Home-grown educators are encouraged to come back to Greenfield-Central schools, thanks to a new program that rewards high school students for hard work and dedication.
Greenfield-Central students exploring teaching as a future career have a chance to come full circle and return to the corporation as new teachers. The Cougar Pledge launched this year, offering high school seniors with at least a B average from education classes a promise of a job interview once they earn a teaching license.
It’s an opportunity to return to the community they love after college, and work in the same buildings that fostered a passion for education in the first place.
It’s also a chance to reconnect with their teachers, who will naturally become their mentors when they first start out.
Lindsey Cary, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at GCHS, came up with the idea and even hosted a special signing ceremony recently for students Sadie Fillebrown, Alek Plisinski, Hailie Stein and Sophia Thompson. They were the first students to qualify for the Cougar Pledge.
“We already have a lot of great teachers who are Greenfield-Central grads, so just bringing more people who already care about our community is great, and they already have roots here,” Cary said.
Greenfield-Central High School offers a chance for students to explore the career of teaching through classes and practical experience. Classes include Principles of Teaching; Child and Adolescent Development; Teaching and Learning; and an optional capstone course.
Students head out to classrooms at GC elementary and intermediate schools to see what teaching is all about. Oftentimes, they’ll be able to work with children in small groups, or even try their hand at teaching in front of the entire classroom.
Cary said she is proud of the GC seniors who signed the pledge. She taught three of them when they were in the seventh grade, so teaching them at the high school level this year was special.
“They are all really enthusiastic; they all have a great empathy for students,” Cary said. “They often go above and beyond in the classroom, so I think they will all succeed.”
Students said while it’s unclear what the future holds, it’s reassuring to know they’re welcome back home at GC schools.
“I feel like it’s an amazing opportunity; I’ve lived in Greenfield my entire life, so being able to come back to the community is an honor,” said Sophia Thompson, who plans to study elementary education at Ball State University.
Thompson credits Weston Elementary kindergarten teacher Melanie Linder for an amazing cadet teaching experience for two years. She also values the classroom instruction at GCHS on child development and education theories.
It was hard saying goodbye to the kindergarten students she grew attached to. She treasured the hugs and hand-crafted cards.
“It’s just been an awesome opportunity; I’ve gotten so many different viewpoints of becoming a teacher, having the different opportunities to work in all the different classrooms and being able to build relationships has been an awesome experience,” she said. “I loved being able to connect with students and watch them learn.”
Sadie Fillebrown was also a cadet teacher at Weston, learning from music teacher Savannah Entin. She loved watching the play-based activities Entin incorporated in her classroom. With experience in band, orchestra and jazz, Fillebrown hopes to study elementary education and instill a love of music in children.
She says GC teachers are inspiring.
“They’ve been very nice, and would do anything for the kids,” she said. “I want to do that as well, when I become a teacher.”
The Cougar Pledge idea gained overwhelming support by Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin, Director of Human Resources Dan Jack, GCHS Principal Dan Walbaum, Director of Counseling Sarah Graham and the entire FACS team.
Olin said the school corporation strives to provide students with plenty of opportunities to learn about the education profession.
“Ensuring that our students have at least one teacher to walk alongside them through their pre-service training is integral to their future success as educators,” he said, adding that hiring practices over the last five years have already been incorporating many GC alumni. “Having professionals who know your community is very helpful to us in meeting our goals.”
Alek Plisinski would love to come back to Greenfield to teach. At GCHS, he’s been mentored by performing arts teachers and values the idea of coming back and being mentored by them once he reaches his dream of becoming an English and theater instructor.
“I don’t really want to leave Greenfield, so it’s great for me just to be able to stay here and be guaranteed an interview,” he said.
Hailie Stein was grateful that she was a cadet teacher this year for Rhonda Fada at Greenfield Intermediate School.
“She’s a wonderful teacher; she was my fourth grade teacher when I was at GIS, so it was a full circle moment,” she said.
The fourth grade students were sweet and fun to work with, she added, and the classes at the high school left her well prepared to take on more courses in college.
“It’s a cool opportunity they’re giving kids at Greenfield to be able to come back and have an application and have a chance to teach where they grew up,” she said. “That’s my goal– to come back to Greenfield; you never know if plans change, but it’s a cool opportunity to be able to have.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
Hailie Stein was grateful that she was a cadet teacher this year for Rhonda Fada at Greenfield Intermediate School. “She’s a wonderful teacher; she was my fourth grade teacher when I was at GIS, so it was a full circle moment,” she said.
