When wandering the beautiful hallways of the College of Education, Health & Human Sciences, it’s hard not to notice all the hard work and dedication that went into not only the building’s remodel, but also the continued care that its staff and faculty provide to members of the CEHH community. One of the faculty members who has acted as an inspiration and leader in the college is Dr. Andrew Scheef, an assistant professor of special education. He has been teaching at the University of Idaho for the past six years and has helped to create several opportunities for students interested in the field of education.
Photo Courtesy of UI
Before becoming an assistant professor here on campus, Scheef was an elementary school music teacher. In total, he has approximately 24 years of experience in the profession. He exclaimed that his position now in special education was not the original plan. “I kinda just fell into it. I taught music, then my family and I moved out here and there wasn’t a position open for music so I subbed,” Scheef said. “I didn’t like subbing because of the inconsistent schedule, so I took a job as a paraprofessional and fell in love with it. I did my endorsement right after that.”
Dr. Scheef shared that the College of Education provides a great spot for physical space on campus. “I’m lucky to have gotten started here after the remodel. Our building makes me feel good,” Scheef said. “There’s so much glass, and on a day like today when the sun is shining all over the common space and the classrooms…it’s just so nice.”
Scheef also commented on the community in the college as being in the regrowth process since COVID-19, but he still feels that it is a supportive community. “I’ve got great colleagues, great students. It helps that people who go into teaching are often good students,” Scheef said. “Once students get to me, they have a sense that they want to be a teacher and take it seriously. They’re motivated.”
“Part of teaching in general is teaching people how to teach, but you can’t have a cookie-cutter teacher because you have to be you.”
One of the other things that Dr. Scheef has helped to develop and put on over the past few years is the Vandal Summer Academy, a summer program for students in high school who are interested in learning more about the college experience. Over five days, the participants partake in career workshops and attend presentations on college and available resources. They also have time during their visit to explore areas of Moscow and see different housing options on campus like the residence halls and Greek life. “For me, selfishly, Vandal Summer Academy is the highlight of my year because I get to reconnect with students, I get to have those experiences with them, and watch them start to understand what college is like,” Scheef said. “I hire UI students who serve as peer mentors and resident assistants during the week, and I think that informal experience is one of the kids’ highlights, too.”
Dr. Scheef completes interviews at the end of each spring semester to determine hires for Vandal Summer Academy. These students generally learn about this position through their connections with the CEHH community. As a member of the college, I was one of the lucky few who learned about VSA and applied for a position.
During the last two summers, I have been fortunate enough to work for Dr. Scheef and the university in a peer-mentorship role for Vandal Summer Academy. It has been a wonderful opportunity to form genuine connections with kids and show them what they are capable of accomplishing on their own while visiting here. This role helped to solidify my interests in the field of education, and Dr. Scheef will be someone I always look to as an inspiration for taking positive action to find what a community needs and delivering it.
When discussing teaching up-and-coming future educators and valuable advice given by a colleague, Dr. Scheef was quite insightful.
“You have to be yourself. Part of teaching in general is teaching people how to teach, but you can’t have a cookie-cutter teacher because you have to be you. You have to have your own teaching personality,” Scheef said. “If someone were to hand me a presentation to go off of, I would still need to make it my own. I need to be true to myself as a person and recognize my strengths and try to play to those. We want our students to play to their strengths and persevere.”
Dr. Scheef mentioned the importance of evaluating our past experiences to prepare for future ones. He has helped to pioneer so many things for students involved with the college and has one of the biggest hearts in the community. His love for educating is more than evident, it is enough to ignite the passion for learning and for helping others in everyone who meets him. It is our hope to see many applicants for the Vandal Summer Academy this upcoming cycle. If you happen to meet Dr. Scheef on the pathway to class, give him a wave or smile. He deserves it.