On Friday, January 30th, the Future Teachers of America (FTA) allowed students to job shadow teachers within the Fair Grove School District in order to experience everyday life as a teacher.
Nikki Kisling, sponsor of FTA and High School Math teacher, explained that she hoped the students would see what it is like to be a teacher for a day. Kisling declared, “Some students think they want to be a teacher of a certain grade and this opportunity helps them decide if they still want to teach that grade, choose a different grade, or choose a different career.”
Kisling stated her favorite part of the job shadowing is giving the students an opportunity to shadow any teacher in the district. “This allows students who are interested in secondary education a glimpse into what it looks like. There is no other class that we currently offer that does that,” said Kisling.
Addyson Nunley (12) shadowed Mrs. Gettle, who is also her A+ tutoring class. Nunley said, “I love spending time with these students and spending a whole day with them was so much fun!”
Nunley added that she was not planning on being a teacher, but her experience may have changed her mind. Nunley explained, “I usually leave right before they go to lunch and it makes me sad because they usually ask to spend lunch with me. Getting to spend my entire day with these students made me so happy and seeing their full day was so fun!”
Aislynn Starks (12) explained that she hoped to see what a typical day as a teacher would look like, and she was excited to experience being a teacher for a day. Starks explained that she saw the positive impact a good teacher had on her siblings, and hoped to bring that to other students some day. Starks stated, “… I want to be that teacher for future kids while also being a safe person…”
Kynlee Peck (11) job shadowed Mrs. Graves in the kindergarten. Peck explained that she wanted to be a teacher because she realized she enjoyed watching children grow and play, by observing her younger brother. She added that she wanted to be a safe haven for struggling children.
Peck said her favorite aspect of the experience was seeing how Graves dealt with students who may be a little more difficult than others. Peck stated, “She treats them with kindness [while] also being stern.”
Kisling added, “For any student interested in being a teacher, we do offer a class called cadet teaching that students can take when they are a senior. In that semester and/or year long class, students pick a grade/subject and they are assigned a class in the middle school and/or elementary school.”
