Preparing to Be a Teacher in a Different State Jasmine Skipworth, IES ’16, shares her pathway to becoming a teacher in Washington.
January 9, 2023
“Although I was born in California, I’ve spent most of my life in Washington state. It is my home. I knew I would want to return after finishing my undergraduate degree,” shares Jasmine Skipworth, IES ’16.
Skipworth attended Chapman University in 2012 to be a sociology major with an anthropology minor. From a young age, she had thought about a career in teaching, but over the years, her interests evolved. After beginning her undergraduate studies at Chapman, she had the opportunity to take the course “Philosophy of Helping,” which shifted her mindset to officially committing to becoming a teacher.
She joined the Integrated Educational Studies (IES) program and focused on the Teaching and Learning in the Schools Emphasis, intending to become a teacher in Washington state after graduation.
Skipworth shares, “In my time at Chapman, I completed all the courses necessary to transition to my master’s program. Dr. Miller (now Dean of Attallah College), in particular, supported me as I prepared for the transition. She ensured that the courses I completed at Chapman would qualify me for what was needed in my teacher preparation program.”
Skipworth completed her undergraduate degree feeling well-prepared to earn her graduate degree and teacher’s credential in the state she desired to teach. Dean Miller recalls, “Jasmine was an outstanding student in class and student leader in the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society. Because she knew she intended to teach in Washington when she came to Chapman, I made certain as her advisor that we were meeting all of Washington state’s content preparation requirements with the classes she took at Chapman, so her transition back to her home state for teacher preparation later would be seamless.”
“You’ll be in good hands at Attallah College with great faculty. Chapman helped me to build my philosophy and beliefs as an educator. I was so grateful to have that foundation as I entered my master’s program and my first years of teaching,” Skipworth shares.
Skipworth completed her M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA) with an emphasis on elementary education and special education endorsement. Skipworth teaches in the Puyallup School District.