ERIK HAYDEN
Staff Writer
After being hailed as a woman of passion and winning numerous awards for her public service and teaching credentials, what Betty Glass loves to do the most is simply instruct students and teachers alike.
“She is passionate about children’s learning, future teachers, and the field of education as a whole,” said Lindsay Kleban, one her “teacher’s-in-training.”
As an assistant professor of Teacher Education, Glass works to make sure that today’s teachers are capable of handling themselves in the ever-changing field of elementary and high school education. She emphasizes that “teaching is teaching” and that you can never prepare for the level you may ultimately teach. She’s had many students who believed they were called to teach the 3rd grade realize that they wanted to pursue the education of high school students.
This is why Dr. Glass emphasizes teaching as a “whole” experience rather than isolated activities and instructions for different levels of teaching. Glass describes her current position as a teacher educator as “working with the wannabe’s” because of the amount of effort and time it takes to mold a teacher.
Prior to being a teacher educator, Glass was a public school teacher and principal who loved her job. She has taught many levels ranging from elementary school to the 9th grade and she enjoyed them all.
“Each presented its own challenge and reward,” she commented.
Her love of education led her to take charge as an administrator and principal for three schools including, S.M.A.S.H., an alternative public school in Santa Monica that specialized in the arts, and Juan Cabrillo Elementary in Malibu. Glass attributes her creativity and courage to the time she spent at S.M.A.S.H.
At “that school, I could try anything I wanted to [as an administrator]. Everything was fair game.” This led to the organization of some unorthodox events such as dinner theater and a fitness program with the surprise celebrity endorsement and appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Another challenge and blessing was working with parents. “I had a lot of input from parents,” she recalled. “I enjoyed working with them for the most part. Sometimes they could be challenge though.”
On her first day on the job as an administrator she visited each classroom and asked students what they wanted in a principal and how she could do the best job possible. With her hands on approach as an administrator she easily gained the trust of both parents and students.
After successfully guiding S.M.A.S.H. she moved to implement the next part of her life plan. “I loved teaching but I loved being an administrator. I knew that I wanted to instruct students in teacher education at Pepperdine,” she recounted. She knew that Pepperdine would be the right place for her because her family had been a part of the school since 1968. Her kids attended Pepperdine, she attended church services at Pepperdine, and her husband was a professor at Pepperdine.
Glass has made her own mark on the Pepperdine teacher education program by emphasizing the same fundamental hands-on approach that she used as a teacher and administrator in the public school sector.
Kleban believes that, “Dr. Glass has taught me so many useful tools that could never been learned from a book. She teaches in an authentic way.”
Her advice to the “wannabes” is to only pursue teaching if you find that you truly love it. “Drop out of teacher education if it is not your passion,” Glass advised. “If you don’t you’ll make a miserable teacher and make generations of students miserable right along with you.”
Glass believes passionately that teaching must be a desire and not just an occupation, that is, after all, how it manifests itself in her life.
Her passion for teaching and learning spills into all areas of her personal time. Dr. Glass would love to take more classes at Pepperdine as soon as her schedule will allow. She is especially interested in a philosophy or a Great Books course. She has taken beginning piano and had a “fun experience.”
Whether she is taking classes herself, instructing in the classroom, or leading as an administrator, Dr. Glass carries with her a passion for her position. After serving in the public sector for many years she has become a well-respected and integral part of Pepperdine’s teacher education program.
Glass states it very simply: “I love school, I love teaching school and I love leading a school.”
04-23-2007
