Skilled teachers are in high demand in Indiana and across the country, and Valparaiso University has a plan to help meet that need. The university’s transition to teaching certificate program has partnered with the Big Shoulders Fund to give more potential teachers a pathway to the classroom.

“Our tagline here at Valparaiso University’s education department is ‘find your calling in the classroom,’” said Benjamin Boche, assistant professor of education. “Big Shoulders is the same. They see teaching as a calling and want to bolster teachers in Christian education.”

The Big Shoulders Fund was founded in 1986 with the goal of supporting Chicago Catholic schools with demonstrated need. Since then, the organization has contributed over $40 million to scholarship support, academic enrichment, operational improvements, leadership development and continuing education for teachers.

“It’s a natural fit for us to work with those schools to promote vocation and Christian identity,” Boche said.

Thanks to the partnership, those interested in pursuing careers education can receive scholarship aid from the Big Shoulders Fund, as well as reduced tuition costs from Valparaiso University. This May, Heather Margraf will be among the first graduates to have benefited from the arrangement.

Margraf originally attended Kentucky Christian University in 2001. Though she spent three years studying education, she ended up graduating with a degree in youth and family ministry. The path led her to working with children at a church in England for a year before returning to the United States. Then she began work at a bank. She and her husband moved to Michigan City to be closer to family in anticipation of their second child and, once all her kids were in school, she began substitute teaching at St. Stanislaus School.

“That’s when COVID hit, and we decided to home school for a few years,” Margraf said. “There was a lot of back and forth between in-person and virtual classes, and I wanted to keep my kids on a more consistent schedule.”

Once the pandemic settled, Margraf was contacted again by St. Stanislaus with the offer to teach first grade in the 2024-2025 school year. She accepted and, after teaching for a year, decided to pursue a formal program in education while continuing to teach. Mia Jones, assistant director of academics and instructional coaching for the Big Shoulders Fund, observed Margraf in her first year and told her about the opportunities available through transition to teaching.

Transition to teaching at Valparaiso University is a CAEP-accredited program for those who already have bachelor’s degrees in unrelated fields. Certification is offered in three areas: early childhood education (preschool through third grade), elementary education (kindergarten through sixth grade) and secondary education (fifth grade through high school). Classes are hybrid, offered both in-person and online in the evenings for those who need to continue working while pursuing their education. This flexibility of schedule helped Margraf choose Valpo for her career change.

“It was a better fit for my schedule, especially with teaching and three pre-teens that were busy with different activities that I didn't want to miss out on,” Margraf said.

Working with students on a plan that meets their schedule is only one of the ways the Valparaiso University program helps prepare future educators to enter the classroom.

“Our program helps them fulfill the requirements to get their license, but it’s also built in such a way that we provide natural mentorship support to help them become great teachers,” Boche said.

Graduate students who complete the program’s initial licensure process are also eligible to take additional coursework to earn their master’s of education.

“I would highly recommend this for anybody who is trying to do transition to teaching,” Margraf said. “It's a good fit for somebody who's working regardless of whether they're working in a school right now or whether they're just a regular job.”

To find out more about the Big Shoulders Fund and their work supporting future educators, click here. Visit Valpo’s transition to teaching website here to find out more about the program, the coursework and potential professional opportunities.