Back in November, we reported on a new class beginning to take shape. Introduced this year, with teacher Pam Burke at the helm, Tomorrow’s Teachers has been giving a group of 14 seniors the chance to explore the idea of becoming a schoolteacher.

In the months since then, the students (or Teacher Cadets as they call themselves) are coming to the end of their year-long experience.

For the first half of the year, the students were taught the curriculum of understanding each other, which would in turn help them understand how a young child thinks. They were taught about the many different teaching styles as well as the many different types of learning styles.

The Teacher Cadets, all seniors, are Courtney Paganelli, Cassidy McKeen, Tyler Kirkwood, Natalie Aracil, Casie Milmoe, Amanda Massaker, Zach Lanaras, Laura Williams, Kelly Digeronimo, Alex Karpinski, Marissa Manley, Nicole Farbaniec, Bridget McIntyre and Kacey Studwell.

During the months of March and April, each student had the opportunity to go in and observe a class and grade of their choosing at either elementary or middle school level. Each of them had a different experience but had the same feelings about it.

“It was completely different than I thought it was going to be,” says Courtney Paganelli, “I liked the experience and I really wish it could have been longer and I could have gotten more involved.”

Many of the other Teacher Cadets, including Amanda Massaker, felt similar that they wish the time in the classroom was longer.

“I didn’t enjoy the short period of time we had,” she says, “I would have been more involved if I had more time.”

The students would go to their cooperating school and classroom every day during their Tomorrow’s Teachers class period. But with the amount of time it takes to get to their school and back to VHS, most sessions in the classroom took around thirty to forty minutes.

But in that short time frame, each of the Cadets returned to VHS with newfound knowledge on the idea of teaching and learned some big lessons that came with it.

“This experience really made me open my eyes that a teacher’s job isn’t all that easy,” says Zach Lanaras. “Maybe I should give my teachers a break sometimes.”

Tyler Kirkwood had a special connection with some of the students in his class. He had already known many of them from the summer camp where he’s worked.

“The most important thing,” he says, “was adaptability, being able to react and be able to change at any given time.”

But was it worth it? Many of the Cadets feel that the experience was a positive one and gave them new perspectives on what teachers have to do on a daily basis. They realized it’s much more than just standing up in front of a classroom and giving a lecture.

“It’s about preparing for the task and then relaying the information to the students,” Courtney Paganelli makes clear, “making sure they grasp it and understand it. You want them to understand it and succeed. It was definitely worth it.”

There is a difference from sitting in the class watching the teacher trying to explain things to their students and actually being up there in front and trying to control the class.

While none of the students in the class are completely committed to teaching as a career, they are definitely interested in exploring the possibility. Amanda Massaker, though, says that she knows for sure what she wants to do with her life.

“This is really what I want to do in my life,” she says, “I love being with kids whether it is will be as a regular education teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist or an administrator.”

The class has also since been expanded into an after school club, the Future Educators of America. Including all those from the regular class, the club includes students of all grades who are considering joining the class next year.

Besides those in the regular class, the Future Educators of America includes seniors Olivia Lewis, Kristen Maida, Rachel Remite, juniors Jessica Hall, Ellen DiDia and sophomore Alex Kubacki.

Mrs. Burke encourages those students who are considering joining the class or club next year, or those who may have questions to speak directly to her.