Lexington 2 educator launches national teacher prep curriculum

More than three decades after South Carolina's Teacher Cadet Program inspired her to pursue a career in education, Lexington School District Two’s Marcella Wine-Snyder is helping inspire a new generation of aspiring teachers.

Wine-Snyder, the district’s alternative certification coach, collaborated with fellow South Carolina educators Angi Brush, Anne Ledford and Carol Weaver to launch TEACH, or Teaching Excellence Achieved through Collaborative Hands-On Experiences, a comprehensive curriculum designed to introduce aspiring educators to the teaching profession and help build stronger educator pipelines nationwide.

Unlike programs focused primarily on instructional techniques, TEACH emphasizes the development of the whole educator. Through hands-on learning, reflection and collaboration, participants explore their identities as learners, examine the responsibilities of teaching, develop practical classroom skills and discover opportunities to lead and advocate within their schools and communities, Lexington School District Two said in a news release.

The first-edition curriculum features four units —The Learner, The Profession, The Classroom and The Leader — and 42 standards aligned with eight nationally recognized educational frameworks.

TEACH supports high school introductory education and teaching courses, including those offered for college credit through dual enrollment, as well as career and technical education programs, teacher apprenticeships, alternative certification programs and postsecondary teacher preparation pathways.

Lexington Two offers such programs through its Lexington Two Innovation Center, along with teacher cadet programs at Airport High School and Brookland-Cayce High School.

For Wine-Snyder, the TEACH launch is especially meaningful.

"My journey into education began as a high school student in South Carolina's Teacher Cadet Program,” said Wine-Snyder, a Charleston native. “Years later, I had the privilege of leading the very program that inspired my career. Now, more than three decades later, collaborating with three accomplished South Carolina educators who share my passion for preparing future teachers feels like a full-circle moment. Together, through TEACH, we have an opportunity to give back to a profession that has given us so much while helping aspiring educators across the country discover their own passion for teaching.”

Wine-Snyder brings more than 34 years of experience in education, including over 20 years in senior leadership roles. At Lexington Two, she supports teachers pursuing alternative pathways in certification. Prior to joining the district, she most recently served as director of professional learning and leadership development for the South Carolina Education Association’s Center for Educator Wellness and Learning.

For additional information about TEACH, visit www.teachscholars.com.