Faith Carter
Early Childhood Education,
Class of 2026
From Tulsa, Oklahoma
Meet Faith Carter, an OU-Tulsa Early Childhood Education Senior with a passion for teaching the next generation. A Tulsa native, Faith was drawn to early childhood education by its emphasis on real-world learning experiences. Through meaningful connections with faculty and peers, she has gained the confidence to enter the classroom ready to support her future students.
I originally was going to college, kind of not knowing where I fit in. Then a former teacher that graduated here pitched it to me. I loved the philosophies and how they view teaching. It was a lot different than how I grew up! I thought to myself, "if I could teach how they're teaching, I want to be a teacher."
It kind of takes all the sugarcoating away from it. We read so many textbooks, passages, and so much data, so to truly get the real world experience and get our fears out there so that we can be more confident going into things is really great. I feel like that's the whole key with being a teacher, having confidence. Knowing that your degree means something and that you can advocate for your students, which I think is our sole purpose.
There's a mix of emotions. Obviously, I'm terrified. I'm excited. This is the moment we've been waiting for. I feel like we're the new generation. We're moving away from the traditional approaches and into more of a constructivism approach and having more respect for the child, which is exciting.
This is why we worked so hard. Those sleepless nights and all of it. I never understood why people hung their degree, but I get it now.
I would say that the professors are amazing and they are unlike anybody I've ever met. They each have their own little personalities and quirks, and it's so much different than other programs where you're sitting in a class with two hundred students. It's much more intimate, and you get what you put into this process. So just be honest and vulnerable, it's very personal here.
