Everything felt right when Cheryl LaVille walked into Marshalltown High School on her first day as an English teacher 20 years ago. The halls, the classrooms, even some of her new colleagues looked familiar. That’s because LaVille had left the school just four years before, when she graduated. After earning a teaching certificate at the UI College of Education, then spending a few short months out of state, she returned home.

"I was living back with my parents in Marshalltown after college," LaVille recalls. "I applied for jobs all over, but I really wanted to stay in the area. Just one week before school started that fall, the principal at Marshalltown High called to say someone had resigned and to ask if I wanted to interview for a full-time position."

LaVille says the decision was easy. Her experience student teaching at West High in Iowa City was positive, but she was disappointed in her first (temporary) teaching assignment in Goddard, Kan. As a student, she had loved Marshalltown and its schools, so it seemed like a good omen to begin her career there. Even working alongside some of the teachers she had had as a high school student didn’t faze her.

"Marshalltown has a history of hiring back graduates," LaVille says. "So there were a few people already on staff who had gone to high school before me and were back teaching at their alma mater."

Twenty years later, LaVille is certain she made the right move. She is a literature specialist, teaching honors and elective classes for 11th and 12th graders. Together with her husband, who is also an English teacher, she developed a class called The Literature of Conflict, using films such as Schindler’s List in addition to the classics.

Perhaps it was the time she spent in Mrs. LaVille’s senior lit class that led Natalie Fritz, also of Marshalltown, to attend Iowa, earn her teaching certificate, and seek jobs in Iowa communities similar to her hometown. Fritz graduated in May 1999 with a double major in mathematics and computer science, and a teaching certificate. Though she could have earned a great deal more by marketing herself as a computer programmer and moving into a corporate job, Fritz followed her heart and chose to teach junior and senior high school in Williamsburg.

"I believe I’m meant to be a teacher, and I’m meant to be in Williamsburg," Fritz says. "I like working with teenagers and having the opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives. I also like teaching in a small district that reminds me of home. This is perfect."

LaVille and Fritz are in good company: nearly half of all College of Education graduates remain in Iowa to teach. And with good reason. With one of the best reputations for public education in the country, Iowa offers teachers a high-quality environment in which to practice their professional skills.

"When we work with University students in their final year, we talk to them about using their skills, talents, and interests to find the job that matches their particular profile," says Rebecca Anthony, director of educational placement in the College of Education. "New teachers graduating from our program certainly are aware of the fine reputation of public schools in our state. They know that the citizens of Iowa are serious about education and that the reputation of Iowa’s schools speaks very highly of our state. Many Iowa graduates want to be a part of that tradition."