STUDENTS STRIVE TO BECOME TEACHERS IN “EDUCATORS RISING”
Byron VanEpps | Raider Staff
Meghan Kirk knew that she wanted to become a math teacher but being in Educators Rising reaffirmed her aspirations.
“I had known for a while that I wanted to be a math teacher, and while I was teaching in a middle school instead of a high school during my internship, it just felt right to teach math,” Kirk said. “Now, I’m going to William and Mary next year for college to get a bachelors in math and a masters in education, knowing that I feel truly comfortable with teaching math and teaching in general.”
Kirk’s dream is shared among the 60-plus members of Educators Rising, all of whom joined the club to help and teach kids younger than them, with some, like Kirk, aiming to become teachers themselves.
Educators Rising is a co-curricular club sponsored by business teacher Patricia Virts.
Students in the club are required to take Teacher Cadet, a class offered as a Family and Consumer Sciences, through the Career and Technical Education department.
As part of Teacher Cadet, students travel to cooperating elementary and middle school classrooms every A day morning to serve as teachers’ aides and observe how to be a teacher, helping them decide if they want to be a teacher themselves.
Once every month, students in Educators Rising visit other school classrooms, working hand-in-hand with Teacher Cadet members at elementary schools like Catoctin, Sycolin Creek, and Evergreen Mill, as well as Simpson Middle School.
“I love going into the classroom. It’s so fun to work with students and help them learn, while also getting experience that can help me in the future when I become a teacher,” said Kirk.
Members of Educators Rising also participate in community service through programs like Backpack Buddies, which provides food for children and families in need when school is not in session, and Storybook Treasures, which provides children with access to good books to help increase literacy and a love of reading.
Aside from partnering with organizations, Educators Rising also participates in community service through things like tutoring, adopting families for the holidays, and making blankets for sick children.
The importance of Educators today can’t be understated, as educators’ abilities to connect with students of all ages to provide a good education and influence is what affects the next generation the most. “The role of educators is not only to educate kids, but to serve as role models,” said Educators Rising President Anabelle Smith.
Kirk agrees. “Educators shape students and make them into better people while simultaneously helping them learn,” she said. “The best educators I’ve had are the reason I want to become a teacher.”
