Teach and learn

By Karoline Czerski

Students interested in pursuing an education career have two difficult problems. The first is to understand what each grade level entails. The second and more pertinent problem is actually choosing what level to work with. Upon entry into the University of Calgary’s Graduate Education program, the students must focus either on elementary school, or junior and senior high.

“The program is quite rigid once you enter your given stream,” notes second year Education student Jane Henderson. “It is difficult to change from senior high to elementary once you’ve started on one path.”

Henderson is the Vice President Volunteer Coordinator at the Education Students Association. Currently, the ESA is promoting their Volunteer Teaching Program, which caters to those who are interested in teaching but who lack first-hand experience in the classroom.

“This program is directed at undergrad students and anyone else interested in teaching to give them a taste of what the grade levels actually entail in the classroom,” explained Henderson.

Every age group provides a different set of challenges, and it is worth getting a feel for them before deciding on a specific stream when entering the education program and subsequent teaching career. Misconceptions in the line of teaching are rampant, and Henderson knows this well.

“You think you want to teach grade three until you learn first-hand what kind of problems you are faced with,” she said.

The Volunteer Teaching Program serves as a vehicle to match applicants with teachers who need classroom assistance.

“There has been an overwhelming response from the teaching community,” said Henderson. “Assistance requests range anywhere from elementary, to language schools, to special education, and to senior high physics.”

Teachers from Calgary and rural areas such as Springbank have made over 222 requests for volunteer teachers. So far, only 16 volunteers have applied. Although it draws mostly undergraduate students, anyone is eligible to apply for the program.

“Our market is everyone,” said Henderson.

Besides going through a police check, applicants need only to be willing to test new grounds. The program pairs the applicant with up to three suitable choices, determined by what level they would like to teach, the part of the city they would like to teach in, and the hours in which they would like to commit. The latter is quite flexible, starting from one hour per week, and increasing according to arrangements made with the paired teacher.

“The program is mutually beneficial,” Henderson notes. “Volunteers and teachers work together to make what they want out of the program.”

The ESA warns teachers that volunteers seek challenging opportunities. It is an occasion for students to use volunteering in a very practical, yet fulfilling way.

“The program is really for personal experience and reflection,” said Henderson. “We’ve only had positive results.”

For more information, call Jane Henderson at 220-3093, or visit the ESA website: www.ucalgary.ca/~esa.

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