Children crave attention, love, and having someone in their life who won’t give up on them. This is often the roll teachers fill. Teachers do more than pour knowledge into the next generation. They also provide students with the attention, love, and confidence children need to thrive. 

The Education Careers Program at the New Castle Career Center understands the important role teachers have in society and the impact the youth they teach will have on communities in the future.  The program gives insight to high school juniors and seniors on life as a teacher. The students in the program learn entry-level skills while earning dual credits for college.

Elizabeth Lenz started her teaching career in the Early Childhood Education Career Program and now serves as a kindergarten teacher at Parker Elementary School.  

“There were so many things I did in the career program that I also expanded on in college,” Lenz explained. “I feel like I was better prepared for the toughness of college because I had already been introduced to several of the items we learned about- such as lesson plans.”

Within the program, participants learn through classwork, projects, and real-world experiences. A variety of skills are incorporated into the curriculum including lesson plan development and classroom management. Future teachers are placed with local elementary schools to student teach for a more hands-on experience. These experiences were helpful to Hannah Poor, who currently serves as a third-grade teacher at Wilbur Wright Elementary School. 

“This program gave me opportunities to refine my time management tactics and improve my organization strategies,” Poor noted. “I can honestly say that the Career Center set me up for success for not only college but my career as well.”

For more information on the education program or the 17 other programs, the New Castle Career Center has to offer, visit nccareercenter.org