The first order of business in Olivia Murray’s Portland classroom on a recent sunny morning was a classic early elementary school assignment: Using construction paper, glue sticks, markers and yarn, fold along the dotted lines and follow instructions to make a mixed-media self-portrait, the kind destined to hang on a refrigerator. Her students were not wiggly kindergartners, however, but their would-be teachers, many of them enrolled in Portland State University’s newly launched elementary education bachelor’s degree program. The goal is to prepare undergraduates, particularly those of color, to earn a teaching license and go straight into the classroom after graduation, bypassing the time and expense of getting a master’s degree. Read more at the link in our bio. 📸: Julia Silverman #portlandstateuniversity #psu #portland #portlandoregon #teachers #education #oregon #theoregonian