As any faculty member at YUHSG can tell you, teaching is a calling – a vocation like none other, built on a passion for learning and a love of the classroom community. And yet we find ourselves amid nationwide teacher shortages.
“The teacher crisis is not new,” said Central Science Department faculty, Mrs. Miriam Chopp. “It is a widely discussed global issue. We need to take an active role in attracting, supporting, and maintaining new teachers.” A group of Central educators is working on a solution to this problem. Mrs. Chopp, in collaboration with Science Department Chairperson and Science Institute Coordinator, Mrs. Ruth Fried, Central English Department faculty, Ms. Chevi Friedman, and Director of Technology, Mrs. Marci Karoll, has launched a new interdisciplinary project called Taste of Teaching. Presented in conjunction with Ti-Tech MIT, a national philanthropic organization that seeks to inspire project-based learning, the Taste of Teaching initiative aims to steer talented students into teaching at an early age under the mentorship of accomplished professionals.
“Many teachers experience a nonlinear pathway to education,” said Mrs. Chopp. “They are beckoned as a substitute during college or a gap year, and they fall in love with the profession. They find that teaching chooses them, rather than their choosing teaching.”
Struck by this phenomenon, Mrs. Chopp came up with an idea: “We proposed that YUHSG become an incubator and laboratory for nurturing the new “crop” of educators we so desperately need.” Mrs. Fried agreed, arguing that the heart of the program is “to inspire the next generation of teachers when the field is losing professionals. And if we start in the high school classroom, with bright, motivated students who try teaching as part of a passion project, they might realize that they enjoy it and decide to integrate education into whatever they’d like to do – whether they opt to go into teaching or not.”
The target audience for Taste of Teaching was found in Central’s newest senior elective, Public Speaking, taught by Ms. Friedman. A natural fit for a communications-oriented project, the elective devotes one class period a week to the ToT project, exploring the research, community building, assessment, and technological training that are necessary to design a successful class. Ms. Friedman spoke about the success found with pairing ToT and this new elective.
“We have a great group of students who are naturally inclined to be educators – people who have served as academic club leaders and in NCSY 4G and G.O.,” she pointed out. “And even if they don’t go into careers that inherently involve public speaking, they will still need to be able to communicate coherently and effectively. Anyone in any job will need to teach – to educate in one way or another, even if it is not classroom teaching.” The backing of MIT Ti-Tech has been paramount in the development of ToT.
“The idea preexisted the program,” Mrs. Karoll said, “but securing MIT’s support has been crucial. And all along, we’ve had wonderful support from administrators. Everyone is really excited about this program.” This includes the program’s target audience – Central seniors. “Student buy-in to this program is incredibly important – and it’s been a success,” Mrs. Karoll continued.
Senior Simona Pitterman has found Taste of Teaching to be a formative experience. “We are learning about the different responsibilities of teaching, and how much hard work teachers put in to ensure their students have the best education,” she said. “It has given me a newfound appreciation for all of my teachers.”
Senior Bracha Frankel agreed. “Taste of Teaching is a really unique course,” she said. “Its emphasis on teaching strategies and experiential learning from teachers themselves makes the class stand out.”
The course’s capstone project will involve each student choosing a mentor teacher with whom she will work in preparing a lesson that the student will teach within a real classroom. “The hope is that one day, Taste of Teaching will be an elective in and of itself for college-bound seniors,” Mrs. Fried said. This year’s experience will serve as a prototype that will be available to all schools participating in the Ti-Tech program, so that the course can be repeated, and a wide range of students can experience the joy and meaning found in classroom life.