There's a new club on the scene to let teenagers know that it's cool to be in school - as a teacher, that is.
While teaching isn't always a day at the beach, "Club ED" will emphasize that a career in teaching is an ideal way to make a difference in the lives of others - as well as a means of giving back to the community.
With an estimated 300,000 teachers needed over the next decade in California, it's up to educators to encourage their students to fill the gap. CTA will help teachers "step up to the plate" to meet this challenge with Club ED, a pilot program for multicultural communities throughout California.
Club ED chapters, run by CTA members, are designed to encourage ethnic minority students to enter the teaching profession. However, the club is open to all interested high school students. Eventually, it could be extended to middle school students. Areas where the club will debut include Oakland, Hayward, San Jose (Eastside Teachers Association and San Jose Teachers Association), Santa Maria, Inglewood, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Pasadena, San Bernardino, Rowland and San Diego.
Chapter presidents have recruited members to serve as Club ED advisors. The advisors recently attended a kickoff meeting to explore ways of encouraging students to seriously consider pursuing a career in education.
"I can't wait to see what happens," says Inglewood Teachers Association member Revena Murphy, who will serve as an advisor at Inglewood High School. "It seems like a great program, and we have nothing like that now at our school. Mostly we have sports or heritage clubs. It will be exciting to start a club that will motivate students to think about what they want to do in the future."
All advisors received a Club ED kit that includes suggestions on how to structure the club, a list of club activities, plus buttons, pencils and colorful posters.
The eye-catching posters convey to students that teachers are winners. In one, a photo of a male high school student playing basketball with students is accompanied by the slogan, "Go Pro. Star in the Game that Matters." Accompanying a picture of ethnically diverse students is the motto, "We Need Teachers Who Look Like Us. Want to make a difference? Join Club ED."
"We need to improve the mindset in our society about what a teacher is," says Al Duerbig, a teacher at Pacific High School in San Bernardino. "It's time for the public to look at the teaching profession with respect. One way to do that is to have goal-oriented youngsters who at an early age have fixed on the idea of being teachers. Let's have students start thinking about being teachers early on, like being doctors or lawyers, instead of going into teaching as an afterthought."
Duerbig, who teaches a high school elective class on teaching, says Club ED is an ideal way to nurture future teachers who will be likely to stay in the profession for the long haul. "It's a fine way to build up the profession. And we have a crying need for large numbers of teachers in the future," says the San Bernardino Teachers Association member.
The Club ED: Teachers for Tomorrow Program was the brainchild of CTA's Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force. The task force was formed to deal with teacher concerns about the shortage of ethnic minority teachers. While the total population of minority students in the public schools is 61.2 percent, minority teachers lag behind at 22.4 percent, with their numbers continuing to shrink.
The club chapters, led by volunteer teacher advisors, will meet on campus regularly, with students participating in additional educational, cultural and social activities that will help stimulate their interest in the field of teaching. Club activities for members may include: assisting teachers with classroom lessons and activities; grading papers and putting up bulletin boards; volunteering to tutor younger students in neighborhood schools; observing classroom instruction; and keeping journals.
Partnerships will be widely encouraged. In addition to partnerships with the local CTA chapter and school district, Club ED chapters might:
- Establish liaisons with local colleges or universities to establish a link with the department of education staff;
- Establish relations with various business groups within the community to increase resources for the club;
- Seek out businesses in the community that are owned or operated by ethnic minority individuals to see if they will provide support and serve as role models;
- Encourage opportunities for club recognition within the community, such as special awards presented at annual community events;
- Enhance school/community relations by involving community leaders as speakers and supporters.
Clubs might also provide opportunities for students to visit college campuses for an orientation to college life and to become familiar with the facilities and staff at the local college education department.
If there is a Student CTA chapter at a local college, club advisors might arrange for members to tutor or mentor some high school students.
Murphy says she thinks many of her students will be receptive to joining Club ED. "Last year, when we held Career Day at the school, I went around the class and asked students what they wanted to be. I heard a lot of them say 'teacher.' That was great to hear, because we need good teachers."
