Introduction to Education Careers class is one of the many concurrent course offerings provided at Triton. In this course, juniors and seniors explore all different aspects of teaching through collaboration with the University of Minnesota at Mankato. From shadowing different educational environments and teachers in each of the three buildings of our school, to hearing from a variety of guest speakers encompassing all aspects of education, to going on various field trips – this course provides students with the opportunity to see if a career in education is something they might be interested in exploring further. As senior Macy Klejeski stated, “Taking this course has helped me decide to finalize my decision of becoming an educator. This course is very experience-based, which makes it very beneficial. I have seen a variety of subjects being taught with many different teaching methods. Overall, this is an amazing course to take and I have a great insight as to what it's like to be an educator now!”
Most recently, the class toured the Zumbro Education District to see what programs ZED offers. This provided students with an opportunity to tour the entire facility. Additionally, the class most recently spent the day meeting with the College of Education at Winona State University. This field trip gave students a first-hand account of what a degree in education entails, as well as a tour of the WSU campus.
Currently, students in the course are beginning their student teaching experience. For the final quarter of the year, students will be working with a classroom teacher of their selection 1-2 days each week. During this time, students will get the opportunity to shadow and learn more about teaching through collaborating with their cooperating teacher. As Sam Storlie, a cooperating teacher, noted, “These hands-on classroom instruction experiences provide authentic opportunities for potential future teachers to get a feel for what day-to-day education looks like in the classroom.”
This is the third year this course has been offered at Triton. Each year, the class has grown in terms of what is incorporated, but also in terms of tailoring the course to meet the needs of the students enrolled. As Mrs. Horejsi, the teacher of the course, mentioned, “It is neat to see the array of student interests embodied in this class. Last year, the students in this course were all interested in exploring early childhood. This year, however, they are all student-teaching at the secondary level in either a middle school or high school setting. The hope is that we can continue to grow our own through courses such as this!”
