10: Finding Wonder Women and Men: Non-Academic Trainings in Teacher Education Programs

Education has become an increasingly dangerous field to enter, and the authors of this chapter argue that teacher education programs can be proactive by offering non-academic learning opportunities focused on classroom safety that are separate from traditional curriculum to both better prepare pre-service teachers and to interrupt cycles of violence in schools. The chapter first discusses how the authors implemented practical action research methodology to develop and implement a free, non-academic classroom safety trainings program at one Midwestern private college. The program trainings include Active Shooter; Sexual Harassment; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Bloodborne Pathogen; Suicide Awareness and Response; Mental Health; and Bullying/Sexual Assault. The chapter then elaborates on the second part of the study in which the authors collected and analyzed self-reflection data from fourth-year education students who had participated in the non-academic classroom safety trainings program.