‘Child labs' help teens decide on career paths
In a sunny classroom at South Carroll High School, preschool students toss a red ball back and forth.
"Try not to jump when you throw," suggests high school teacher Rochelle Sullivan on Monday morning.
The intermingling of toddlers and teens are part of a Carroll County Public Schools program that gives high school students a chance to try teaching through a child development lab while providing parents with childcare.
"It's really great teacher prep," said Sullivan, who teaches Honors Child and Adolescent Development along with the introductory and advanced child labs. She said students usually start as sophomores and move on to do an internship at an elementary school as a classroom assistant.
Ashley Brown of Mount Airy, a 17-year-old senior at the school, went through the program and is now doing an independent study on special education with Sullivan.
She said the class she worked with for her internship at Winfield Elementary School had a number of students with special needs and learning disabilities, piquing her interest in special education.
"You're working one on one with the kids, so you really figure out if it's what you want to do or not," she said.
Lora Battista, an 18-year-old senior from Taylorsville, is enrolled in the advanced child lab class at South Carroll. She said before taking the child and adolescent class she hadn't even been aware there was a preschool in the high school.
Battista, who wants to be an elementary school teacher, said the class is fun while also preparing her to work with larger groups of kids.
"Babysitting doesn't do that," she laughed, looking over the nine chattering 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds gathered at round tables, with plates of vegetables that tie in with the day's nutrition lesson in front of them.
During snack time, the high school lab classes transition and six new "teachers" come in for the day.
Colin Seiler seemed pretty apprehensive about the snack offering, staying with a full plate while classmates finished, wandering off to play with sand.
Sophomore Cameron Lawrence, 15, crouched by the 4-year-old.
"What color are those?" she asks, pointing to cucumbers.
"Green," Colin responds, adding, "I don't like them. I don't like broccoli either."
Unfazed, Cameron asks what color the carrots are.
Colin smiles with the knowledge. "Orange!" he proclaimed.
When not teaching, students observe assigned children, sometimes following things such as emotional response or interactions. Students receive one or two "friends" to follow, and eventually write a case study on the child.
Tuesdays are for planning and Thursdays are for lectures. Upcoming sessions include learning to story-tell with representatives from Carroll County Public Library and learning CPR from the Carroll County Health Department.
Cameron and classmate Meredith Vogel led a story time on Monday, guiding the children in American Sign Language. The kids cruised along when counting to 10, running into problems at six.
Sullivan said she is just a facilitator in the preschool.
"They write the lesson plans, they run the activity," she said.
Teachers are called "big friends" and go by first names. A timer helps remind them where they are in a lesson plan and adjust accordingly.
After the class, the high school students sit down and complete an evaluation of how they thought the day went as a group, then take home a worksheet to reflect on their individual performance that night.
"Self-reflection is how you grow," Sullivan said.
Teaching lessons isn't the only thing covered. Students study subjects from discipline techniques to room arrangements for creative movement. Sullivan said the program isn't just for those interested in elementary education. Students who go through the program are also interested in pediatric nursing, child psychology and various education positions, such as special or deaf education.
In the 18-week semester, the preschool students come in for 10 weeks, three times a week for two-and-a-half hours. Parents pay less than $100 for the semester.
Westminster resident and preschooler mom Mindy Myers-Abbott said the program is mutually beneficial for kids and students alike, saying daughter Shayla, 4, looks forward to it. Brianna Lloyd agreed, saying the cost was also helpful.
Lloyd has gone full-circle in the long time program, first attending as a preschool student, then as a teacher, now her daughter Katey, 4, is a student. Lloyd said she had continued on with the vocational tech program, and realized it wasn't what she wanted to do career-wise.
"I think it's good to realize before college," she said, saying students can explore the field without taking the money or time in a university.
E-mail Angie Cochrun at acochrun@gazette.net.
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