As written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on November 6, 2024
SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Jefferson County Schools welcomed high school students for the Grow Your Own program on Monday, where they could get real experience in the classroom.
Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to shadow several teachers from Page Jackson Elementary, Charles Town Middle, and Wildwood Middle.
Grow Your Own is a pathway designed to give students interested in becoming teachers the chance to get a head start on their degrees. Starting their junior year of high school, they can participate in college-level classes and get real experience by working with real teachers throughout the county.
Jefferson High School juniors Annika Feagans, Eva Palmer, and Hannah Kaetzel all had the chance to visit Wildwood Middle School for the day. They each shadowed a teacher and had the chance to watch how they organize their classrooms, work with students, and keep everyone on track. The students also prepared questions for the teachers to learn more about teaching and get practical advice to use once they are in charge of their own classrooms.
Feagans knew about the Grow Your Own program since she was in fifth grade and always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her mom is a teacher at Jefferson High School and through other leadership opportunities, such as FFA and 4-H, Feagans’ passion for leading and teaching began to grow.
Joining the Grow Your Own program seemed like the best option to help her reach her goal.
“The biggest benefit from this program is being able to get my degree faster and get in the classroom faster,” Feagans said. “Plus, help with the financial side is always appreciated. This program offers a lot of opportunities you wouldn’t get in high school.”
Feagans worked with Wildwood Middle music teacher and band director Tanner Petri. She hopes to pursue a degree in music education from Shepherd University after she graduates high school. She was inspired by her own music teachers and plans on creating a safe place for students to be themselves just like her music teacher did for her.
Palmer spent her day with Wildwood’s art teacher, Sarah Deanna. Palmer shared that she originally planned to attend James Rumsey Technical Insitute, but after talking with her school counselor, she decided the Grow Your Own program was a better fit.
She enjoys working with kids, and with her passion for art and English, Palmer hopes to get a secondary education degree to work at a middle school in the future.
Getting to see how a teacher runs their classroom now will help her reach that goal.
“There is only so much you can learn from talking in a classroom,” Palmer said. “By just observing a teacher, I can see how they react to different personalities and how they keep their students engaged in the classroom.”
Kaetzel shadowed English Language Arts teacher Sean Ambrose. Kaetzel was inspired by her former teachers to pursue a career in education. She saw how her teachers had a huge impact on her and her classmates and wants to do the same for the next generation.
Kaetzel plans on becoming a history teacher on the high school level someday. One thing that stood out to her as she observed Ambrose was how he changed his wording depending on his audience to help them better grasp the concept he was teaching.
“I’m looking forward to the questions I get to ask,” Kaetzel said. “I’m excited to pick his brain and learn more about how he runs his classroom.”
To learn more about the Grow Your Own program, visit https://www.jcswv.org/page/grow-your-own-pathway.