BROWNSTOWN
Brownstown Elementary School often has trouble finding people who want to work as instructional aides.
Principal Chrystal Street said pay is one thing that keeps the school from having many applicants because some neighboring districts pay a bit more.
As of right now, she said she has enough applicants to fill the spots that are available for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. If several aides leave during the summer, though, she said she might struggle filling those spots.
Brownstown Central High School students, however, could help fill in.
During a recent meeting, the Brownstown Central Community School Corp. board of school trustees unanimously approved paying BCHS students to work as instructional aides at a rate of $10 per hour.
The idea came from board Vice President Gina Hackman since the aide positions have become increasingly difficult to fill over the past few years.
"The cadet teacher program for high school students has proven to be very successful, providing needed help in the classroom as well as valuable experiences for the participants," she said. "Many students are interested in the School to Work program but struggle sometimes to find placements."
By opening the instructional aide positions to high school students in the School to Work program, she said they are solving two problems in one.
"Teachers and their students will be getting the help they need in the classroom, and the student assistants will be gaining valuable work experiences and hopefully a love of the teaching profession," Hackman said.
Superintendent Tim Taylor, Assistant Superintendent Jade Peters, Street and BCHS Principal Joe Sheffer were all on board with the idea.
Taylor and Peters both said the program is being piloted for one year, and they will evaluate the effectiveness to determine the future of it.
Sheffer said around 10 students are signed up to work at the elementary. Most of them will be there two or three hours a day for at least two trimesters.
"(The) elementary requested more aides this year to help work with students who may be behind due to the pandemic," he said. "There is an aide shortage, so the plan is to try using high school students in addition to other aides. Mrs. Street will be responsible to place our high school students at (the) elementary."
Street said the program has the ability to impact students, staff and administration in a positive way.
"High school students who participate in the School to Work program have the opportunity to be paid for the work that they do," she said. "My thought was then ‘Why couldn’t the cadet teachers be paid, as well?’ Many of them spend several hours at BES and then go to practice. This opportunity gives high-schoolers a little bit of extra spending money while being able to still participate in extracurricular activities."
Street said another interesting facet of the program is her students get to connect firsthand with many of the cadets who have extracurricular activities, such as sports or music, and are able to support them.
"Having high school students at BES gives the elementary students the opportunity to see different activities that they could be part of when they attend high school," she said.
The high-schoolers might work with small groups, laminate, copy or check over student work or go on field trips.
"The kids love to be able to spend a little bit of extra time with the cadet teachers for some individualized attention," Street said. "There is always a great deal of things that teachers need to do, and there is never enough time in the day. Teachers trust the aides to help with some things that they just might not be able to get finished."
Street said she hopes the high school students get the same thrill as educators when they know they have made an impact or impression on a student.
"I want the cadet teachers to realize that their role is very important and that they need to set a great example for students to model," she said. "Brownstown Elementary has fantastic teachers and will have high expectations of the high school students. My hope is that the teachers have inspired them enough to want to come back and possibly teach in their hometown."
Plus, the cadet teachers will know administration and teachers will help them grow as an educator and be available should they need something in the future, Street said.
"If the cadet prefers a different setting to teach, my hope is that the cadets emulate the same enthusiasm and drive that BES teachers show," she said. "Some cadets might not choose education as their future path, but it is my belief that they will look back on their experience at BES fondly and know that every adult who comes into contact with a student has the ability to make a difference in the life of a child."