Corcoran High School has fully embraced Career Technology Education (CTE) programs, with students learning valuable life skills. CTE, formerly known as vocational education, currently has seven state-approved curriculum and training programs in place at CHS. The Journal has been spotlighting those “pathways,” and this week focuses on careers in education.
As of this past November, Corcoran High School’s Careers in Education Pathway students have been busy assisting Fremont Elementary School teachers with kids. The current schedule has the CHS juniors and seniors at Fremont Elementary four days per week.
Their time is spent helping small groups of students with academic work such as reading, writing and math. CHS students are also learning valuable communication and supervisory skills when working with students one-on-one or monitoring the class and helping out when the situation presents itself.
Most of the CHS students spend a part of their day with third, then second grade certificated staff who are grateful for the added help that the CHS students provide. Mrs. Lerma, a second grade instructor at Fremont, took advantage of the opportunity provided and has two CHS students assisting in her class.
“In the three to four weeks that the high school students have been coming to Fremont, they have played a valuable role in working with my kids who take full advantage of the individualized assistance that they provide.”
She said she has seen some of her students show dramatic improvement in their core disciplines and some of the credit goes to these CHS students who are with those Fremont kids for roughly six to seven months of the year.
“It is safe to say that we hope that this program continues and that a lot of these kids move on to earning the proper credentials that will one day make them colleagues of ours,” she added.
A critical component to this class is that the Careers in Education courses are two-period classes that allow for more time to be spent assisting kids at Fremont.
Any student who is interested in taking this course is encouraged to request placement with their learning director. With the need for teachers growing at an alarming rate, a career in education provides opportunities that can lead to careers in coaching, administration, counseling and curriculum.
It is the hope of the Pathway Advisor Alisa Gomez that this pathway continues to grow in number and students pursuing a career in education.
