Teens as teachers

Program puts BVHS students in Fred Assam classrooms

 

This fall, the SD Youth Foundation approached Brandon Valley High School Guidance Counselor Katie Murdy to find out if there were any high school students who might be interested in the teaching profession through a program called Teens as Teachers. The Teen Teacher program is meant to give student-teachers a taste of what it is like to lead in the classroom. The selected teen teachers share character-based messages with local elementary students that are based upon the six pillars of Character Counts. Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship are all themes that are presented to the elementary-age students. 

After Murdy put out the call to BVHS students, 10 teen teacher candidates expressed an interest in the project. Of those 10, five completed the formal application process and four later enrolled in the program.

In November, BVHS students Maya Sazonov, Brayden Harris, Sierra Rima, and Lauren Scarbrough embarked upon their first lesson with Fred Assam Elementary fourth graders. During the lesson, the four teen teachers utilized a large treasure chest full of polished stones, which acted as a visual reminder about the importance of Respect.

As Rima pointed to the treasure chest, she pulled a polished stone from her pocket and said, “Today students, we would like to share something very special with you. You see, today we have brought our polished stones to share with you. As you can see, my polished stone is very smooth to the touch.”

She continued, “Today, we are here to talk about how our character is a lot like these polished stones. For instance, if we use good character at school then we appear smooth to others, (just like these stones), however if we choose poor character, then we appear rough around the edges to others.”

Sazonov asked the students to raise their hand if they would like to have their very own polished stone. A sea of hands shot into the air.

 “Well today, as we work with you, if you are good listeners and you help participate in today’s message about the importance of good character, you will each receive your very own polished stone,” Sazonov said.

With the stage for the classroom conversation set, the Teen Teachers challenged the fourth graders with a variety of circumstances and their responses.

“Tell us how a person of good character might treat others?” Harris quizzed.

“Do people of character usually try to put others first or do they always need to be first?” Scarbrough asked.

Rima posed the question, “If a person of character was the first one to the door after recess, would they just barge right in or would they stop to hold the door open for others?”

Students were also asked if a person of good character is polite, how might that individual demonstrate being polite to others? 

“Have any of you ever landed at an adult place on the Internet that could potentially leave you rough around the edges?” Harris asked.

As the students assessed their online habits, a multitude of hands shot into the air. “Well, your character is a lot like this smooth stone, it begins very smooth, however when you mess up online, then you become rougher around the edges,” Harris informed.

As the Teen Teachers wrapped up their talking points, they challenged them to carry their polished stone in their pocket over the next two weeks to serve as a reminder to always try their best to make good character choices, choices that will help them keep their character smooth, rather than rough around the edges.

Phil Olson, director of the local Teens as Teachers program, said the teen teachers will present an additional four to five character-based messages throughout the school year to the Fred Assam fourth graders. Furthermore, Olson said that although the Teen Teacher messages are based upon the principals of Character Counts, he noted that the lessons will also carry a common thread that will be intertwined with the BVSD’s newly-implemented The Lynx Way platform.