‘Passion for Eastern’ brings school districts to job fair at EOU in search of teachers

‘Passion for Eastern’ brings school districts to job fair at EOU in search of teachers

LA GRANDE, Ore. – “The best year yet,” that’s how one school district representative on hand for the Eastern Oregon University (EOU) Career Seminar and Job Fair described Friday afternoon’s meeting of Oregon and Washington State educators looking to attract new teachers.

Matt Yoshioka, Director of Curriculum for the Pendleton School District grew up in La Grande, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Oregon University. He called the fair this year one of the best he had attended.

“This year was the best year yet,” Yoshioka said. “I liked how many kids were there, I love our partnership with EOU, it’s always a positive experience.”

Over 84 students and 26 districts participated in the event. Several EOU students received a conditional job offer letter.

Eastern Oregon University College of Education holds the annual job fair to connect candidates with school districts, especially rural districts that have a more difficult time attracting teaching staff.

“I would say our location is one of the things that makes it more difficult for us to acquire teachers because we are more remote and rural and a smaller school, so it’s usually the location that makes it more difficult to find teachers, not so much the pool of students,” Stephanie Peterson, school counselor, for Pine Eagle Charter School, said.

Petersen, an EOU alum, was looking for candidates for a third-grade teacher and high school math teacher position.

“I love coming back, our principal is an EOU alum and there are quite a few EOU alumni that work out there because we were born and raised here, so there is a lot of passion for Eastern and especially the education program.”

Stephanie Peterson, Pine Eagle Charter School

The Career Seminar and Job Fair also hosted panel discussions with interviewing strategies for new job seekers. Representatives from the Baker, La Grande, Morrow County, Hermiston, Bend-La Pine, Klamath County, Harvey, Vale, Jefferson, Pendleton, and Athena West school districts all participated on panels.

“It is helpful to students to practice, to get feedback,” Yoshioka said.

Moderator and Interim Dean Angela Vossenkuhl called the fair a “huge success.” The team, chaired by Tara Gekas, provided opportunities for students to network with over 20 school districts through the “meet and mingle” and practice interviews.

Yoshioka called the fair a friendly competition to get teachers into positions. He credited events like the fair with putting districts together to discuss what works and compare ideas.