Becoming a teacher is no small task, but CWCTC is trying to bridge the gap for high school students. This year, CWCTC introduced the Aspiring Educator program. According to their website, “this program is geared toward students interested in becoming educators, preparing them for a career at the elementary and/or secondary school building levels. This course facilitates teaching candidates the ability to apply leadership, ethics, communication, and decision-making skills from various settings to contemporary challenges in building-level educational situations”.
The program takes place in actual school buildings, one being in our own district, Stanwood Elementary. Principal, Lauren Bruener says, “We are thrilled to have the Aspiring Educator program at Stanwood. The students are going to have classroom teaching experience while in high school to begin honing their teaching skills and help to determine content areas or grade levels they are interested in pursuing as a future educator.” Bruener believes this program is a great addition to “our school community.”
Four Hempfield Area students, ShayLee Malcolm, Shelby McMillen, Erin Noll, and Natalie Zello, have seized this opportunity. These students are getting college level instruction in high school giving them a head start for their future as they earn college credits.
The future educators exuded excitement as they discussed the program. Noll says the program gives her “a glimpse of what is it like to be a teacher.”
“It provides real life experiences,” McMillen says, “allowing us to work with students.”
They were especially excited to enter different districts once their areas of focus are solidified. “It’s actually amazing,” says Zello. “I am getting my clearances, creating ‘Meet the Teacher’ documents, and I’ll have my first two years of college completed.”
The program aims to teach “leadership, organizational, and management skills [to allow students] to become successful teachers.”
