Waconia High School students thinking about becoming a teacher have the opportunity to find out if a career in education is a good fit for them. The class is called Introduction to Education and is run by the SouthWest Metro Intermediate District 288. Eleven area districts make up the SouthWest Metro group.
“We offer career and technical classes to students in member districts,” Jill Engeswick, a SouthWest Metro teacher, explained. “We have classes where students can get real-life experience in a wide range of careers, such as education, health care, computer technology, auto mechanics, construction, criminal justice, and cosmetology.”
For the Introduction to Education class, students have their regular class time at the high school on Monday and Friday. For the rest of the week, they spend their time in the classroom with students.
Peter Weinand is a recent WHS graduate who plans to study education at Winona State University. “I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is my level of patience. I wouldn’t have necessarily considered myself patient prior to this, but I think that through just being there when a student is struggling with something, I’ve found that I’m willing to sit down and help them through the problem. I want to help them learn. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t had this opportunity.”
Peter helps with Corey Wedge’s fifth-grade class at Laketown Elementary. “He brings a new life to the kids,” Wedge commented. “They see that senior and he’s from a completely different world, and they are really intrigued by him and what he’s doing. They want to make a connection with him. So, when it’s time to work with someone, if they can work with Peter, that’s what they want to do.”
At the end of the trimester, students will have put in at least 25 hours of class time. Introduction to Education is also a concurrent class where students earn college credit through Normandale Community College. When it was initially offered, 11 students participated and it has grown to 24 students who are signed up to take the class this coming school year.
“I like the idea of being able to share knowledge with younger people,” Natalie Gilliam, incoming senior, said. “I have younger siblings, and I’ve been a tutor for them at times. Being able to do that with younger generations and making a career out of that is something that really interests me.”
Natalie teaches with Tricia Heldt, who is also a fifth-grade teacher at Laketown. Just a few years ago, Natalie was in Heldt’s class as a student.
“Being able to see her now as a young adult and take all that positive energy that you hope you put into her and now watch her take that same energy and put it into other kids is really rewarding,” Heldt said. “And then to watch her identify with kids who might be struggling and know instantly what to do. Those are things that you hope to teach students; and now, when you get to see them being that good person later in life, that’s pretty cool.”
Not everyone who takes the class will go into education. As for Peter and Natalie, it helped them confirm their future plans following high school.
“I didn’t know at the beginning of the school year that I wanted to go into education. But being given this opportunity to spend three days a week in the classroom, working with students, seeing if you actually like it, I think this program really gives a unique view into that,” Peter said.
“I do my best to connect with people. I’m pretty set on teaching,” Natalie concluded.