Iowa State students entering the field of education are being prepared to handle incidents such as the recent school shooting in Littleton, Colo.

The College of Education “prepares students in a number of ways,” said Gayle Huey, director of field experience for the college.

Students specializing in elementary education are exposed to training through classwork, but students in secondary education are required to take a course titled “Principles of Secondary Education.”

This course “covers the range of what it is like to be in a secondary school,” said Richard Zbaracki, interim assistant chairman of curriculum and instruction.

Students are presented with difficult situations in the class, such as helping secondary students learn how to handle incidents similar to the one in Littleton, he said.

The course was previously taught by ISU faculty members, but it has been instructed by Ames Middle School Principal John Kinley, Ames High School Principal Charles Achter and retired Ames High School Principal Ralph Farrar for the past three or four years, Zbaracki said.

“Our faculty did a good job, but they don’t have the immediacy that the principals have,” he said. “Questions can be addressed directly towards the principals.”

Students in education classes have been discussing the Littleton situation throughout the week, said Betty Steffy, professor of educational leadership and policy studies.

“Classes have been discussing the impact on curriculum, what the responsibility of the school is and the aspects of ethics and policy,” she said.

Zbaracki said he feels it is the responsibility of the education student to “self-instruct oneself on what’s going on inside the minds of students — it is a gradual education.” He said going out into the schools is the best method of enabling students to gain a “feel for the nature of education, and the nature of students.”

“A sense of what is happening in the schools is more apparent in the field vs. the classroom,” he said.

Graduating ISU education students entering school systems are encouraged to make sure the school board has a policy giving guidance on how to handle incidents such as the Littleton tragedy, Steffy said.

Despite the recent acts of violence in high schools, Zbaracki said he does not believe students are discouraged from entering the field of education.

“Actually, in some cases, it encourages students,” he said. “If they truly believe in their cause, then they are interested in how to contribute to society.”

The recent occurrences have shown students the value of teachers and the role they play in communities, Zbaracki said.

“Sure, some are frightened, but they realize that a teacher is an important person,” he said.