First-year teachers from both county school districts are taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about creative and innovative ways to lead their classrooms as part of a local training.Educators entering the field each year are required to complete a Beginning Teacher Assistance program through an accredited university. While oftentimes that can mean significant travel or sacrifice, Wright City R-II Superintendent David Buck is making that process much easier.Also an adjunct professor, Buck is serving as the certified instructor for the program through the University of Missouri, opening up the training to area educators.This fall, 25 teachers will meet once a month through December for a full-day session at one of the Wright City campus locations. Currently, 13 of those are from Warren County R-III and eight are from the host district, along with others from Montgomery County.In the past, North Callaway and Winfield have participated but could not supply enough substitutes this year.“We focus a lot on how you can integrate technology into the classroom,” said Buck. “We also work on teaching strategies and classroom management, along with rigor and assessments.”In addition, the group hosts a book study called “Teaching Like a Champion,” and research how to better understand state assessment data. The training is crucial for educators, as a teaching certificate in Missouri is only valid for four years. Upgrading requires the completion of a BTA and having a two-year mentor.“When they come together like this, all the sudden they’ve got a professional learning network they can bounce ideas off of,” said Buck, who doesn’t charge to conduct the training because of the direct advantage. “My teachers from R-II are benefiting just as much as the others by gaining new ideas and improving their skill set.”One major edge the local monthly sessions have over the traditional state trainings are that they allow for progressive and continual learning.“What we offered before was really good training, but it was only for eight hours,” said Warren County R-III Assistant Superintendent Jill Schowe, who is an advocate for training on the local level. “New teachers were training before school days even occurred, and they didn’t have students in the classroom yet.”Schowe is planning on sending the remainder of her 23 new teachers in the approaching months as substitute availability allows. She says it is particularly helpful for those in specialized subject areas.“Not only are we tripling the amount of training, but they are able to find other people who teach their subject around the region versus just in the district,” said Schowe. “For a Spanish teacher or similar position, that is really helpful.”Program