it really hits home when you hear students talk about it , and what it means to them ,” said Spinola . “ It really touches you , when they talk about what it would mean to have someone who looks like them teaching them . It makes them feel like they belong .”

Spinola was moved by the data , so much so that he came to Gateway administration with a plan to craft this teaching course , knowing that a “ Grow Your Own ” teacher program in a diverse district like Gateway could be rather impactful . Administration gave him the goahead , and since then the course has only grown . Beyond Spinola ’ s course , Gateway High School has other classes that put students in younger classrooms , like Ms . Puhala ’ s upperlevel Spanish classes , which places students in student-teaching roles at elementary schools . Additionally , high school students work oneon-one , three days a week with Ms . Ricciardi ’ s preschool class at the high school .

“ The student response has been enthusiastic , even more so than I expected . I thought it would be a smaller program and only interesting to a few students , but we ’ ve consistently had a good cohort of at least 15 students ,” said Spinola .

“ Even students that are placed in the course by a counselor to get social studies credit come out of the class with a positive experience . They learn presentation skills and they learn more about their own

education from an educator ’ s perspective .”

First started as just Teacher Academy 1 — which produced three students who are currently in college studying to be teachers — Teacher Academy now has three levels : Teacher Academy 1-3 .

Teacher Academy 1 is a seminar course which teaches students about things like education career possibilities , wages , how to interact with students , and how to develop a teaching persona . Eventually , students work on constructing and practicing lessons .

At Teacher Academy 2 , a practicum course , students delve deeper and eventually spend four weeks in classrooms , observing and helping out teachers . In the final iteration of the course , students spend 12 weeks outside of the classroom , interning and teaching in classrooms .

The course partners with both the Indiana University of Pennsylvania ( IUP ) and Carlow University , as Carlow provides students credits for taking the course . IUP has helped purchase materials for the class , and also brings professors and teaching students to talk to classes about what studying to be an educator might look like .

Additionally , Spinola brings in speakers to talk about educating different groups of students — hearing-impaired for example . Other school-based workers , like principals , counselors , and social workers have also spoken to classes .

“ I try to mirror a college course . If they choose to be an educator , they ’ re going to be comfortable going into that setting ,” said Spinola .

“ Ultimately they ’ re creating a portfolio not just of their philosophy for teaching , but practical plans and documentation that they can go to a college or a job and say they ’ ve got this experience of trying something in a real world setting . Teaching and engaging with people in a variety of ways offers them a different perspective on their abilities to communicate . I think they ’ re gaining additional skills that would be helpful in any career that they choose to pursue .”

Over the course of Pringle ’ s and Chapin ’ s visit , students showered Spinola with compliments , noting how Spinola ’ s genuine care for his students and the teaching profession has been inspiring .

When asked what it meant to have leaders in education recognize his program , Spinola was deferential , but appreciative , saying that he was “ surprised , but proud .” Regardless of the attention , what matters to Spinola is the importance of the work he ’ s doing , which continues to keep him inspired and motivated .

“ It ’ s the thing in my career that I ’ m the most proud of , without a question ,” Spinola said of his Teacher Academy course . “ To help develop students to perhaps someday do what I ’ m doing now feels like it ’ s something really important to contribute .”

GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT