HAMILTON COUNTY — A program in Hamilton County is helping more students go into careers in education.
The Teacher Apprenticeship Program at Westfield Washington Schools is a partnership with Ball State University.
It launched last fall at Noblesville High School.
The goal is to give students real life experience working with kids in a classroom.
“Right now, it’s really important. We have a teacher shortage. We really wanna make sure that we’re getting qualified people in our buildings who love and are passionate about teaching our kids," Lindsay Tomamichel, Director of College, Careers and Strategic Initiatives, said.
If you go onto the Indiana Department of Education job board right now — there are roughly 1,200 open teaching positions across the state.
Tomamichel says programs like these help fill those gaps.
To participate, students can enroll beginning their junior year of high school.
They receive instruction from Ball State professors during their time in high school through dual enrollment courses.
The apprentices can graduate college a year early, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Special Education from the university.
“They are paid interns working in our classrooms with some of our best teachers, getting real life experience of what it’s like to be a teacher," Tomamichel said. “A lot times student teaching doesn’t take place until two or three years into college. It gives them an opportunity to say ‘yes this is what I’m passionate about, this is what I love, so that’s where I wanna go.’”
The hands-on experience is what Senior McKenna Johnson loves about the program.
“I’ve learned how to work with kids and meet their needs. Each kid is different. I’ve learned how to meet their individual needs and help their learning grow," Johnson said.
Johnson comes from a long line of teachers.
She wants to follow in her mom’s footsteps and focus her energy on special education.
“I’ve seen how she’s worked with kids and how she helps them grow and I’ve always wanted to be like her so that’s my main goal," Johnson said.
The program is creating a pipeline for graduates to work for the district. Graduates are guaranteed a job interview post graduation if they’d like one.
