Jessica Gruenling joined WRTV as a Reporter & Multi Media Journalist in June of 2023.
ALEXANDRIA, Ind. — A pre-apprenticeship program in Alexandria Community School Corporation is helping high school students get a head start on becoming teachers, while also addressing the nationwide teacher shortage .
At Alexandria-Monroe High School, students like senior Addison Bates are already working in classrooms with elementary school students. Bates, who comes from a family of educators, said teaching has always been her goal.“My mom, my grandma and my great-grandma were teachers, and I’ve just been surrounded by it,” Addison said. Addison is part of the Certified Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which grew out of a partnership with Indiana University Kokomo. The initiative, called Tomorrow’s Teachers, began more than five years ago to build a pipeline of future educators. It allows high school students to earn dual credits toward both high school and college.Beth Bates, the district’s career pathway coordinator, said the program has continued to evolve.“It seemed like a natural progression to start paying our seniors,” Beth said. “They had already been going over to the elementary school two or three periods a day. Why can’t we pay them as a para?”Through an EARN grant, participating students are paid for their classroom work. The district is reimbursed for half of the cost.Betsy Zarse teaches Principles of Teaching. 'Teaching has kind of lost its power in our world right now with the money and the financial aspect and the pressures that we have, but I try to bring that joy back to these students,' said Zarse.Since 2022, seven students from Alexandria have either pursued or committed to pursuing a degree in education after high school.
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