reading, the music and art classes—it’s been fun for us at home. I get to try out all my lesson plans on my daughter before I use them in any of my classes. Usually, if she likes it, it’s an A for me!” Labonville said. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but Irene Mosedale has been a huge help as far as helping to manage our time, talking about classes, and just being an amazing advisor as well as teacher.”

Labonville and her fellow NCTCP students are scheduled to graduate in May 2007. Beyond that, she’s keeping her options open.

“I really enjoy working with children who have special needs,” she said. “But I think this would make me a good general education teacher, as well, as far as integration in the classroom. I really don’t have a preference at the moment. I love working with all children. … Any grade or specialized teaching would only better enhance my learning experiences as a teacher and a person.”