As the school year comes to a close, many are attempting to figure out which career they want to go into for college. For some students, they have decided that they want to pursue teaching.

Alissa Crabtree, senior

Originally wanting to become a doctor, Crabtree found that she was more interested in educating students. She realized that she wanted to help children and could have a more direct impact by teaching.

She decided to enroll in the apprenticeship program and works as a paraprofessional helping special needs students. While at the school, Crabtree learned the importance of adaptability and willingness to change.

“I am getting hands-on experience, high school credit, college credit and I am getting paid for it,” Crabtree said. “It also looks really good [on resumes] because you have already worked for a big district and it’s a good way to know if this is something that you want to pursue. I get to see how teachers function in the classroom and what goes on behind the scenes.”

Conor Lestina, senior

Starting from a very young age, Lestina has been interested in all things history. He decided that he could continue this passion by becoming a teacher.

“When I was little, I would stare at maps, and then my dad introduced me to different historical events across the world using maps,” Lestina said. “From there it was just a rabbit hole where I just kept looking at different countries, different politics and wars all through history and different eras.”

He took the Pathways to Teaching class last year and worked in a classroom with students who could not speak English fluently. This taught him how to get around a language barrier to make sure students get the knowledge they need.

Oyinkansola Olabintan, junior

Although she wants to become a doctor, Olabintan is interested in tutoring third grade students part time. She took the pathways course in order to better understand what teaching is about and how to guide students.

“I want to be able to give back to my community and help make kids better in the world,” Olabintan said.

Olabintan has enjoyed the Pathways to Teaching practicum class because it allows for hands-on experience in teaching. It taught her that taking care of and educating students is extremely important.

“I like the hands-on experience from the practicum because it gives an in depth experience of what teaching is like,” Olabintan said.