This article was written by student Abby Emory of the CHHS Colonial Courier.
The Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow (VTfT) program, along with its CTE organization Educators Rising, not only gives students a glimpse into the career of education but also provides opportunities for students to compete against their peers across the state. All students who competed in the state competition in Dumfries, Va., in March qualified to advance to nationals.
Four students placed and qualified for nationals, but none will be able to attend due to summer plans. Hannah Mitchell, 12, placed second in public speaking; Abigail Wright, 11, and Addy Yin, 12, placed second in children's literature (K-3); and Maddie McNulty, 11, placed third in the job interview category.
To qualify for nationals Mitchell had to prepare a speech and then deliver it at the state conference to compete against many others. That afternoon she was informed that she had won second place and qualified for nationals. "It is really, really exciting," said Mitchell, VTfT 2 student. "It is kind of crazy for me to think that I actually placed in the state competition and qualified for nationals, but I feel really accomplished and proud of my hard work."
Mitchell had to work through a process in order to advance to nationals.
"To qualify for nationals, I had to write and prepare a speech that I delivered at the state conference for Educators Rising," said Mitchell. "I practiced giving the speech to a mock panel of teachers and perfected my delivery. We traveled to the conference, where I competed against many others in the morning and found out that afternoon that I won second place and qualified for nationals. The process felt very quick and a little stressful, but it was all worth it in the end."
Ms. Tabitha Strickler, VTfT 1-2 and English teacher, has been leading this program since the 2017-18 school year.
"Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow (Part 1 and Part 2) is a CTE class that is for juniors and seniors who may be interested in pursuing a career in education," said Ms. Strickler. "Our career and technical student organization, Educators Rising, states that over 60 percent of teachers work within 20 miles of where they went to high school, so classes like this give people who may want to go into teaching knowledge and experience within their own community."
According to thewatospeak.com, when deciding on a career path in high school, about 52 percent of students feel pressured to make decisions about their future too soon. This causes anxiety, which can lead to a young adult choosing the wrong career path and wasting time. Having classes like VTfT, along with other CTE courses that CHHS offers, can help lower this pressure.
"Students are exposed to topics that teachers must know, including teaching philosophy, effective classroom environments, workplace skills and assessments," said Ms. Strickler. "There's also a four-week internship in the course. The internship for Part 2 is six weeks."
"My students are placed with cooperating teachers at North, Lakeview, Tussing or CHMS," said Ms. Strickler. "It is a great opportunity for my students to observe and take part in teaching under the leadership of skilled teachers and supportive schools."
Even though none of the students will be able to attend, Ms. Strickler will serve as a judge in the Creative Lecture (TED Talk) category at the national competition on June 28-July 1 in Washington, D.C.
