Students at Nixa High School have a wide range of class or club options. For many, different clubs or classes available can help students towards their future careers. For instance, students who are interested in the education field can join the educators rising club or take the teaching academy class.
Teaching academy teacher, Stephanie Pycior, said the class started in 2019, a year before students and classes went virtual due to COVID-19. This caused the class to have a slow start.
However, taking the teaching academy class can help future educators reach their post-secondary education goals.
“Teaching Academy is a course available for students who are interested in a career in teaching…,” Pycior said. “Since it’s a dual credit course, what this class offers is three credit hours for [Missouri State University] MSU.”
Pycior said students who take the teaching academy class get a wide variety of teaching experiences.
“We have a seated part, where we go through all of the kinds of methods of teaching, structures of teaching, classroom management skills and we do a lot of studies in class,” Pycior said. “Then, they’re applying all of that in sort of a mini student teaching [role], where they become cadet teachers, and we send them out to the schools [in the area].”
Senior Anna Choate, the president of educators rising last semester, said that the club is for students who are interested in working in the education field in the future.
“We have conferences – we went to [Louisiana State University] LSU this year…” Choate said. “We have a competition coming up. I never went to it last year – [it was] during spring break, so I couldn’t go. But this year, it’s before spring break.”
Senior Kaitlyn Ornelas is a member of educators rising and is taking the teaching academy class this school year.
“I joined educators rising because I want to be a teacher, and since I was in the club they were like ‘Oh you should join the class too,’ so I gave it a shot and it’s pretty fun,” Ornelas said. “The class helps a lot with the club as well because you get both sides and you get to work with the kids.”
Educators rising meets on Wednesdays after school and hosts make-up meetings on Thursday mornings.
“The vice president would lead the meetings and make sure we had everything coming up planned and we would … plan fun activities,” Choate said.
Students who are looking into being future educators can reap the benefits of joining educators rising.
“I know with educators rising, we’ve had a large amount of students that have been awarded scholarships and a lot of help with college and education,” Pycior said.
Additionally, Ornelas said members of educators rising get to connect with other students interested in careers in the education field.
“You definitely come out of it with relationships with people you do it with,” Ornelas said. “So you get relationships with other future educators and see what they’re interested in.”
Pycior said members of educators rising tend to develop close bonds with one another.
“We’re kind of like family … because everybody has that same bond with a passion for kids,” Pycior said.