{"id":388,"date":"2024-12-17T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T17:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/?p=388"},"modified":"2024-12-17T17:10:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T17:10:00","slug":"childhood-challenges-mold-radford-into-intuitive-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/?p=388","title":{"rendered":"Childhood challenges mold Radford into intuitive teacher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sawyer Radford<\/strong>, pictured here in the Teacher Education classroom in Pellissippi State’s Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science, will walk across the stage Friday as a Pellissippi State graduate. Commencement is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Knoxville Convention Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sawyer Radford<\/strong> of Maryville wanted nothing more than to go to college, but her family faced a lot of challenges when she was growing up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the death of her father and the hospitalization of one of her sisters, Radford made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from classes at Carson-Newman University and head back home to help. The 2016 William Blount High School graduate never meant for this to be a long pause, but an ongoing battle to obtain enough financial aid kept her out of college for the next 3 \u00bd years, despite being admitted to two different four-year universities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fall 2021, five years after she started college the first time, Radford enrolled in the Teacher Education program at Pellissippi State Community College. This week Radford will walk across the stage as a college graduate \u2013 and a Magna Cum Laude graduate, at that.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pellissippi State\u2019s Commencement Ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at the Knoxville Convention Center, 701 Henley Street. Radford is one of 209 students who graduated from Pellissippi State over the summer, when the college does not hold a Commencement Ceremony. Another 509 students will graduate from Pellissippi State this fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing,\u201d said Radford, who just completed her first semester at Tennessee Tech University with all As. \u201cI have loved all my professors. I haven\u2019t ever felt like I couldn\u2019t ask a question or ask for help. They are smiling faces \u2013 friendly, encouraging \u2013 that really want you to be the best teacher you can be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radford used the time she was unable to attend college to explore her career options. Thanks to church friends, Radford had the opportunity to ride in an ambulance and to shadow teachers, nurses and insurance professionals at their jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI volunteered in a third-grade classroom three days a week, and I fell in love with teaching,\u201d Radford explained. \u201cI got a full-time job as a preschool teacher, and I worked there for two years. When they put me with the 5-year-olds in the kindergarten readiness class, I loved it. They were awesome.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radford knew she wouldn\u2019t be able to balance full-time preschool teaching with full-time college classes, so she took a job as nanny to seven children who range in age from 4 to 17. Still, she made time to serve as co-vice president of Pellissippi State\u2019s chapter of the Student Tennessee Education Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved the thought of having a voice in the Teacher Education program, to give input and plan events like our first-year teacher panel and a diversity panel,\u201d Radford said. \u201cI\u2019m also a helper by nature. I love being able to make things happen.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSawyer is a true go-getter!\u201d said Assistant Professor Laura Lawson, <\/strong>Teacher Education program coordinator for Pellissippi State. \u201cShe puts a goal front and center and goes for it. It was so impressive to see her drive for leadership in our STEA Teacher Education Club. Not only did she drive down from Maryville to attend our meetings, but whenever she had to leave early for class, she dialed in on her phone so she didn\u2019t miss a second of the planning.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radford\u2019s background has given her a gift, Lawson added, that not all teachers have: the ability to see signs that children are struggling in their home lives so that she can intervene on their behalf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy childhood helped me know what to look for to keep as many kids as possible from falling through the cracks,\u201d agreed Radford, who at one time lived with a supportive high school teacher. \u201cI am able to be an advocate for kids.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radford started the 2+2 program with Tennessee Tech this fall. This program allows Teacher Education students to finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees through the four-year university by taking classes on Pellissippi State\u2019s Hardin Valley Campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI already loved Tennessee Tech\u2019s education program, but the 2+2 program meant I didn\u2019t have to uproot and move to Cookeville,\u201d noted Radford, who now has her own place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Radford\u2019s college journey has not looked like what she planned, she offers advice to those who also have a longer road ahead of them than they thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest thing to remember is that society\u2019s agenda is not your agenda,\u201d Radford stressed. \u201cIt was hard for me because I felt like I needed to graduate with my bachelor\u2019s in 2020, and I\u2019m just now getting my associate degree. But there is no way you can compare your story to anyone else\u2019s story. My motto is \u2018If it\u2019s important to you, you can do it. You will get it done.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

### <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sawyer Radford of Maryville wanted nothing more than to go to college, but her family faced a lot of challenges when she was growing up.  Between the death of her father and the hospitalization of one of her sisters, Radford made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from classes at Carson-Newman University and head back home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":390,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions\/390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policies.pstcc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}