Once a student reaches senior year they have the opportunity to take part in special programs such as the teacher cadet program or an internship.
Dana Buurman is career awareness program advisor, her role is helping students figure out where they should teacher cadet or intern at and offer guidance as they figure out what to pursue.
In the teacher cadet program, students volunteer at a middle or elementary school to get a feel for what being a teacher is.This gives students insight if they are interested in pursuing a career in education.
“The goal of our program is to provide our students with knowledge and experience that will empower them as they pursue their occupational goals,” Buurman said.
The only requirement to join the teacher cadet program is being a senior. Classes such as Introduction to Education, Child Development, and Human Development are all recommended, but not required.
“It’s just a lot to start out with,” senior Lexi Wright said. “I think the Intro to Education class really helped in making sure I knew the process of being a teacher.”
Wright is a teacher cadet for the fourth grade at Sagewood Elementary.
While taking classes to learn how to be a good teacher is helpful, nothing beats hands- on-experience to really allow students to decide if they want to pursue education.
“Something that I’ve observed from my host teacher is that she’s really calm and helps keep the students calm,” senior Ava Bischoff said. “The students learn better from someone more soft spoken.”
Bischoff is a teacher cadet for the first grade at Woodbrook Elementary.
The teacher cadets have to balance being a high school student and attempting to be an educator and mentor to kids at the same time.
“Sometimes they treat me as one of their friends, so that can sometimes be a little difficult,” Wright said. “Especially if they start acting up and I’ll have to tell them to do something.”
The duties of a teacher cadet varies depending on the grade they work with and their assigned teacher. At the elementary level, cadets are more likely to spend one-on-one time or small group time with students.
“I will pull small groups of students if they’re struggling with math, and then test students out in the hallway,” Bischoff said.
Since students are older at the middle school level, cadets don’t have to pull them out into the hallway as much for extra help, but instead they help students understand deeper concepts.
“At the middle school level, students are more independent and the cadet is there to help answer any questions they may have and reteach concepts as needed with students,” Buurman said.
The program can be very rewarding for the teacher cadet and the students they work with.
“One time there was a student that was really struggling with their work,” Bischoff said, “I helped her figure it out and that is why I want to do teaching.”
Wright and Bischoff both plan to become teachers themselves in the future and thank the teacher cadet program for the help it provided in helping them realize this.
“I think it solidified my answer that I really want to go into the education field,” Wright said,”Because I love helping the kids and having a good relationship with them.”
