In December, Kinder students interested in the teaching profession visited the Allen Parish School Board. Members of the board were introduced to the program known as EdRising.
At Kinder High, Valerie Unkel is in charge of the group. She said five of the students (shown in the photo above) are enrolled in the class, which explores the teaching profession. (They are Ray Poncho, Mya Bendily, Lillian McGee, Arial Raven and Briyleigh Romero.) Three of the students (Zoe Solieau, Christian Sonnier and Alexis Deshotels) are not enrolled this year but are interested in becoming a teacher.
“We give the students opportunities to see how the school system is formed and the duties of each department,” according to Unkel as she explained the students’ trip to the school board. “They were also able to attend the December Allen Parish School Board meeting. The students are currently working on a micro-credential which will allow them to receive college credit in the education field.”
Through the class, students have visited Kinder Elementary and Kinder Middle to observe teachers in a classroom setting.
Unkel said, “All EdRising Academy materials are anchored by the Educators Rising Standards. Developed with support from the National Education Association (NEA), these seven standards define what high school students exploring teaching need to know and be able to do to take their first steps on the path to accomplished teaching. The standards were created by a committee of accomplished educators via the professional consensus model developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
The standards of the program help students understand career opportunities and develop skills they will need. Students also learn about themselves and their students for the purpose of building relationships and supporting student development. Another component of the program helps students build content knowledge for the purpose of creating relevant learning opportunities for their students. It includes learning how to respond to students’ needs through thoughtful planning and teaching effective instructional strategies to engage students and promote learning. Learning how to use assessments and data for decisions to help advance teaching and learning also is important, as well as learning how to engage in reflective practice methods to advance students and grow as a professional.
At the December meeting, Superintendent Kent Reed said he was very excited to start the EdRising program. “It’s one of my goals as superintendent to groom Allen Parish students to become teachers and return to teach in Allen Parish.” He said they were working hard to entice minorities like African Americans and males to look at education as a career. He said programs like this were the stepping stone to training interested students in pursuing an education degree and hopefully return home to teach here.
The EdRising program gives students an opportunity to earn college credits in the field of education before entering college. Interested students should ask their guidance counselor about the program.
