Tabor College’s teacher education department continues to thrive, with 80 students declaring the major and 21 completing student-teaching requirements during the 2025-26 academic year.
Fifteen school districts, including Parker (Colo.) and Glenpool (Okla.), were represented in student-teaching assignments. With some school districts offering full-time teaching positions before or immediately following student teaching, administrators are seeing the fruit of Tabor students in the classroom.
“Administrators know that through observation and communication, they will hire some great new graduates who will be inspirational in their classrooms,” said assistant professor of education and department chair Lisa Moore, M.Ed.
Nathan Hiebert, principal at Hillsboro Elementary School (Kan.), said the dedication of Tabor students is evident in the student teachers and graduates who work at HES.
“One of the great benefits of this partnership is that many Tabor students complete their observations in our building, allowing them to see quality instruction taking place and experience the strong culture and community of Hillsboro and the elementary school firsthand,” Hiebert said. “We have been extremely pleased with the teachers who have come to us from Tabor. They demonstrate an incredible servant-hearted work ethic, genuinely care for their students and families and consistently take time to invest in the lives of those they teach.”
Since opening the Shari Flaming Education Commons in October 2021, Teacher Education has seen the fruits of this expanded space. Located on the second floor of the library, a dedicated space for elementary and secondary education majors has allowed for expanded course offerings and opportunities.
“My experience in Tabor classes was unique in how my professors made me feel,” Haylee (Barta g’22) Haliburton said. “The encouragement of my professors, even still as a teacher in my own classroom, is definitely unique. They are wonderful at making me feel seen and cared for. I would say that’s not always the case for college professors and their students.”