Carmen Scoggins instructs students in the Teacher Cadet Class, pictured with Piper Haas, Cheyenne Millsaps, Kara Lawrence, and Claudia Hooker.
Lillon Henline, Staff Writer of The Powderhorn
There's a common misconception surrounding the Teacher Cadet Program: is the class intended only for students who wish to become teachers? The short answer is "no." The program offers a multitude of opportunities for students interested in teaching, as well as for those who may not pursue a teaching career.
“Even if a student doesn't think they'll actually teach, they still learn so many life lessons,” said Carmen Scoggins, Watauga High School teacher. “It's not just, ‘I gotta be a teacher if I take the class.' It's how to deal with other people, interaction, social skills, collaboration, and critical thinking. It doesn't lock them into education; it's just an opportunity for students to explore.”
Within the program, students have the chance to experience firsthand teaching in a live classroom. This allows them the opportunity to see if they can envision themselves becoming a teacher.
“It's really sad when a student in college gets to the internship stage or the student teaching stage and they haven't been in the classroom enough to know that's really what they want to do,” said Ms. Kelly Rush, a former teacher involved in the Teacher Cadet program. “So, it's great to give students exposure in the classroom before they go to college and start paying for a degree. They figure out that that's not what they want to do, and it's too late to change without having to start all the way over.”
The firsthand experience offers a different perspective on teaching. It allows the students to see the difficulties that many teachers face in the classroom.
“I think the students who went through there, even if they don't want to be teachers—and a lot of them found out they didn't, which is good— did have a better respect for the magnitude of our job and what all that is involved," said Rush. "Because it's not just planning a lesson and giving a test."
The program allows students to directly interact with kids in the community. While interning at elementary schools throughout Watauga, students build connections with younger children in the classroom. This experience helps them grow not only as future teachers but also as individuals.
“As they go forward, they're going to be members of society, right? They're going to have children who go to school,” said Rush. “So, they'll have a better picture about what it's like to be a teacher, and they can contribute in that way, even if they're not in the classroom. Making advocates, homegrown advocates.”
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