Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series of stories highlighting Hermiston School District’s career and technical education (CTE) programs. Read the previous installments here:
Pursuing a career in education wasn’t always the plan for Ella Gutierrez.
As a freshman at Hermiston High School, Gutierrez said she felt lost, unsure of what she wanted to do. She was eventually enrolled in Human Development, a class that teaches how kids’ brains grow and change in their formative years. It also serves as the introductory course for the school’s Education program, laying the foundation for future teachers, counselors, and social workers.
Gutierrez — who graduated from HHS in June and plans to attend Blue Mountain Community College — was hooked. By her junior year, she was volunteering in a special education class at West Park Elementary School, and as a senior she logged more than 200 hours working with young children and their parents at Umatilla-Morrow Head Start.
“I slowly started to love the things that this program does,” Gutierrez said. “It makes me feel nice to help others. It’s about growing as a community and helping each other.”
In one case, Gutierrez remembers helping a girl with autism at the local Head Start. They would eat breakfast together and Gutierrez taught the girl songs to manage her emotions, especially around waiting her turn.
Toward the end of the school year, Gutierrez said she watched as the girl not only improved but started helping other kids as well.
“She was trying to sing to one of the other students who was having a hard time regulating,” Gutierrez said. “I wanted to cry, honestly. It was so amazing to see her and all the growth that she has been through. I was so proud of her.”
‘Little Humans’
Gaining real-world experience is a fundamental part of the HHS Education program. Students learn how to create their own lesson plans and, as they progress, are given practicums in classrooms across the Hermiston School District as instructional partners.
But first, they must understand what it’s like to work with children and basic educational principles. That’s where Michelle Munro comes in.
Munro teaches Human Development and Teaching in Action 1, exploring these fundamental skills. Before she started teaching at HHS, Munro led early childhood programs at the Hermiston Public Library.
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“I think the most surprising thing that (students) learn is that it’s easier than they think it is to work with a child. We don’t need fancy gadgets. We don’t need computer programs … You just need to talk to them in a certain way, ask them questions, and treat them as little humans.”
-Michelle Munro, Education Development Teacher
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As part of Human Development, students spend time caring for electronic dolls called RealCare babies that simulate the demands of an actual baby or infant. While these dolls are sometimes used in schools to discourage teen pregnancy, Munro said their goal is demonstrating how with the right care, kids can grow and develop healthy brains.
Munro and her students also launched a new community story time at the high school earlier this year, where they read books, played games, and sang songs with kids ranging from 11 months to 5 years old.
“It’s not as easy as just pulling any book off the shelf,” she said. “You need to be thinking about what this is book is going to teach, down to what finger play can we do and what craft is going to be appropriate for the children. It took us a while to get that together, but we did it.”
Lifelong Learning
Tammy Fisher, who leads Teaching in Action 2 and oversees students’ practicums, said one of the keys to being a great teacher is to be a lifelong learner.
“At the end of the day, to me, that’s what teaching is all about,” Fisher said.
While the demands of education are constantly shifting, Fisher said her students undergo actual teaching certification courses to stay ahead of the curve. One of these units, called “Science of Reading,” focuses on literacy training for young readers.
Hermiston students Rosa Pinedo Rodriguez (front) and Italy Daltoso (back) lead reading groups in the classroom. |
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Recently, the Oregonian/OregonLive wrote an article about how HHS Education students were putting these lessons into practice via small group tutoring at Hermiston elementary schools. Fisher described the partnership as win-win, extending the Education program’s reach and benefitting young readers.
According to the article, of the 15 first- and second-graders enrolled, 14 have made measurable progress in how many words they can read per minute and in the accuracy of their reading.
You can read the full article here.
As she prepares for her future, Gutierrez said the Education program at HHS “changed my life.” Even if students in the program decide they don’t want to become teachers, Gutierrez said they still come away with valuable lessons for any career.
“You learn about people. It’s not just the little kids,” she said. “You end up helping your community in so many ways.”
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Up next: Industrial and Engineering Systems
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Article Written by Pac/West Lobby Group
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