Seniors step into teachers’ shoes

Senior Lindsey Gettman dresses up for Halloween with a cadet student during a lesson last semester. Submitted Photo.

This semester six students — Tyler Moran, Sarah Korte, Emily Hester, Jennifer Pham, Kari Fancik and Sarah Kline — are switching sides of the teachers desk and learning what it’s like to be in charge through the cadet teaching class.

“This class is designed for seniors that are interested in education as a career. Cadets gain real world teaching experience by working with students in the elementary and middle school classrooms,” business teacher Mike Hansel said. “They work with individual students, small groups and teach at least one lesson to the entire class. In addition to their teaching, they are also involved in planning, grading and the day to day activities that go on in their school. By the time they are done with cadet teaching, they will have had at least the same experience as a level 1 UNI student, some often do much more. It is a very rewarding experience, and many of the cadet teachers visit their classrooms after they are completed with the class.”

Kline said this has been a real experience for her to see how much teachers really do.

“I have learned to respect what our teachers do for us a lot more just because of the troubles that I have gone through with my lesson plans not going the way I wanted them to and having to deal with absences. Teachers have to put up with a lot, and I am very thankful for every teacher that I have had for being willing to go through that,” Kline said.
Which Hansel adds is one of the goals for this class. “My goal for this class is to show students that teaching is a very rewarding yet challenging career that takes patience and dedication to students and life long learning.”

Kline so far has been working with Mr. Rothamel’s ninth grade history class at Peet Junior High. She has just finished working on the Progressive Era. Kline has a love of history and really hopes that she could one day teach it.

“I love teaching history. It’s something that I find interesting, and I love it when my students show a little interest in the subject matter,” Kline said.
Kline said some the most helpful parts about cadet teaching has been the teachers help with her lesson plans and the feedback. It has really helped her to improve on her skills to become a better teacher.

At middle school level, however, behavior is still a possible issue. Kline said, “Students that misbehave in class, it’s just like any other junior high class. They get a warning or two, then it’s out into the hall with them so they don’t disrupt the rest of the class anymore.”

Kline is planning on majoring in elementary education with a middle school and history endorsement.