Merced Union High School District

 

Merced High School senior Samantha Barragan sat at a table surrounded by four TK students at Ada Givens Elementary. The little ones all had their pencil boxes opened and were eager to work as Barragan helped them complete a coloring worksheet. 

 

Barragan is part of a group of MHS seniors who recently finished their Education Pathway internships that allowed them to help out and gain experience working in a classroom with mentor teachers. “The internships provide students with the opportunity to observe TK–5 teachers in action, gaining insight into classroom management practices such as establishing routines, providing guidance and redirection, engaging students, effective communication, and maintaining a safe learning environment,” said Merced High Family and Consumer Science teacher Tammie Meyer, who is the Education Pathway Advisor. “Students have the opportunity to interact by reading with them, assisting with independent work, shadowing for support, and engaging/leading both small- and large-group activities.”

 

Barragan was on the Ada Givens Elementary campus with four other Merced High classmates  Jasmine Rosas, Viviana Sandoval, Jazleen Diaz and Orion Sweeney as they each helped out in classrooms. Sweeney and Diaz were helping kindergarteners with an art project and then transitioned to small group work with students. 

“Through this pathway I have gained a lot of skills like patience and self control because I work with little ones,” Barragan said. “I do have experience with that because I have little siblings, but it’s more in the classroom. It’s definitely helped me with which grade level I want to teach. This has also been therapeutic for me because there are times when I’m struggling and just being around them and kids this little, I enjoy it a lot.”

 

Sweeney also feels the Education Pathway has helped her for a future in education. “I think I’ve gained an infinite amount of skills,” she said. “From the very beginning. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from working with groups because we’ve done a lot of group projects. That’s not something I was always comfortable with. We’ve done a lot of public speaking and presentations in front of the class. Now transitioning into the physical classroom, my class prepared me to be in the classroom because we did all those things. Now I’m more confident with my kids and my kids bring out a better side of me.”

 

Students in the program at MHS complete a three-sequence pathway beginning with Child Development that they take as a sophomore or junior. “They have all been in this pathway for two or three years, preparing for their opportunity to participate in the capstone and be placed with a mentor teacher,” Meyer said. “The purpose of the capstone is to provide high school students with the opportunity to work directly with children in the community under the guidance of mentor teachers, gaining valuable experience through professional mentorship.”

 

Meyer works with mentor teachers at Merced City School District schools Ada Givens, Chenoweth, Fremont and Peterson. “I appreciate MCSD’s continued support in providing students with meaningful, hands-on experiences on their campuses,” Meyer said. “CTE provides students the opportunity to explore potential career paths and develop skills that will benefit them in their future. Through their classroom and internship experiences, students are able to build confidence, strengthen transferable skills, and gain valuable insight into the field of education. Many students who enter the pathway with an interest in teaching continue to pursue that goal, while others discover a passion for education through the relationships and experiences they have with mentor teachers and students.”

Meyer had 36 students in her capstone classes, gaining hands-on experience . She says she consistently has 30-plus students complete her Education Pathway each year. Her five students who interned at Ada Givens all want to pursue a career in education. Their experience only reassured them that’s the career they want to explore.

 

“It really just asserted to me that this is something I want to do in the future,” Sandoval said. “I want to work with kids, especially this age group. Since I was younger, I’ve always worked with kids whether it was caring for my siblings or cousins. It’s always been an interest for me. For me, it’s helped me gain experience overall and I’ll be able to put this on my resume to help me in the future to get different positions and newer experiences.”

 

Diaz agreed. “It really was an enjoyable experience,” she said. “I want to go right back into it. I don’t want to end it. I love the bond you form with the students.”

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.